Thanks so much for this article.  It is odd how God talks in a theme to a number of people at once.  I read an article, which prompted me to blog on the topic (found at www.lunamosity.wordpress.com) on the same topic of the "darker side of Christmas."   I think it is too bad that society so stresses the gleeful gladness of the holiday that we miss the diamond sparkling on the black velvet backdrop...and at the same time alienate those who suffer at this time of year and make them feel somehow that they've missed out on "the spirit of Christmas."