"Santa will come to save our day" - Why Christmas songs are important this year (#0 of 24)

When in the recent past were we more in need of positivity, peace of mind, emotional stability, love and gratitude than this year? At least in the very much developed countries that have been graced with generations of peace probably not since WW II. And while I can't contribute anything to solving the root cause of the pandemic, I have another recommendation to share.

I will gladly reveal that I - quite childishly - believe in the power of the idea of Christmas and in the character Santa Claus. And I always have - since I was a little kid. I am obviously not talking about the mass consumption and commercial element of Christmas. But to me, what Christmas achieves, is, it gets me out of my daily hustle, out of living for tomorrow, out of urge and compulsion. Instead, it helps me focus my energies on today, on the here and now. On loved ones. On ones that are less fortunate, that have less than I have. On love. And on giving rather than receiving. On being there for each other. On gratitude. And boy, do I feel like this is particularly important this year!

Christmas songs are the ultimate amplifier for those thoughts and feelings for me. I have loved them since…forever! I still remember the vinyl records that my parents used to put on for Christmas when I was a little kid. And I still get goose bumps when I hear those songs again today. I may not be fully capable of sharing the amount of these positive energies with you. But I will do my very best and try. 

Therefore I have decided to start a little series of posts on my all-time favorite Christmas songs on December 1. And my hope is, that many of you will be able to relate, will be able to use this daily reminder until Christmas Eve so that you too can get out of your everyday struggles and into a state of grace and gratitude, of peace of mind, and love. 

Now, this list is entirely subjective and purely based on the emotions that they evoke for me. So please do not judge when I share my first track tomorrow. As a starter already today, here is one of the Spotify playlists that I put on every year and listen to every day over and over again. I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

I’m not doing this for me, though. I would love to hear all of your thoughts on it. Please comment below if you have one or more favorite Christmas songs and why. What do they do for you? What do they remind you of? Maybe I will change my list and include one of your suggestions in my top 24.

Merry Christmas - and may Santa Claus come to save all of us this year. At least a little bit.

PS: I am intentionally not making this about religion. I was raised in a Christian culture. But I realize that Santa Claus is not really rooted in the Christian tradition in its original form, let alone in the bible. As part of this series I will also include one track that is not actually about Christmas and Santa but instead about Hanukkah - just because it has the same effects as described above on me. So I will be intentionally agnostic of religion here - and hope I’m forgiven for that. Thank you.