12 Days of Christmas Advent Calendar – December 2

December 2 – Nadine Butler

When I was a little girl, my favorite Christmas carols tended to involve merchandise-related songs. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and of course the fantastic Chipmunk Song. I never did get a hula hoop, by the way, in case anyone… no, never mind. But once I had grown up a little, I decided I was too old for those little kid songs and started listening to the new standards.

 

If I have to pick a favorite, I still don’t consider it Christmas until I’ve heard John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War is Over). It’s almost like a prayer set to music. So that’s why I make it a point to play it every year on the first of December, to get the holiday season off right. I probably play it on my show more than any other Christmas song.

 

One of the perks of dating my station manager is that she never yells at me if I play it too much. Or, well… when she does yell, it’s never too bad. Usually. Whatever reprimand I might get from Miranda, Happy Xmas is worth it. I get such an optimistic feeling from it, the harmony and the sentiment of a world deciding they’ve had enough of war and violence.

 

To everyone out there, as Mr. Lennon said, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

 

Nadine Butler appears in On the Air, as well as featuring in the short stories The Christmas Boat, Fairytales of Squire’s Isle and Eating Out in Squire’s Isle.