My Grown-Up Christmas List (Part 1)

There's a fairly popular Christmas song out there called "Grown-Up Christmas List." Perhaps you've heard it? It was written in 1990 by David Foster and Linda Thompson-Jenner, but didn't get much attention. Then in 1992, Amy Grant covered it, adding a verse. Her version received much more acclaim than Foster and Thompson-Jenner's. It has since been remade by a plethora of popular artists. The version I am most familiar with, and the one which I prefer, is Michael Bublé's from his 'Let it Snow' EP.

I enjoy the music itself as well as the sentiment expressed in the lyrics. The author is speaking in first-person to Santa, recalling the days of sitting on Santa's knee making requests. Now the author has come back, as an adult, to give Santa her new Christmas list. Instead of listing off the material items she wants, the author selflessly asks Santa for a total social and cultural restoration throughout the world. Here's how the chorus goes:

No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list

As I previously noted, the song does carry a great sentiment and I would hope that most people desire the above-mentioned things. The problem is that the author is asking Santa.

Now, I know what you'll say: "Dustin, the author understands that Santa isn't real. She is just trying to express her desire for the world to be a better place in a poetic fashion."

To which I would reply: "Yes of course."

But two issues still remain for me:

1. Didn't someone much less fictional and way more powerful than Santa already promise those things?
2. How can you begin to bring about that kind of restoration with the power and influence you have?

Consider these two questions for a moment. I will be giving my thoughts on each in a couple of upcoming posts.

My encouragement for you, dear reader, is to help this song come to life by doing something selfless for someone who can't pay you back this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!
-Dustin