Christmas always seems to be an odd mix of melancholy and hope. Coming in the middle of winter, the weather is always cold and grey. Coming at the end of the year, the holiday reminds everyone that they are getting older. In short, the whole season is kind of sad and depressing. Even the pretty Christmas lights and decorated trees often seem like a kind of desperate attempt to make a gloomy season artificially cheerful. There's a reason that Charlie Brown feels down and disconsolate in A Charlie Brown Christmas.
But it is also a hopeful time of year. It is a time when families get together. When people tend to be a little nicer to one another than they normally are. Amidst the melancholy, there is a little brightness. One doesn't have to believe in Santa Claus or any of the other elements of mythology surrounding the season to feel the cheer and good will that surround it. Sarah's challenge in this song is for everyone to reach for each other to find something to believe in. At the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie's friends get together and do something kind for him. That's what I hold on to: That people are willing to extend themselves for others just because it is the kind thing to do.
Previous Musical Monday: Grandma Cooked the Dog by Paul & Storm
Subsequent Musical Monday: Overrated New Year by Sarah Donner
Christmas Songs Musical Monday Playlists
Sarah Donner Musical Monday Home
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