Befriending Art During the Holidays

If you’ve ever stood in front of a huge abstract painting — like Joan Mitchell’s Bonjour Julie, which is currently on view at the Birmingham Museum of Art — you know what it means to feel both accompanied and challenged by art. The layered, expressive gestures reach across the canvas and the years, inviting not just admiration but conversation, even companionship. For me, these frequent quiet encounters with visual art — and all mediums and genres of art — have been more than aesthetic experiences; they’ve become a form of grace-filled friendship, grounding and sustaining me through both ordinary days and seasons of intensified loneliness. In these moments, art’s gifts arrive, sometimes unbidden, always offering connection like the first glimpse of your neighbor’s holiday lights while driving home from work mid-November. Many of us turn to people in hard seasons when we’re lonely; what if we turned to paintings, poetry, films, and music in a similar way?

Holiday traditions are filled with artful companions. Every December, millions rediscover a sense of belonging through the glow of films. Few Christmas movie moments resonate more deeply for me than Kevin McCallister’s quiet encounter inside a snowy church in Home Alone. As Kevin sits alone during what appears to be a choir rehearsal for a Christmas Eve service or Midnight Mass, nursing the ache of separation, he is joined by his elderly neighbor — himself marked by misunderstanding and solitude. Their brief conversation, surrounded by carols and stained glass, brings unexpected comfort, turning isolation into a moment of shared humanity. In this short scene, the film invites viewers to witness loneliness transformed by vulnerability and connection, softening the edges of the season for anyone watching from the shadows of their own disconnection.

What many people overlook is that simply watching and re-watching favorite films or listening to holiday music can broaden our sense of belonging. Maybe we are drawn to these artful traditions — sometimes unconsciously — because engaging with art makes us feel less alone during a season that magnifies both joy and isolation. When you press play on the first December playlist or settle into another performance of The Nutcracker, something more profound than entertainment is happening. These traditions oftentimes meet our needs before we fully recognize their invitations — bestowed offerings woven into memory and relationship. Artful encounters, especially those approached with attention and intention, can help us navigate the complexities of the season, offering steady companionship and a much-needed antidote to holiday loneliness.

Recent data from a consumer survey suggests that many Americans anticipate significant loneliness and anxiety as the holidays approach. At the same time, a poll by the American Psychological Association found that 9 in 10 (89%) anticipate extra holiday stress from money woes, missing loved ones, and inevitable family conflict. The current political climate and cultural tensions add another layer, heightening feelings of otherness at a time when we are supposed to gather and be grateful.

A growing body of research — including a major World Health Organization report — confirms that engaging with the arts can substantially improve social well-being. There is strong evidence that music and other art forms foster social development and enhance prosocial skills, both in childhood and beyond. Artful encounters have also been shown to reduce loneliness and isolation, strengthen social bonds, and encourage greater social consciousness while offering particular benefits to disadvantaged communities. While the impacts on social inequality remain complex, numerous studies highlight how intentional engagement with art can help individuals and communities build resilience, connection, and belonging.

You are already familiar with what it means to befriend art if you’ve ever returned to a favorite movie, playlist, or poem. What I propose is a more intentional, more frequent engagement with all forms of art to experience less loneliness and more joy during the holiday season and beyond. Several studies suggest that positive activities lead to improved emotions and behaviors, which are associated with increased well-being. So, when we are more mindful of positive actions, such as making sure we put ourselves in the way of art, we can experience greater flourishing and a better quality of life.

For as long as I can remember, art has been my quiet confidant — steadfast through changing seasons and shifting communities. From sharing a piano bench with my mother playing “Away in a Manger” to singing Handel’s “Messiah” in junior high chorus, music has anchored my holidays. When my husband introduced me to Harry Connick Jr.’s Christmas CD on a drive back from Thanksgiving in New Orleans, it became a tradition, joining a rotating list of albums now claimed by our two kids. Music, especially during the holidays, is one of my most beloved artful companions — sometimes smoothing the edges of loneliness, sometimes connecting our household across generations. Whether it’s a choral piece echoing in a cathedral, jazz on a car ride, or harmonies in the living room, these moments show how art can transform solitude into warmth, comfort, and joy.

Throughout 2025, I’ve revisited Mitchell’s paintings wherever I could find them — at home and while traveling. My ongoing visits to Bonjour Julie and anticipation of seeing Sunflower II in a few weeks when I visit a friend in North Carolina only deepen this growing friendship with art, shaping both my reflections and celebrations. Amid the silent but dancing brushstrokes, I find myself in whispered conversations with Mitchell’s paintings. In those moments, art listens, witnesses, anchors. Art does what grace does: it’s ever-present when human connection feels out of reach, bearing witness and steadying my body, mind, and soul.

My daily encounters with art, which will continue long after the holidays, have taught me that friendship with art is more than pleasure or distraction — it’s a spiritual and emotional practice of belonging. Paintings, films, music, poems, novels: I greet them like friends, attentive to their comfort and challenge. Art’s companionship isn’t confined to masterpieces or curated exhibitions; it often appears unexpectedly, in the colors of a mural on a building downtown or the notes of a long-lost song overheard while grocery shopping. These ordinary moments remind us that anyone, regardless of background, can cultivate a sense of belonging and transformation simply by being thoughtfully and mindfully present with art.

For me, holidays that once felt fragmented now brim with renewed connection — the promise art offers to those seeking meaning while navigating complex feelings and circumstances. And it’s a possibility not only for me. Anyone can find a friend in art: all it takes is an attentive awareness of artful invitations and a willingness to receive. Let this season — and all days — be shaped by the good gifts we are given — even, and especially, the art that finds us in unexpected places, inviting us into belonging and joy.