For someone who is both such a fan of the holidays in general — embarrassingly so, achingly so; it genuinely is probably my favorite time of the year — and specifically such a fan of the traditional holiday music that generally fills the airwaves at this time, I’m suitably embarrassed to admit that, the first time I heard Christmas songs on the radio this year, it came as a surprise.
In my defense, November was another beast of a month that left me feeling somewhat adrift in time. Even with the anchor of Thanksgiving — one that, for the first time in years, had actual guests, and from out of town at that, making it more of an event! — the entire month seemed to go by so quickly that I wasn’t entirely sure when I was the entire time. (Surely November had only just started, right? Wasn’t Hallowe’en just the week before? When was the election?) I was, bluntly, not prepared to hear the twinkle of the Beach Boys’ singing about Ol’ Saint Nick just yet.
I wonder, in some absent-minded, half-hearted manner, whether there’s something to be said for a pop cultural indoctrination or preparation; traditionally, Thanksgiving around these here parts means watching Miracle on 34th Street and putting my head into that Santa space, but this year that fell by the wayside because of the guests, so maybe I just wan’t properly prepared…
Here’s the thing, though; it wasn’t just that the songs were surprising, it’s that they felt so welcome when I heard them – at once familiar and oddly grounding, as if letting me know that I knew exactly where I was on the calendar and maybe a little bit emotionally, as well. In my defense, it wasn’t actually the Beach Boys that did that trick, but hearing “Linus and Lucy” from the Charlie Brown Christmas Special; hearing that piano hit me so strongly, in a good way, and put me in the mood I should have been in for a few days prior.
Chalk another one up for the magic of music, the holidays, or that very particular combination of the two, I guess. Next year, I’ll try to remember this ahead of time to get me where I’m supposed to be.