My wife has a very strict rule about Christmas songs before Thanksgiving – absolutely ‘no go’. And thankfully, now that we’re into the ‘approved Christmas music’ period, my humming, singing, and track-playing is no longer met with a resounding ‘Noooo!’ around the house from the kiddos and spouse alike. 🙂

For some reason, I’ve noticed with increased acuteness this year, how the various songs transport me down different memory lanes. For instance, how the sounds of Johnny Mathis singing “Sleigh Ride” have me sitting on the couch in my growing-up home while my mom shuffles around the kitchen cooking Christmas goodies.

Another of her favorites: Julie Andrews' album, “The Sounds of Christmas”. Since 2021, when my mom passed, I play the YouTube version of this each year as a way to spend some Christmas moments with her.

Then there’s the Pentatonix version of “Carol of the Bells” – first released about 13 years ago, it reminds me of my close friend and then-roomie, as I played the song track in our dining room and we both marveled at the vocal feat being accomplished by only five acapella voices.

The list could go on, and I’m sure you have songs of your own in this category too.

Christmastide is almost like a time-warp, a bend in space-time where we’re transported back-and-forth across Christmas moments – I guess akin to Dickens' Scrooge and the Spirit of Christmas Past. And although we’re hopefully in a much different state than he was going into that fateful night, it seems to me there’s something we might garner from our time travels, something the memories of Christmas past may remind us of and call us to.

So, as I sit here now listening to Johnny Mathis' “O Holy Night”, I raise an eggnog to your memories of Christmas past, present, and future – May they hold true wonder, joy, and thankfulness and foreshadow peace to come in the new year!