We split into two groups and each group had a list of elderly people to visit – mostly widows and single ladies. At each home we sang a few carols and presented them with a little gift bag of treats.

A few of them asked us to come inside and they were all so sweet and appreciative of our visit.

And you could also sense the great loneliness that these sweet ladies experience every day – especially around the holidays. Some of them don't have any close family around. One even said she was going to be alone for Christmas.

AARP recently published an article about how the number of older Americans living alone is growing. In fact, they say 21% of Americans age 50 and older – 24 million people – live by themselves.

From the article:

In 1950, just 9 percent of all U.S. adults lived by themselves. Now 1 in 5 Americans ages 50 to 54, about 1 in 3 ages 55 to 74 and half of those age 75-plus are aging on their own, according to U.S. Census data. By 2038, the majority of people age 80 and older — about 10 million — will be solo agers, Harvard University experts estimate.

The article goes on to explain the different factors at work behind these numbers, but it looks like this trend isn't going to be reversed any time soon.

Is this a good or bad thing? It's a mixed bag. Many elderly folks who live alone seem to enjoy the freedom, autonomy, and independence, but many are also lonely, anxious, and overwhelmed.

My 75-year-old father lives alone 1,600 miles away from me. I'm fortunate enough to be able to visit him a few times a year because the company I work for is based where he lives. He seems to be happy enough, and he has a part-time job that he loves, but he is slowing down and is having more health challenges. He has nobody visiting or checking in on him regularly. His knees are getting so bad that if he fell, he'd likely not be able to get back up without help.

Dad knows that he'll eventually need more assistance – that he will likely need to relocate to be closer to family. But even then, he'd probably be living by himself and someone would be checking in on him.

I'm a pretty introverted person. I value my alone time. I need a lot of it. But I also need people. If I didn't live with my wife and son, I know I'd feel terribly lonely.

Every one of the sweet ladies we visited and sang Christmas carols to last night – they were overcome with emotion. They were very open with us about how our visit made them feel: loved, appreciated, seen. None of them wanted us to go away so soon. It broke my heart.

I don't think living alone is a bad thing. But we all need people in our lives so that living alone isn't lonely.

Is there someone you know who lives alone? A family member, loved one, neighbor? Stop by for a visit sometime. Just to say hello. Ask them how they are doing. It will make their day – and yours – a little brighter. Especially around Christmas.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 116) #Christmas #life #loneliness

Mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related circumstances, we have not spent Christmas with my extended family since 2019. Being able to do so this year has been a wonderful experience and a reminder to me of two things: the importance of being together with family, and the necessity of in-person human interaction.

I tend towards introversion. I don't mind being alone. I am a contemplative person and need solitude, quiet, and deep thinking to replenish myself. My initial reaction to social occasions is to avoid them. But most of the time when I push through that hesitation and go, I do enjoy them to some degree. I enjoy them even more if those social occasions are with family.

I am blessed to still have one living set of grandparents. I am their eldest grandchild, and my son is their eldest great-grandchild. This is our second opportunity this year to spend time with them, and these have been special visits. Video calls with them would not be the same – they are no substitute for sitting on a couch together talking, feeling that tangible connection that comes just from being around loved ones.

This has been a lovely time. While I am ready to return to our “regular” life, I also wish I had more time. I wish I didn't live so distant from my extended family that I only get to be with them a couple times a year. Still, it makes those times all the more meaningful.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 98) #family #life #Christmas

May we always be grateful for God's incomparable gift of His Son. And may we always be looking for gifts of time, love, and service to give to Him.

What shall we give to the babe in the manger? What shall we offer the child in the stall? Incense and spices and gold we've aplenty. Are these the gifts for the king of us all? 

What shall we give to the boy in the temple? What shall we offer the man by the sea? Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising, Are these for him who will carry the tree? 

What shall we give to the man who was offered, Rising the third day and shedding his love? Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger, Bathing the infant come down from above.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 93) #Christmas #faith #music

There are certain traditions and activities that embody the spirit of Christmas. Live performances of Handel’s Messiah are certainly in this category.

My wife had the opportunity to play violin in a community performance of this masterpiece and my son and I had the opportunity to enjoy it in the audience.

For a community choir and orchestra made up of volunteers, it sounded excellent. Singing along, especially with the Halleluja chorus, one couldn't help but feel the spirit of Christmas – the spirit of Christ.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)

#100DaysToOffload (No. 83) #music #Christmas #faith

At the end, the entire congregation sang O Holy Night together with piano and organ accompaniment and it was quite a powerful and moving experience.

Traditions like these really help me get into the real spirit of Christmas and set the tone for the season.

#100DaysToOffload (No. 76) #Christmas #music #faith

The music and lyrics are brilliant and so beautifully echo my own desires at Christmas and all year.

I thought I'd share a lovely, little-known rendition I discovered some years ago.

Do you remember me I sat upon your knee I wrote to you with childhood fantasies

Well I'm all grown up now And still need help somehow I'm not a child but my heart still can dream

So here's my lifelong wish My grown up Christmas list Not for myself but for a world in need

No more lives torn apart That wars would never start And time would heal all hearts And everyone would have a friend And right would always win And love would never end This is my grown up Christmas list

As children we believe The grandest sight to see Was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree

But Heaven only knows That packages and bows Can never heal a hurting human soul

No more lives torn apart That wars would never start And time would heal all hearts And everyone would have a friend And right would always win And love would never end This is my grown up Christmas list

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth

No more lives torn apart That wars would never start And time would heal all hearts And everyone would have a friend And right would always win And love would never end

This is my grown up Christmas list This is my only lifelong wish This is my grown up Christmas list

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 75) #Christmas #music

It stars Jimmy Stewart and features the Tabernacle Choir. Need I say more?

Merry Christmas!

#100DaysToOffload (No. 73) #Christmas #movies

Also, I need a change of scenery and a break from the work routine. Working from home has its advantages, but it can also be pretty monotonous and the days tend to blur together in stretches.

Christmas celebrations with family are just the thing I need to reset and rejuvenate.

Two weeks to go, and then I'm on vacation the rest of the year!

#100DaysToOffload (No. 72) #life #Christmas

The music is sublime, as always. But the video itself is amazing and symbolic on so many levels.

It depicts a prison inmate being released. They intentionally never show his face, I think, because we are supposed to imagine ourselves in his place. Are we not all prisoners of sin and death? Do we not all need Jesus Christ to set us free?

“Christ the babe was born for you.”

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 69) #Christmas #faith #music

I've probably only done so a handful of years out of the 17 years I've been married. It's easy to justify not continuing this tradition. Modern technology provides so many ways to wish someone a Merry Christmas. Why send a dumb old card when you can send someone an email, text, or instant message? Or even audio or video call them personally?

All of those methods are great, but I don't think they are an adequate substitute for a Christmas card. When most of the mail we get these days is bills, junk mail, etc. it's so nice to get something different.

When you get a letter, note, postcard, greeting card, etc. from a friend or loved one, it brings some joy to your day. That message, whatever it may be, is meant just for you. It represents the time and effort someone took to write, sign, put in an envelope, stamp, and mail that item to you. And these days, people do it not expecting anything in the mail in reply.

Christmas cards are extra special because they are full of “good tidings of great joy” that add to the magic of the season. We have a tradition of hanging these cards in a certain place on the living room wall as we receive them. They are a reminder that we are remembered and loved, to remember and love others, and to remember and love the reason we celebrate the season: Jesus Christ.

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 64) #Christmas #intentionism