The following message is everywhere this season in commercials, television shows and carols: it’s the most wonderful time of year.

That may be true for some, but not all. For many, the Christmas season heightens emotions such as grief, anxiety and stress.

“It’s not all holly jolly and twinkling lights,” said Rev. Geoffrey Piper of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church. “People are hurting.”

For the first time, Piper and St. Gabriel’s Deacon Cathy Harper organized a special Blue Christmas service on Dec. 21, the winter solstice.

“These kinds of services are meant to help people work through the dissonance they feel,” Piper said. “Often times they think, ‘I must be defective because I’m not in the Christmas spirit.’ There’s a wide disparity between Christmas as it’s advertised and what the Lord’s message is.”

Known as a service of hope and healing, Piper said St. Gabriel’s is one of a handful of parishes across the South Coast that offered the evening service.

While some churches incorporate a blue Christmas tree or invite attendees to bring flowers for a community bouquet, the St. Gabriel’s event was low key.

Harper opened the service by welcoming the parishioners.

“It is a time when we can, with others, acknowledge the ‘blue’ feelings – and the reasons for them – that we might have at Christmas time,” she said.

In addition to praying and singing hymns, those in attendance were invited to receive special prayers of healing  offered by Piper and Harper at the front of the church.

Afterward, Piper noted the season can be a source of stress for many, but Blue Christmas gave people a chance to come together.

“There’s a disconnect between the message they’re receiving and their actual feelings,” Piper said. “I think we’re helping provide people a chance to come together and pray.”

“It can be lonely for some this time of year,” Harper said.