“If you have lost a loved one (either recently or in the past), consider that if Christ wasn’t born, your loved one would be in Hades right now, but because Christ died for us, they might be in Paradise instead. Are you mad at God because they died? Let’s not forget that unless we die, we cannot live. I am not trying to downplay anyone’s grief. God knows that losing a loved one can be the most difficult thing we ever go through, but let’s look at it through the proper lenses. Christ’s birth should not make it sadder, but more bearable. “
(Fr Joseph Hazar, ‘Orthodox Christmas in America’)