For the first time, I recently really listened to the words of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Although it was written in 1944 during World War II, it certainly speaks to our reality now. There’s something comforting in knowing that we’ve made it through difficult times before and that none of us are alone in the challenges that 2020 has wrought.
A Perfect Song For This Holiday
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles
Will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles
Will be miles away
Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
Santa and Rudolph enjoying a campfire at James Island County Park (seen in our travels December 2019)
Is it too much to ask for a much better 2021?
I have a very long list for Santa this year, and none of it has to do with material possessions. We all muddled through and did our best this past year. Here’s to a brighter and more peaceful 2021.
Love,
Laurel & Eric
The header photo is from the Apalachicola waterfront, one of our favorite places for a stroll these days. And the last photo is of my sister and me. I think we were scared of that Santa, haha.
And when Judy Garland sings that wonderful song to a sad world, there’s not a dry eye in the house! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKG5X0QMSWA
Thanks for this link. Definitely need to grab a hankie for this one.
Thanks for including this link, Terri. It’s perfect.
May the new year be filled with light! Hope our respective travels collide this year~ until then wishing you a peaceful holiday. Love from Pat & Sheldon❤️
Pat, it would be wonderful to meet up with you two sometime in 2021. It’s been a long time—I think we last saw you a couple of years ago in Arizona. Hope all is well and that you’re enjoying the holidays at home. OX
May this Christmas be a reminder of what is truly important in our lives…health and peace being two for us…
Blessings this Christmas..
Julie, this holiday season really is a good reminder of what is most important…love, relationships, peace, good health. We’re hoping for a bright 2021. Hugs to you and Martin, hope to see you in the coming year!
I love the boat and its decorations. Thank you so much for the song lyrics. They are indeed needed. I can certainly see Santa was an intimidating figure. However, maybe anyone who decides we are naughty or nice is a little intimidating. It’s a great mask from an adult perspective.
May your day be “Merry and Bright”🤶
Aren’t the waterfront decorations wonderful, Sheila? Definitely appropriate for this fishing community. Santa usually makes his appearance on a shrimp boat. :-) We hope you and Bruce are having a peaceful holiday. We’re thinking of you and sending love.
And no, I don’t like anyone deciding if I’m naughty or nice, LOL!
Merry Christmas Laurel and Eric–and all of the network of readers.
May the coming year bring us all peace, safe travel, and contentment.
Thank you for helping to keep our spirits bright this year.
Thank you, Nancy, for your always kind comments. We hope you two are enjoying a peaceful and cozy holiday in Ashland. We’re hoping that this next year will bring all of us a more normal life, including some travel. Here’s to a brighter 2021!
Merry Christmas Laurel and Eric. Thanks for “singing” that song for us all. It’s just one more seasonal songs most of the time but this year, you’re right, it’s sentiments are perfect.
That Santa face is absolutely terrifying….and those huge hands! Yikes… No wonder you were both pulling those faces!
Sue, I’ve always loved this song, but this year, it really does express perfectly how I’m feeling. Although it makes me sad for all that we’ve lost, it also gives me hope that we’ve survived difficult times in the past and we will get through this, too. I hope you and Dave and Lew had a cozy Christmas. Different from your usual, but I’m sure you made it special.
That’s one scary looking Santa! :)
We had our sunshine yesterday, but the rain has returned, so we’ll enjoy our quiet day inside. Wishing you and Eric a very peaceful and happy Christmas day, Laurel.
Les, we know those Oregon winters and how changeable the weather is. When the sun shines it’s glorious! I hope you and Rod and your mom had a lovely Christmas and are enjoying the quiet, peaceful winter days.
Merry Christmas, Laurel,
I did not know when the song was written, but it certainly was appropriate then, and definitely speaks to us today.
I enjoyed seeing the picture from James Island County Park. My son is on the Parks and Recreation Commission that oversees the Park, but we still can’t get reservations. We have driven through the light show many times and it is fabulous!
Happy New Year to you and Eric. We’ll be in touch soon. Joe
Joe, I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas. The holiday lights at James Island County Park are fabulous! We were there in early December last year and didn’t have any problem getting a campsite—although I did book as soon as the sites came available. We stayed for five nights and had a great time. Now that I think of it, we were there during the week, not on the weekend, so that probably made a difference in site availability.
We’re looking forward to meeting up with you!
Merry Christmas Laurel and Eric!
We hope you and Hans had a wonderful Christmas, Lisa. I know you’ve been baking all kinds of wonderful things!
Thank you for your grace in difficult times. Merry Christmas!
Robert & Colleen, I hope you had a peaceful Christmas and that all is well in your lives. Here’s to much better times ahead for all of us!
Oh my dear sweet friend, you write the most beautiful, meaningful posts. My mind feels a little muddled lately, as I am guessing is true of most everyone. As I sit next to my dear sister in Florida, praying for her peaceful passing soon, I am reading your words. I pray that 2021 dawns with hope for brighter days ahead. Sending love to you and Eric from Geneva, FL. 💜💚💜
Oh, dear LuAnn, I hope that you’re finding peace in this difficult time. Although I know it’s painful, it’s a gift that you’re able to be with your sister to say goodbye to her. I regret not being able to say goodbye to my dad. Know that I’m thinking of you and saying prayers for both of you.
I wish so much that we could see you while you’re in Florida. Eric and I send our love. 💕
Merry Christmas Laurel and Eric–and thanks for sharing those lyrics–very appropriate! I may keep singing those even after Christmas!
Janna, the lyrics keep going through my mind—somehow, they bring me comfort! Wishing you and Michael (AKA the Cowboy) a bright 2021.
Perfect lyrics I had not really listened to either. Thanks for the ‘shot in the arm,’ so to speak. :) Merry Christmas, friends.
PS: That Santa is terrifying.
Laura—”Shot in the arm” LOL. I can hardly wait!! Hope you and Kevin and Thor had a wonderful ‘Garage Christmas Dinner.’ I’m waiting for photos!!
And yes, that Santa was terrifying. I’m thinking my parents made us go stand by him and we were not happy about it.
Oh yes the lyrics are very timely! We’re blessed to have lovely holiday memories, and to find ourselves grateful for our safety and peace this year.
The waterfront “tree” is delightful. And you should have been afraid of that Santa :-))))
Jodee, you are so right—we are very blessed to have so many wonderful holiday memories. I’ve been looking back through photos of many years of holidays, and am more grateful than ever for family, friends, and our travels.
Isn’t that waterfront tree made of a fishing net fun? I love seeing different holiday traditions. Hope you and Bill and Tessa had a lovely Christmas.
A very thoughtful post Laurel. I do hope our troubles are out of sight next year, but I’m not so sure. Thanks to multiple myeloma and covid I am spending my very first Christmas of my entire life all alone. Finding it hard. Hopefully tomorrow and next year will be better and January 20th will hurry up and get here. Wishing you and Eric a Merry Christmas and a warm and loving New year.
Oh, Sherry, you have had such a difficult and painful two years. I know how much you and David loved the holidays, and how much fun you had celebrating. And how special it always has been for you to have time with your daughter and grandchildren during the holidays.
I also hope that this year brings positive changes, with the vaccine and a new administration taking office soon I feel hopeful. Take good care, my friend.
I sang the song twice tonight but wasn’t actually thinking of the words. They most definitely are very appropriate for our time. Let’s hope “next year all our troubles will be out of sight!” Merry, Merry Christmas!!
Pam, we are also hoping that it will be true that in 2021 our troubles will be out of sight! With the new administration coming in and the vaccine rolling out, we have hope that life will return to what we think of as ‘normal.’ I think it will be a while, but at least we’re moving in the right direction.
We hope you and John had a wonderful holiday, even if you weren’t able to be with your family. Here’s hoping you’ll see them before too much longer!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I think I favor Sinatra’s lyrics because I don’t take kindly to muddling! (unless it’s in the culinary sense.) Anyhow, I hope that 2021 eases up on all the hunkering and muddling.
I already know it will begin with wonderment ;)
Joodie, so is ‘muddling’ on the same list of favorite words for you as ‘hunkering?’ LOL!!! Well, my friend, I must say that I definitely felt like I was muddling through much of 2020. But hey, I made it through! And there were many moments of beauty and joy even in the muddling.
YES to wonderment! Always.
Happy Holidays …. May 2021 be a better year all around.
Erin, Happy Holidays and a bright 2021 to you two, as well! I’m betting you have some wonderful travel plans coming up. I look forward to seeing your beautiful photos.
I noticed the exact same thing about this song, hearing Jon Batiste singing it on Stephen Colbert’s show. Made me and my Mate cry! Thanks for this.
Now can it please be January soon????
Gretchen, I just went to YouTube and listened to Jon Batiste sing this…it is gorgeous. And so heartfelt. Thank you for sharing that.
We’re looking forward to January, too…even though we have a long road ahead, it does feel like we have reason to be hopeful.
My favorite parts of Christmas are the pagan ones — the winter solstice, celebration of light overcoming darkness, evergreen trees showing the resilience of life, etc. This year all those hopeful things seem more relevant and important than ever! I just know 2021 is going to be better in every way.
Shannon, we always celebrate the winter solstice, too. The celebration of light overcoming darkness is especially meaningful this year (which is why I’m planning to leave our little solstice/Christmas tree up for another month or more!). I like your hopeful attitude about 2021. Although it’s going to take some time, I think we’re moving in the right direction and that there are better days ahead.
Who knew that a 76-year old song would apply so well to 2020? I’m betting that 2021 will be better – particularly if we work to make it so. That Santa does look a bit scary – but you two look more disappointed than scared.
Bruce, we’re hoping that 2021 will be much better, in all ways. And you’re right, we need to work to make it so. I’m not quite sure why my sister and I had those strange expressions…I’m guessing we weren’t too sure about that enormous scary looking Santa.
Here’s to many wonderful hiking adventures for you two in 2021!
Love that song, it sure does gave meaning to what we all are experiencing and is very comforting what a perfect song you sang for us.
Steve and I had a very quiet Christmas when we should have been celebrating big in our first home :( . This year I lost two brothers, one a Covid victim in July and just a few days ago due to cardiac arrest. I can no longer proudly say i belong to a family of twelve, I already lost three brothers.
But our hearts will be light next year as we look forward to a new dawn of hope and peace.
Oh, MonaLiza, I am so deeply saddened to hear that you lost another brother just a few days ago. I remember the wonderful photos you posted of your big, happy family when you went home to see your mother. I’m so sorry for your losses, my friend.
We’re also looking forward to hope and peace in the new year. Eric and I send our love and hugs to you and Steve.
Always a thoughtful post, thank you and Merry Christmas.
Loved the pic of you and your sister.
K~
Kathryn, I hope you had a lovely holiday and that 2021 brings many more opportunities for you to capture peace and beauty in your inspirational photos! If you should ever get up to Apalachicola, please let me know. It would be fun to meet up in person.
And how very apt that song is for 2020 isn’t it? I am late to read this as we have been on the road and had intermittent wifi and not much computer time but I do hope you both had a Merry Christmas and wish you both too a wonderful new year. May 2021 be filled with health, love and all good things.
Peta
Peta, I know that you and Ben have been having incredible travels in Mexico. Thanks for checking in on us. :-) We wish you two all good things in the coming year, too—health, love, joy, and many more grand adventures!
Your wonderful posts resonate with me in different ways. I’m always touched by your deep personal writing that connects to many of my emotions. Here’s to a lighter and kinder days ahead for all.
Imkelina
Thank you for your kind comment, Imkelina. I’m so happy to hear from you. And yes, here’s to a much brighter and kinder 2021, for all of us.
Thank you so much for the truly beautiful Christmas song and your photos were beautiful as well. Looking forward to some good shifts in 2021. I am hopeful.
Sue, we’re feeling hopeful, too, that 2021 will bring positive changes for all of us and our world. Wishing you and Mo all the best in the coming year.