I don’t want a lot for Christmas
Mariah Carey
There is just one thing I need
I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
Somewhere between the garage space status quo and season 6 of the Great Christmas Light Fight is the happy medium of adding a few extra watts of Christmas display cheer to the neighborhood.
Somewhere between the small bottle of Baileys and 1st year out of college holiday work happy hour is the happy medium of Christmas “spirit”.
Somewhere between socks in the stockings (ALWAYS APPRECIATED) and Griswald’s new pool is the happy medium of a gift-giving budget.
Christmas like most things is best celebrated with 80% gusto and 20% moderation
Somewhere between zero and two is the happy medium for many folks with this next entry in the list…
All I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey (Michael Buble Version)
Maybe the most ubiquitous and divisive song on the playlist. Eight hundred reindeer couldn’t pull a sleigh full of memes about this hit. One of the most-played songs in history. Selling over 20 Million copies of this album is impressive. Getting to over 21 million downloaded streams on December 24, 2022, equally so.
That level of popularity necessarily causes a rebounding effect creating a counterwind of incredulous moans, Bruce Lee punches to the skip button, and volume adjustments the world over.
All that being said, underneath the cultural reaction hood, I think is a core theme that resonates with 20 million 20X over.
On Christmas, I want to be with the one(s) I love.
There are maybe a hundred versions of this song but I called Buble back from the bullpen because his version lines up with my interpretation. The solo piano and slightly modified slower tempo take me to a time when I was waiting tables on Christmas Eve and wanting the shift to be over so I could go home to see my girls.
Probably how my mom and grandma Kate felt when dad had to work late on Christmas Eve when I was growing up. The decorations, the food, the gifts, the “spirits” the stuff is just not a replacement for the company!
You might still skip this one over the holidays, but give it maybe one heartbeat before you do, and be thankful if on Christmas you have all you need sitting right next to you.
Speaking of Dad working late on Christmas Eve
Do You Hear What I Hear? (Bing Crosby Version)
Bing Crosby’s voice takes me back to Dad walking on Christmas Eve. Playing the ORIGINAL floor is lava downstairs with the cousins. My first Legos. Dress shoes and sweaters that mom picked out and that her boys discarded as soon as the snacks and Sprite were flowing.
This album takes me back to the kiddo car ride home and the narcoleptic seizure every eight-year-old has when the car heat mixes just right with the tires on highway tone and street light strobe pentameter of that late drive home. Dad’s Bing Crosby whisper karaoke just barely audible in that hazy drive home slumber
There is maybe nothing more I cherish than picking my kids out of the car on Christmas Eve. They just weigh differently on my shoulders. Like my own Santa sack with kids FULL from a night of family, food, and celebration. Bing Crosby takes me back to my dad’s shoulder. My mom’s shoulder. The car door opens, cold air rushes in, and the short-sleeved dress shirt is no help. ‘Cause at eight years old, zipping coats is for chumps!
Bing takes me to this place so he makes song six on the list.
Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow!
Main Cover Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
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