Verse 1
I hear the choirs rising, singing peace on earth again.
But outside these stained-glass windows, I can still taste all the pain—
The hunger and the heartache, the wars we never cease,
The quiet rooms of sorrow where we dare not speak of peace.

Pre-Chorus
So I lift my trembling voice, though it barely feels like praise.
I’m searching for a promise that can outlast all these days.

Chorus
Lord, I’m holding on to Christmas with a fragile, faithful hand.
Not the tinsel, not the sweetness—just the hope You understand.
If Your light can pierce the darkness like it did that holy night,
Then rise again within me, God—make the broken world look bright.

Verse 2
I’ve seen the lonely faces, the ones forgotten in the cold.
I’ve watched the sickness steal the young, and bitterness the old.
And still they say Emmanuel, that You are with us here—
So meet me in the questions where I wrestle with my fear.

Pre-Chorus
I’m not asking for a feeling or a moment’s warm disguise,
Just a truth to stand upon when all the world is compromised.

Chorus
Lord, I’m holding on to Christmas with a fragile, faithful hand.
Not the tinsel, not the sweetness—just the hope You understand.
If Your light can pierce the darkness like it did that holy night,
Then rise again within me, God—make the broken world look bright.

Bridge
If You were born into a stable, into shadows, into need,
Then maybe there’s a mercy even wounded hearts can heed.
So guide me through the aching, through the doubt I can’t outrun—
Till hope is more than longing, till the dawn outshines the sun.

Final Chorus
Lord, I’m holding on to Christmas with a weary, open hand.
I believe You’re in the hurting far more than we understand.
If Your light still breaks the darkness, let it find me here tonight—
And kindle deep within me, God, a faithful, living light.