As so often happens,
I was sitting at my usual table
in Starbucks when a song
that I had never heard
by one of my favourite artists -
the one and the only "Man in Black",
Johnny Cash - started to play...
the song was "I Heard the Bells
On Christmas Day" -
and as soon as I heard
this Christmas carol
in its own right that blessed all
who heard it "peace on Earth"
and "goodwill to men",
I started to think about
the true meaning of the season
and why music has always
been an important way
for families and individuals to say
what they want to say to one another.

Music is just as fundamental to some
as living is to breathing for others...
the voice of a singer can break down
barriers and unite people
from many countries, with many accents,
with many back stories -
who can all find times to set aside
their differences whenever they
come together and stop and listen
to someone with a message
they felt within their heart
as well as within their mind
that someone else needed to hear.

Christmas songs are only played
at this time of the year,
and every year new songs
are written and recorded by artists
that dream of being number one
and perhaps remembered
as fondly as those that repeatedly
return to our ears year after year;
however, I would say there are only
a handful of Christmas songs that are
enjoyed, replayed, and loved by many:
John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over),
"Last Christmas" by Wham!,
"White Christmas" as sung by Bing Crosby,
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid,
"Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues, and, of course,
"All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey -
because these songs have over time
become quintessential in capturing the Christmas spirit
like no others are able to,
and personally all these songs always
put a smile on my face every time I hear them
and make me more and more ready for Christmas
and overflowing with Christmas cheer.