Monday, December 22: “My Grown Up Christmas List” by Amy Grant
Before music mogul David Foster established his strongest connection to Gen Z—that is, becoming the stepfather of Gigi and Bella Hadid by marrying their mom, Yolanda—he and his then-wife, Linda, wrote this song. The song has been covered by dozens of artists since it debuted in the 1990s, but this version, by Amy Grant, may be the most popular.
The song juxtaposes the innocence of Christmas, when sparkly gifts under the tree created a feeling of contentment and well-being, with the disillusionment of adulthood, when the knowledge of war, loneliness, and broken families feels omnipresent. One might even say this song is about… the knowledge of good and evil.
The lyrics are ambiguous enough that the singer could be addressing God, but it’s just as likely that they are beseeching Santa. Like lots of popular Christmas artifacts, quibbling with the theology will get you nowhere. But the desire stated so ardently here is for actual peace. The song acknowledges that Christmas is a time we are tempted to pretend the world is one way, when it is actually another.
At least, in the song’s bridge, the truth of the gospel is alluded to, even if we never quite get there: “What is this illusion called the innocence of youth? / Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.” Ironically, the things Grant sings about longing for in this grown up Christmas list are the very things that Christ came to provide.
Conversation starter:
“What would be on your ‘grown up Christmas list’?”
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