MY NEW FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG
I am not a fan of Christmas songs. Mostly because I am convinced that repeated exposure will lead to an increase in my A1C and then I’ll be diagnosed diabetic, which will mean I can’t eat all the foods I like.
So, yesterday, while driving around, the local Classical Station played the first one of the season. I most particularly can’t have too few Christmas songs done as classical music with a big orchestra; it’s a waste of everything involved.
Fortunately, the great Roy Blount Jr. (you NPR listeners who are fans of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” will know what I mean) is a paid subscriber here at TAFM (a huge compliment) as I am at his Substack “Take Another Piece of my Heart”, which you should subscribe to also. His post today has become my new favorite Christmas song and may qualify as my favorite Christmas song ever.
Here are the words:
DADDY AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE ANGEL
Thanksgiving is done. How can we top It? With Brighter Lights and Bigger Wings! Time to plunge into Christmas! I hope this helps:
Oh Daddy always grumbledAbout setting up the tree.He lacked the Christmas spiritJust between you all and meBut this year when he hooked upOur angel to the lights,A change came over Daddy,And now he's quite a sight. Oh Daddy's never glowed his way on Christmas. He seems to have absorbed the angel's juice. Yes the angel on the tree has lit up Daddy, And Daddy just can't seem to turn her loose.The angel's made of tinselWith a lightbulb in her breast.Daddy went to put her upOn top where she looks best.He climbed up on his ladderAnd held the angel high,And wired her to the treetop;We plugged her in and, My! Oh, Daddy's never glowed this way on Christmas. He seems to have absorbed the angel's juice. Yes the angel on the tree has lit up Daddy, And Daddy just can't seem to turn her loose.Daddy isn't speaking.I guess he's full of awe.We'd rather not unplug him --Till now we never sawDaddy look so festive,Daddy look so fine.He's brighter than the angel --His eyes especially shine. Oh Daddy's never glowed this way on Christmas. He seems to have absorbed the angel's juice. Yes the angel on the tree has lit up Daddy, And Daddy just can't seem to turn her loose.We'll let him be till New Year's,Or till he lets us knowThat he has had enough ofHis new angelic glow.He adds a lot to ChristmasBy simply standing there,His lips moving slightlyAs if in silent prayer. Oh Daddy's never glowed this way on Christmas. He seems to have absorbed the angel's juice. Yes the angel on the tree has lit up Daddy, And Daddy just can't seem to turn her loose.
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OK, then you need "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgIwLeASnkw), and Tom Lehrer's great Christmas song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtZR3lJobjw), though before the big day you can go with his "Hanukkah in Santa Monica" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_3FjHEbdhc).
On a more serious note, "Do You Hear What I Hear" actually was written not so much for Christmas as a response to the Cuban missile crisis. But we can always adopt Philip Roth's theory that Jews took over secular holidays through Irving Berlin.
Courtesy of my older brother..."We three kings of Orient are, smoking on a rubber cigar, it was loaded, it exploded....BANG!!!!..." after which comes "We two kings of Orient are..."