On the Third Day of Christmas....

ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME...HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS.

On Christmas Day I was listening to a “Throwback Thursday” Christmas list on Spotify.  Not really a fan of most traditional holiday music, I tend to be drawn more to updated remakes or quirky, original songs (like “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses, my absolute favorite Holiday song).  On this list happened to be a song I don’t remember hearing before called “Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton. 

Sweet and winsome, the song was originally written by Carol Hall for the stage musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (the movie version of which also spawned a second hit with “I Will Always Love You”.  Yes, that song also popularized by Whitney Houston.).   About a group of girls leaving their working home to go into the world, “Hard Candy Christmas” relates to those who are down on their luck trying to overcome the hard times.  Sometimes criticized for being “not really a Christmas song”, the song is nevertheless a beautiful song of hope as the girls discuss what their lives will bring.  “Hard Candy Christmas” also speaks to the idea that even if the gifts and opportunities we have in life are meager, there can still be joy.

OK, not going to lie, when I heard this song I started to cry.  While the version I heard was by Dolly Parton (without the other girls from the show singing), it has also been covered by Cyndi Lauper, June Carter Cash, LeAnn Rhimes, Reba McEntire and even RuPaul.  It struck me, as some songs often do, right to the core.  It’s wasn’t just the vocals by the incomparable Dolly, but the feeling instilled into the lyrics—and the feelings those same lyrics brought up in me.  In that first hearing I realized how much that song really summed up this year.  Shit, it’s summed up every year since my divorce.  I have (still) been working so hard to just get by, that I have been in perpetual survivor mode for almost a decade now.  I’ve made changes, both large and small, but still I keep on keepin’ on, my little brave face presented to the world. 

It’s funny, one of my boss’s clients at the salon recently said to me, “Wow, you just smile all the time, don’t you?”  I suppose this was true once, but instead I (laughingly, mind you) responded, “Sure, until I go home and sob in my shower.”  I did not go into the fact that some days I am barely holding my shit together, because why would I?  I’ve never believed that others need to be subjected to my bad mood (unless of course they took part in creating that bad mood).  Often only those closest to me will even pick up on anything being wrong until I speak up.  So, yes, I smile all the time.  Thank you for noticing.  I work hard at it. 

Which may be true for most of us—and may well serve as a reminder to us all to be a bit kinder to each other.  We never really know what another person is going through, do we? 

As for me, though:

I'll be fine and dandy
Lord it's like a hard candy Christmas
I'm barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won't let
Sorrow bring me way down

'Cause I'll be fine
(I'll be fine)
Oh, I'll be fine

Until next time, Lovelies….