I’ve written before about the two versions of the classic Christmas song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” The original version from the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis is sung by Judy Garland to Margaret O’ Brien to cheer up the little girl as they celebrate Christmas by moving from their beloved home. The little girl is putting up a brave front, announcing that she will be taking all of her dolls, “even the dead ones, “ (not sure what that’s about), and her mother comforts her by essentially saying that this Christmas is not going to be very good, but they should enjoy what they can and hope for a better Christmases to come.
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
Faithfull friends who are near to us
Will be dear to us
Once more
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas, now
Soon after the movie’s release and immediate popularity of the song, Frank Sinatra re-released “Merry Little Christmas” with the much more familiar and merry lyrics, eliminating all references to a future Christmas and insisting that all good things start now. What this has to do with a Little Christmas has always been lost on me.
As I heard this song today in its modern incarnation, I was suddenly struck by how appropriate the original lyrics are for this year. Few, if any, are going to have the Christmas they remember or the Christmas they want. I even believe there will be a pall over large gatherings of deniers, feeling their celebration is forced and undercut by anger.
So let’s listen to Judy this year (or one of the many other excellent versions of the original lyrics). Let’s put away the forced optimism and recognize that we are all muddling through, and all we can hope is for another year when we truly all will be together.
Be safe, be strong.