So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun
John LenNon & Yoko Ono
Been a hot minute.
Actually it’s been over a million minutes.
Not a post about looking back, but celebrating the December sprint to 2024.
My November Elfless-shelf daughters are counting down the days until Santa, the pre-turkey-day Christmas music embargo lifted, and the spirit of the season has lifted the keyboard coma.
A two-song-a-day, advent-style, online musical journey as we close out the year. If you enjoy this 1/100 as much as I enjoyed Grandma Nettler’s Chocolate Advent calendar back in the day we should be in good shape!
Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon & Yoko Ono. (Covered by Sarah McLachlan)
So many options to open the list but this has to be my first entry. Not just the song but this version. Not sure five, ten, fifteen, years ago this would occupy pole position. Today, firmly confined in the snow globe of middle age this song just gets me every listen.
The opening lyric perfectly encapsulates that Christmas anticipation is followed immediately by the internal inventory we all confront as the wrapping paper piles tie a bow on another 365.
The wistfulness in McLachlan’s voice on the first “… and what have you done” carries every ounce of resolutions relinquished, and diets discarded.
She likewise carries every ounce of hope, community, compassion, and resolve Lennon and Oko originally crafted in this song.
The Potter-Grinch cynics would argue that a “World without Fear” is an impossibility.
ThisDad thinks that if we are so lucky as to live to another Christmas, we have the opportunity and obligation to work towards a World with less Fear. Eventually, enough Christmases will come to pass and that work just might be done.
Snowman by Sia
This one is hot off the 2023 presses. Kate asked me to add this to our Christmas Spotify list. I shared with her the idea for this blog project and asked her why she liked this song.
Her reaction was on par nervous with any random LA resident asked by Jimmy Kimmel who was the first president of the United States.
I DONT KNOW. I JUST LIKE THAT SONG?!?
kate wiegert
Good enough for me.
Look for the next two songs tomorrow.
Thanks for reading.
Let’s all hope for a safe, fun, healthy, and happy holiday season as we close out 2023!
Photo by Kieran White on Unsplash
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