Christmas Bells Are Ringing

All across the land!

Hey all! It’s been a while, I know. More on that later. For now, let’s talk about Christmas music.

It feels like everybody and their brother has a favorite Christmas movie. (Mine’s Elf, by the way.) You see all sorts of chatter at this time of year specifically about that. There’s not a whole lot of discussion about Christmas music, though, except as it relates to Whamageddon and how the Mariah Carey will rise from the ocean once again. So I’m going to talk about my favorite Christmas hymn, and my favorite Christmas song.

What’s the difference? Well, to me - as an observant Christian - a hymn has music and lyrics that honor and glorify God. A Christmas hymn is one that specifically focuses on the birth of Christ. Classics like “Amazing Grace” and modern songs like “Ten Thousand Reasons” are fantastic hymns (and those are two of my all-time favorites). They’re not Christmas hymns, though. For those, you’d have to go looking for music like “Silent Night” or “While You Were Sleeping”.

Which should tell you the difference—or, at least, what I see as the difference. A Christmas song doesn’t directly reference God or the birth of Christ. “Jingle Bells”, “White Christmas”, and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” are all Christmas songs, but they’re not really hymns.

First up, my favorite Christmas hymn: “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. Take a moment to listen to this version.

OK, first of all, this is a man’s song. I’m not talking about the lyrics, I’m talking about the music itself. In a sea of songs that were apparently written by people who think that only sopranos exist, this is a song that I can sing. That alone is enough to make me love it. On top of that, though, you have these lyrics:

God rest you merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

This blows me away. The amount of theology that is packed into this whole song is amazing, but this first verse in particular blows me away.

“Rest easy in your savior, gentlemen. Be anxious for nothing. As you give gifts this season, know that each one recalls the birth of Christ, the greatest gift of all. The holy one, perfect and complete. He who came to save us all - friends and enemies alike - from the grasp of Satan. We may have wandered, but He has not forgotten us. Remember, and revel in the peace and joy that He brings us, even today.”

This is a hymn that I never get tired of singing. When I hear it on the radio, I crank it up. When I come across it while I’m out and about, it lifts me up. When I am struggling, it reminds me of the joy of the season. Listening to it, really paying attention to the lyrics, never fails to bring a tear to my eye.

Speaking of struggling and tears, let’s look at my favorite Christmas song: “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues. This is another one that routinely leaves me wiping my eyes.

Wait. What was that verse we just heard?

You're a bum, you're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead
On a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap, lousy faggot
Happy Christmas, your arse
I pray God it's our last

I’m pretty sure my wife hates this song. I can understand why. Parts are crude. The language is rough. The song describes a life that nobody in their right mind would look at and think, “You know, I need to get me some of that!”

That’s why I love it.

The people in it aren’t evil. They’re broken. These are the people that Christ came to save. If you listen to the whole thing, you realize that their story is complicated. He starts off in the drunk tank, but when he falls asleep he dreams of her, and how lucky he is. Yeah, they fight. There are some old scars there. Despite that, these are two people who do love each other, and are trying to figure out how to make that work.

"I could have been someone" Well, so could anyone
You took my dreams from me when I first found you
I kept them with me, babe, I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone, I've built my dreams around you

And, of course, the song ends with the bells ringing out for Christmas Day. The reminder of how God brought hope to the world. Yeah, they’re struggling—who isn’t?—but there’s still hope, and it' rings out clear every day.

That’s a heck of a song.

The Business of Writing

A mid-week update on my three major commitments: to write, to edit, and to read.

Blue As Sky is coming along nicely. I’ve added about 14k since the last update, and it’s sitting at about 75k overall. I’m hitting a sequence I’ve titled “Knives in the Dark”. It’s the penultimate action scene - things are going to flow quickly from here, narratively speaking. I’m hoping to bang it all out in the next few weeks. That should give me a couple of weeks to go back, revise, and make sure it all hangs together properly before I hand it off for initial review.

If you want to follow along as I write, get the occasional snippet, insight, and other bits and bobs before the unwashed masses, you can join the Secret Squirrels of the Apocalypse on Facebook. I’m going to give y’all a hint at my writing playlist later this week (maybe even today!) so send a request to join if you like that sort of thing. If you’re on Facebook, but you’d rather not do the group thing, you can always follow my author page, Sam Robb Writes.

Other Stuff

Turns out that I will indeed be taking on a more significant role at FamilyLife. Not a whole lot more, but enough. Our current president is stepping down, and it barring natural disaster or personal calamities, it looks like I will be stepping into that role.

One of the things I really want to focus on in the coming year is our fundraising, social media reach, and programs. I have goals for all three, but I am also not the guy doing the work. That’s what we have an excellent executive director/CEO for. :) I will be spending more time keeping on top of things so I can make sure the board is doing what it needs to do to support the center.

Other than that, it’s Christmas time! I’m looking forward to having the last couple of weeks of the year off. Which will let me spend time with the family. Er, when I’m not holed up in my office, writing frantically, I mean.