The Gift of Presence
Loving the Lonely at Christmas
Among the elderly neighbors, a simple gesture, with joy in his eyes and kindness in his heart, a young boy is taught true meaning of Christmas.
Every year, we gather around Christmas trees, string lights across our homes, and fill our calendars with the joyful rhythm of the season. But there is another song that plays quietly in the background—one that many never hear.
It is the song of the lonely.
Christmas, meant to be a season of joy, can be one of the most challenging times for people whose hearts ache with grief… for those who have lost a spouse… for the elderly who sit in silent living rooms… for those whose families have drifted apart… for the sick who wait for a visit that never comes.
Behind the cheerful music and bright storefronts, some souls whisper, “Does anyone remember me?”
I’ve known family members who stopped coming to gatherings because they felt invisible, more like an obligation than a beloved part of the celebration. I’ve watched elderly relatives sit quietly through Christmas meals, unnoticed in the swirl of noise. And I’ve met widows and widowers who have spent their last Christmases alone, with only the soft glow of a lamp and a memory to keep them company.
But loneliness doesn’t have to have the last word.
Not when God has given us the gift of presence.
The presence of Jesus changes everything.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18
At Christmas, we celebrate Emmanuel — God with us.
God did not love us from a distance.
He stepped into our world.
He wrapped Himself in humanity so that we would never be alone.
This is the heartbeat of Christmas: God came near.
And we can reflect His nearness to those who need it most.
Grandparents, parents, and children work together, filling stockings with gifts in the quiet moments of teaching children how to love others with their hands and hearts.
A Family Christmas Activity
Create Little Gifts Together
Instead of letting loneliness linger around someone else’s Christmas table, invite your family into the joy of giving.
Bake simple cookies and place them on trays or in small paper boxes.
Fill felt stockings with chocolates, candy canes, or peppermint treats.
Tie them with ribbon and tuck in a handwritten note that says, “You are loved. Merry Christmas.”
It doesn’t have to be expensive.
It only has to be done with love.
Deliver Them as a Family
Gather your children, bundle up, and visit:
Widows and widowers
Elderly neighbors
Family members who are sick or homebound
Church members who are no longer able to attend
Residents in a local nursing home who have no visitors
Let your children be the ones to place the gift in their hands, smile, and say,
“Merry Christmas — we are thinking of you.”
You may never fully know the impact.
A warm smile, a gentle touch, and even just a brief ten-minute visit — these are precious gifts that can brighten someone's day in the most profound ways.
To someone who has felt forgotten, that small gift may reopen a door of hope.
To someone who hasn’t heard their name spoken with love in months, your visit might be their answered prayer.
To the sick or the grieving, your presence might be the reminder that God has not left them in their sorrow.
Presence doesn’t have to be complicated.
Kindness doesn’t need a grand stage.
A warm smile, a gentle touch, a ten-minute visit — these are holy gifts.
“Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.”
— Psalm 71:9
Christmas is the story of a God who came close.
Not to the powerful.
Not to the famous.
But to the humble, the waiting, the ordinary.
The greatest gift we can give is the one Jesus gave us:
Ourselves — our time, our care, our presence.
And in that giving, the lonely find comfort, the forgotten feel seen, and our families learn that the beauty of Christmas is not in what we receive, but in how we love.
