We’ll muddle through this COVID-19 Christmas
I’ve been listening to Christmas music CDs in my car, and a couple of those are Perry Como collections.
This morning as I drove to the store, Perry was singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” one of my favorites. But his version was sprightly and cheerful, and for the first time, it struck me as … wrong.
If you’ve seen the old movie musical “Meet Me in St. Louis,” where the song was introduced, or listened to the Judy Garland recording of her performance in that movie, you know it was anything but upbeat.
Garland’s character sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to her teary-eyed little sister, trying to cheer her up as they faced they unwanted prospect of moving from their St. Louis home to New York. The message was “I know we’re sad, but hang in there, because there are better times ahead next year.” It was decidedly melancholy.
I’ve read that the original lyrics were even gloomier. How about ”Faithful friends who were dear to us/Will be near to us no more.”
Or, worse, the way the song began: “Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ It may be your last/Next year we may all be living in the past.”
It may be your last?! Garland balked at singing that, and the lyric was changed to “Let your heart be light/Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.”
Frankly, I think the dark original may best describe the Christmas facing us this year. Our nation’s almost 290,000 dead no doubt include lots of faithful friends and family we’ll never see again. Even if they’re safe, most of us will be keeping our distance.
My sister called me last weekend to see if I wanted to join her in visiting our other sister in New Jersey for takeout lunch and placing a Christmas grave blanket at our parents’ cemetery plot. After initially agreeing, I called her back and said I didn’t feel safe, for any of us. According to Pennsylvania guidelines, I would have to be tested or quarantine for 10 days afterward.
There’s no telling when I’ll see them, but it probably will have to wait for a vaccine.
Even my annual holiday special on RCN will be recorded at a distance. I’ve selected the five Christmas displays we’ll feature this year, and our videographer and drone operator will go out separately to shoot them. But I’ll be interviewing the homeowners via Zoom instead of in person.
By the way, since there’s a good chance this will be my last show — it’s our 21st annual — I decided to feature four of my favorite displays and homeowners from past specials, plus one great new one. The show will air at 3 and 6 p.m. and midnight Christmas Eve, and again Dec. 25 and 26.
I also recorded a Zoom interview with RCN’s Dan Mowdy and his “Community Spotlight” program. Our Christmas Lights conversation is scheduled to air 10:30p.m. Dec. 20 and again 6:30 p.m. Dec. 22. It will be available on demand, too.
I suspect many of you have noticed that people went all out with their Christmas decorating this year. Part of this had to do with the great weather in November. But I also detected a lot of pent-up enthusiasm for anything that brightens this dreary pandemic season and generally dismal 2020.
More than once last month, I stumbled across social media posts wondering whether it was OK to rush the Christmas season this year by lighting early. My reaction was much the same I saw from many other people:
Do it. We need it.
For those of us who love Christmas, it’s difficult to accept that this won’t be anything like normal. What will it be like to hold a candle in front of my computer screen as I sing “Silent Night” with my church family on Christmas Eve?
What will Christmas be like for elderly parents and grandparents, celebrating alone in nursing homes or retirement communities?
The answer is: It will be like nothing we’ve seen before, and like nothing we want to see again. But a diminished holiday is better than one that makes us and the people around us sick or worse.
Please, stay safe. There are better days ahead.
Judy Garland concluded with the right message for Christmas 2020:
“Someday soon we all will be together,” she sang, “if the fates allow. Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow ...”
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now. And dream about next year.