White Wine in the Sun

It's christmastime, which means it's once again time for me to share one of my most favorite christmas songs, ever. This year's holiday season is shaping up well, so far. I've wined and dined with a collection of lovely ladies, made merry with my co-workers at our holiday party, decided to forgo the weeks of christmas cookie baking in favor of a few batches of good fudge, and I've got a lunch celebration with the BFF coming up next week. Even more importantly, I got a new nephew on Tuesday! Baby Angelo was born early Tuesday morning. My brother and his girlfriend had the baby at home, which really freaks me out, but apparently worked quite well for them. Talk about a great christmas present!

Charlie's holiday concert is tonight. This is the first year that he really "gets" the whole idea of christmas. They're teaching them about all of the winter celebrations at school, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, so there have been some interesting questions about why we don't have candles (a menorah) and why doesn't everyone have a christmas tree. In working through all of those questions, I've been trying to really hit on the message that everyone believes different things, and that's ok. In our house, we're focusing on christmas as a time to spend celebrating family and giving to others. It's hard to get that message across with all of the commercialization (same issue, I'm assuming, with the christian parents who want a religious focus on their own celebration), but we're making the effort. I can't wait to spend christmas back in Jersey with most of Charlie's whole huge extended Italian family.

This song represents the perfect answer when people ask why non-christians even bother to celebrate the season.



I'm looking forward to Christmas
It's sentimental I know
But I just really like it

I am hardly religious
I’d rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu
To be honest

And yes I have all of the usual objections to consumerism
The commercialisation of ancient religions
And the westernisation of a dead Palestinian
Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer
But I still really like it

I really like Christmas
Though I'm not expecting
A visit from Jesus

I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I don't go for ancient wisdom
I dont believe just cos ideas are tenacious
It means they are worthy

I'm ambivalent to churches
Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords
Though the lyrics are dodgy

And yes I have all of the usual objections to miseducation
Of children forced into a cult institution and taught to externalise blame
And to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right or wrong
But I quite like the songs

I really like London
Though Christmas is not quite as white as I’d hoped
It’s kind of European

I'm not expecting great presents
Ye olde combination of socks, jocks and chocolate
Is just fine by me

Cos I’ll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

And you my baby girl
My jetlagged infant daughter
You'll be handed round the room
Like a puppy at a petting zoo

And you’re too young to know
But you will learn one day
That wherever you are and whatever you face
These are the people
Who'll make you feel safe in the world
My sweet blue-eyed girl

And if my baby girl
When you're twenty one or thirty one
And Christmas comes around
And you find yourself 9000 miles from home

You’ll know whatever comes
Your brothers and sisters and me and your mum.
Will be waiting for you in the sun

Girl when Christmas comes
Your brothers and sisters
Your aunts and your uncles
Your grandparents, cousins
And me and your mum.
Will be drinking white wine in the sun
Waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun
Waiting for you

I really like Christmas
It’s sentimental I know