I’d prefer to go with the “Blessed Big” Christmas!

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:10-14

The airwaves are now filled with holiday music. There are so many Christmas songs that I enjoy, I find it difficult to select my favorite.

Interesting. Right now, at this very moment, I’m sitting in the airport and the song I’m writing about is playing overhead – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. (I’ll take that as some kind of confirmation)

Recently, I listened to this classic original as if hearing it for the first time. Most versions are sung as the original in a slow tempo with a somber tone. I had always wondered what that was all about. I got a copy of the original lyrics and realized that for a song with ‘Merry” in its title, it wasn’t a particularly upbeat and joyful song but had more of a gloomy feel.

But, somehow, I could relate.

The words and music took me back to a young age – a time between wide-eyed wonder and teenage dissalussionment. A time when all the magical Christmas stories were exposed as fables. If Santa wasn’t real then was any of it real? For a period of time I faced Christmas with a shrug. None of the presents and decorations held any real significance to me anymore. Time with family and friends was okay. If I could muster any excitement, it seemed lost in the hectic buzz of Christmas morning. The excitement and the meaning were left in the past.

Read the original lyrics which echoed my depressing feelings that any real Christmas magic was behind me.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas as originally written by Hugh Martin:

• Have yourself a merry little Christmas. It may be your last
• Next year we may all be living in the past
• Have yourself a merry little Christmas
• Pop that champagne cork
• Next year we may all be living in New York
• No good times like the olden days. Happy golden days of yore
• Faithful friends who were dear to us, Will be near to us no more
• But at least we all will be together, If the Lord allows
• From now on, we’ll have to muddle through somehow
• So, have yourself a merry little Christmas now

There were a number of years, for me, when the magic of Christmas was gone and relegated to the past. It became more about just “Muddling through somehow.” I eventually adjusted to the realities of the Christmas season (as many do). I grudgingly accepted the truth that it’s not about me and ‘receiving’ but about focusing on others and ‘giving.’ Christmas became more tolerable. Still, a season of rush rush rush, wrap wrap wrap, tear tear tear seemed pretty empty – pretty small. The best we could do was to gather with friends and family to have a merry “little” Christmas.

The truth is that many people have had the same feelings I’ve had of just trying to get through the season with all the pressure, hectic-ness and unmet expectations. It’s known as ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ but for many it’s filled with anxiety and depression.

So, what about the song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas? Why so sad and forlorn?

Hugh Martin was hired with Ralph Blane to write the music for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis staring Judy Garland. He wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. It was sung by Garland in a scene set on Christmas Eve in a melancholy way because the family is distraught by the father’s plans to move to New York City for a job promotion, leaving behind their beloved home in St. Louis, Missouri, just before the long-anticipated 1904 World’s Fair begins.

Both Judy Garland and later, Frank Sinatra asked Martin to take the original lyrics and “merry it up a bit”. The lyrics have made the following changes over the years:

• From “It may be your last, Next year we may all be living in the past”
  • to “Let your heart be light, Next year all our troubles will be out of sight”
• From “Pop that champagne cork, Next year we may all be living in New York”
  • to “Make the yuletide gay, Next year all our troubles will be miles away”
• From “No good times like the olden days, Happy golden days of yore”
  • to “Once again as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore”
• From “Faithful friends who were dear to us, Will be near to us no more.”
  • to “Faithful friends who are dear to us. Will be near to us once more”
• From “But at least we all will be together, If the Lord allows. From now on, we’ll have to muddle through somehow”
  • to “Someday soon we all will be together. If the fates allow. Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” and this line later changed
  • to “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.”

What strikes me most is that with all the attempts to “merry up” the song, it was decided to take out the only reference to the one who is the source of true joy. They dropped ‘God’ from the song in favor of ‘Fate.’ What a little and hopeless season it becomes when we leave our joy to a soul-less, random universe rather than to the magnificent hope we have in ‘the Lord’ – the very author and creator and meaning of Christmas.

Still, even with the “Merrier” version it strikes me as having an accurately sad tone, depicting the merriment of Christmas through all the world-ly elements but leaving it Christ-less. To me, the “Merry Little Christmas” is aptly titled for it is a small, short-sighted version of what Christmas should be. One that will always leave people feeling sad and forlorn for missing the point of God’s greatest joy.

What changed for me? It wasn’t until I met the living Savior, Jesus Christ when the real celebration began. Christmas became big again – a season of good tidings of great joy! Why? Because I came to know that the story was not a fantasy but true and even real for today – For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Many in this world want to make this season into something that will ultimately leave us empty and wanting if we do not make it all about the birth of the Savior of the world. The God who showed up and continues to show up in very real ways.

Don’t get me wrong, I get “wrapped” up and even enjoy much of the other stuff. I still get caught up in the frenetic holiday antics. I still love this song. But, it all dramatically pales in comparison to the greatest gift of all – a personal savior who is alive and who shows up with power, offering true hope, peace and joy every day.

So, don’t choose the “Merry Little” Christmas but have yourself a joyfully “Blessed Big” Christmas – NOW

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P.S. Check out Michael O’Brien’s recorded version of Have Yourself a “Blessed” Little Christmas on Youtube. He received this from the original songwriter, Hugh Martin (who became a Christian). It puts the Savior back in the Little Christmas.

A Christmas Gift

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8

Just an interesting ‘God’ encounter I had the other day during this Christmas season.

I work as a broker to assist people in selecting their health plan during the annual open enrollment period. I often go to enrollment locations that are usually housed in public buildings – libraries, hospitals, social service buildings.

Given the nature of the locations, I do not overtly share my faith unless I see a ‘natural’ (Holy Spirit) opening. However, for people looking for health coverage who are dealing with serious medical issues, they can get emotional. If there is the ability to be discrete, I’ll offer to pray with them. No one has ever said no.

The other day I came to my desk at a Social Services location and found a Gospel tract with a solid salvation message on my desk. Someone had come into the building and put them on all the desks. None of the staff seemed to care or know where they came from. I thought, Fine. I found it here, I’ll leave it here.

I went through the day until I helped a young woman enroll. She was intrigued by the picture on the tract and asked me what it was. I said that I had found it here this morning and it’s a Christian pamphlet that gives an explanation of the ‘Gospel’ – God’s good news of salvation.

She started to skim through it. I asked for her password to get into her account and as part of her password was her birth year of 1979. I stopped, looked at her and said, “Wow. You know, that is the very year I did what is described in that pamphlet. I committed to follow Jesus and he has proven to be real and trustworthy ever since.”

She responded, “Really?” as she began to more intently look through the tract. I completed her enrollment. There were a bunch of people cued up and waiting for me so we said goodbye and she put it down. I briefly repeated the gospel message of the gift of salvation and it being the very thing to fill the void in our lives.

Then she reached for the pamphlet and asked, “Can I have that?”

What a great question! Of all the things we could ask for in the Christmas season, how great was it to hear someone asking for the thing of greatest value?

I smiled and nodded. “I think someone left it here just for you.”

She smiled back as I added, “It’s a gift, but the real gift is what God offers inside.”

She headed off smiling and now I pray, “Holy Spirit. Complete the work that you started and open up that woman’s mind and spirit to your truth and wonderful joy to receive your greatest Christmas gift of all.”

I love when Jesus not only knocks on the door but sets things up in ways only He could arranged for. What an amazing God, using one of his followers to lay the seed, for me to water it and for Him to prepare and lead just that person He had in mind to consume it. Awesome!

Makes for a very Merry Christmas.