If you Googled this little weblog, you’d probably see that I’ve written these words at least a dozen times over my 19 years of blogging, but this year it’s very different.
A merry little Christmas is exactly what we’re having. Many of you are too. Many of you aren’t merry at all. I wouldn’t expect you to be. Some of you have lost loved ones. Some of you have been very ill with Covid and some of you caught it recovered. Hundreds of thousands of thousands of people have died in this country and more are suffering.
It’s not a merry little Christmas for those whose jobs have vanished due to Covid. Some food banks are reporting a 145% increase of meal distributions this Christmas.
So, maybe merry isn’t the right word, but it is the right song. It’s the right song because it’s about hopefulness and muddling through this time. It’s about looking forward to celebrating with loved ones in the future. It’s an old song that could have been written today. Here are the lyrics if you’re not familiar:
”Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
From now on
Our troubles will be out of sight
”Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yule-tide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away
”Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more
”Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
Hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now”
Here’s my favorite rendition, Judy Garland’s original, written for the film Meet Me in St. Louis. The reason it’s perfect is because it captures the melancholy and hope perfectly. Listen:
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