Christmas survival tips for LGBTQ Christians This year has been a doozie for so many of us. And if you're anything like me the holiday season usually amplifies any feelings of loneliness, disconnection, or otherness that I may have swirling around in my head. I know that I'm not alone on this one. For many Queer people of faith, the holiday season can be really hard and really dark. That cheery exterior that we are expected to portray in pictures, at parties, and on social media, that's not the reality for many of us. Growing up I was constantly reminded that Christmas IS a time of warmth, happiness, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, singing carols at a candlelit Christmas Eve church service, and joyous family celebrations where you lovingly exchange gifts and where you spend time relaxing, connecting, and sharing meals with close family relatives. You know, all those fuzzy warm images and picture-perfect endings we see on the Hallmark Channel, and for some, that is their reality. But for others, people like me, that's a fantasy and it's a painful reminder of what I'm told I wasn't allowed to be. I get how hard this time of the year can be. I know how desperately hard so many of us want that perfect Hallmark Christmas fantasy to be our reality. It's not easy NOT being part of what is 'generally accepted' and what 'everyone else may be doing', but that doesn't make you wrong.  My hope is that these top 7 Christmas survival tips for LGBTQ Christians will help you navigate any choppy waters in the weeks ahead. No matter what your reality is this holiday season I want you to know something with absolute certainty. You are loved unconditionally by God who made you exactly as you are. Merry Christmas James www.thislittlelightofmine.ca Referenced Links: Glennon Doyle's 'We can do hard things' podcast What is Religious Trauma Syndrome