Last Christmas...The Title Means Something Different Now

 Over the past couple of weeks I, like many of you, have listened to Christmas music. Listen to it long enough and you'll begin to hear repeats of songs, then three-peats of songs, and so on. For several decades a little number from Wham! entitled, Last Christmas has made its annual showing--there's even bands doing covers of the hit. A few years ago the made a movie with that title...never saw it--know nothing about it.

But the song...we can't seem to escape it.

The song is a parable of sorts...a song of regret and resolution to make changes so next year the singer won't make the same mistake as they did this year. There's not much to the song. High poetry it is not, but it's an upbeat ditty, the kind of tune that sticks with you, stays in your head. I'm sure that's one of the keys to its success.

I've thought a lot about the song this year, not so much the lyrics or the melody, but the title...

Last Christmas.

Since March 2020, so much has changed. I think the whole world thinks about life and mortality differently. People were with us one day, then gone the next. Of course, this happens all the time, sickness, accidents, age can take lives in an instant. But, we all know people who have left us since the day the world changed.

Last Christmas...this year my children and their only living grandparent came together. We played games and ate too much delicious food. We were blessed with safety from the storm that blew in and shared the warmth that only family affords. Though there were some small changes, this year's holiday reflected pretty much what we did last year.

If the past two years have taught us anything, it's that there's no guarantees, no way to know for sure if we'll be here next year to gather and enjoy those we love.

I have friends and family that--unbeknownst to them--last Christmas was their last Christmas. If asked, I'm sure they would have said they had a wonderful holiday, but if they had known it was the last time they'd have the opportunity to share the day with loved ones, would they have done anything differently? Would they have changed anything?

I hope this was not the last Christmas for any of us and that in exactly a year from today we can once again gather with our favorite people like many of us did today. I hope we've lived in such a way that we can honestly say, "I wouldn't change a thing." I hope when we think of last Christmas, it won't be a regrettable one...you know, like the song.