The Power of the Carol

     I've been taking some good natured ribbing from my co-workers and some of my Facebook friends about listening to Christmas music already.  I'll admit it does seem a bit early to start that, but for some reason this year, I needed to hear it.  I am not alone.  Many people have been requesting it on our local soft rock station, so they started it early this year.  Personally, I LOVE Christmas music.  It makes me happy.  It makes me remember happy times when I was little and Christmas was magic.  That's just me.  I don't just love the secular stuff,  I love the sacred carols from Advent and the Christmas season too.
      I have a theory this year.  We have had a rotten couple of years.  So many people have lost their homes to foreclosure, the job scene isn't much better, and just the general state of the world is kind of snarky to say the least.   This year I think we needed a little "happy."  Now, this is just me, but as I said earlier, Christmas music makes me happy.  It lightens my mood,  brings back so many happy memories of my childhood and fun times with my family and friends.  I think of how hard my parents worked to make Christmas nice - even in the lean years.  I think maybe with Christmas music cursing through the airwaves people stop and listen for a minute and maybe recall a happy memory or two. Prozac through the radio. What's not to like about that?  Now I know there are people out there that say "I hate Christmas, it was never a happy time. "  Let me just say that "never" is a long time, and it's in the past in this case.  My job is to help you find the "happy" again.  Throw caution to the wind, and throw on an all Christmas station for an hour and clean your house or do the dishes, or I'm really going to stretch it here, bake some cookies.  Then give it a try before bed or when you get up.  I'm telling you, the power of the carol is strong.  It won't be long before you'll be singing along and tapping a toe.   Don't  let the past get in the way.  It's over and gone.  The best line from a movie I ever heard is: "Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; today is a gift that is why it is called the present."  Let the season of Christmas and all the music that goes with it be your "present." Accept it and have fun with it.  Enjoy this gift, and if you have the inclination remember the ultimate present the season of Christmas gives us all.  Peace.