May Your Heart Be Light

Everyone knows the song Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but did you know there was an original version whose lyrics were changed because they were too depressing? Truly. They were changed after WWII to suggest the presence, not the absence, of loved ones. Given the era, I can absolutely understand why.

The original lyrics to the 4th verse are:

Through the years
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.

The first time I heard that version was Christmas of 2006, near (what we thought was) the end of Erik's first deployment. The mail had been stopped so we couldn't send gifts or (because they didn't really have access to a dining facility) anything to try to make a nice meal for them. It was very bittersweet, but I thought of them, in the cold mountains, muddling through...somehow - knowing that "from now on our troubles will be miles away" (at least until the next deployment, haha!) But it really, really spoke to me, and I've thought of the first time I've heard that song during every Christmas season since. It's kind of one of those "I remember right where I was when..." moments for me.

So now every time I hear the song, (and it's always the new version) I sing the old version to myself and remember. It still bring tears to my eyes. And I think about how grateful I am that there are folks willing to muddle through holidays away from their families for the sake of strangers. Strangers who, in my opinion (especially during this budget renegotiation on the backs of service members), aren't nearly grateful enough.

Judy Garland's wartime performances of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" brought tears to the eyes of soldiers, sailors, and Marines - who didn't know if they'd live to see another Christmas - as Garland sang, "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."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20131208_Beneath_those_songs_of_cheer__a_sad_heart.html#oHrlEwT3orOcJMq1.99

Judy Garland's wartime performances of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" brought tears to the eyes of soldiers, sailors, and Marines - who didn't know if they'd live to see another Christmas - as Garland sang, "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."
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20131208_Beneath_those_songs_of_cheer__a_sad_heart.html#oHrlEwT3orOcJMq1.99