Christmas Songs

Christmas music is knocking me out this year.

Came out of nowhere. Did not see it coming.

Sirius XM advertised two Christmas music stations - one featuring classic Christmas stuff. You know, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

The other one is contemporary Christmas stuff. You know, like Springsteen singing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." 

I decided to check them out. And I fell over.

Both stations caused a deeply emotional reaction in me. I was not expecting it.

Christmas is essentially bullshit to me because it is a manufactured emotion. But every couple of years I get into it. For my own highly justifiable reasons.

This year more than ever, apparently.

A few years ago I would come up to this room every night and play three songs in a loop. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. "Imagine" by John Lennon. "The Winter Song" by Angel.

I was up here writing the fucking amazingly inspirational shit that I write, and listening to these songs on my ipod. I would rewind them and rewind them and rewind them.

"Happy Xmas" becaue I feel this is the ultimate Christmas song. Instead of asking what are you going to give me, the song asks what have you done? Those words should smash you in the face. Because that is what Christmas and the end of the year is about.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

I ask myself that every year and come up short. 

"Imagine" is a Christmas song to me because it paints a picture of the world the way it should be. Which, again, is what Christmas should be about. Hope, baby. Fucking hope.

"The Winter Song" is a little harder for me to defend because it is a personal thing. I just fucking love this song. The song describes winter perfectly but does not really talk about Christmas. But it kind of creates a Dickensian vision of Christmas. Even has a choir singing backup. And at the end of the song when the lead singer echoes the lyrics the band is singing - oh my god it gives me goosebumps.

Every single time. And I have listened to it hundreds and hundreds of times.

Check it out on youtube. 

And don't be distracted or overly amused. This is a 70's/80"s glam band hair band. Complete with jumpsuits and big hair etc. However, if you get goosebumps you are one of my tribe and I welcome you.

If not, you are not one of my tribe. You will need to be executed.

Feels like I am going to put those three songs back into rotation this year.

Anyway, I have listened to Christmas music on Sirius with serious emotional investment.

Here is what's going on.

When you live through a pandemic you develop a Happiness Deficit.

You are suffocated and alone even if you have someone. Life is a strange and unrecognizable thing. Fear and paranoia haunt your every trip outside the house.

You cannot be happy under those conditions.

Christmas music is happy. It is hopeful. It goes right to the heart of where you want to be. Where you need to be.

It wakes up the human in you. It provides fuel for the deep longing you have to live a real life again.

It is food for the soul.

I am going to keep right on digging Christmas music this year. Turns out I need it. Like I need oxygen.

Like I need peace of mind.