One of the little-acknowledged causes of the holiday blues is unrealistic expectations. These expectations are created by what we see on television, in movies, or in magazines.

But those things aren't real. They don't reflect the natural limits that each of us face every day. We don't get to cast for the perfect family. We don't bake four batches of Christmas cookies to get a photo of the twelve cookies that look the best. We don't have a team of set decorators hanging every ribbon just right. Life doesn't come with filters and Photoshop.

We may be sad that our celebrations don't measure up to these unrealistic standards. Yet, in a way, these perfect celebrations miss the whole point of the religious celebration of Christmas. Christians believe, quite simply, that God became a human being. The Creator of all that is entered into the imperfect messiness of real human life — expressly because it's imperfect and messy.

By accepting our own limitations — while striving to do what is right and good, especially for those who are most vulnerable - we celebrate Christmas in a way that all the bows and garlands in the world cannot sufficiently adorn.