Christmas is Right Here by Lori McKenna: A Poetic Tribute to the Mixed Emotions of Christmas
As we near the end of the year and gear up for the Christmas holiday, many of us will decide to fill our spaces with a variety of Christmas tunes. When it comes to Christmas music, I typically stick to the classics and don’t usually find myself getting excited about artists releasing Christmas songs, however there are a few exceptions.
My most recent exception from the usual Christmas classics is the latest EP from Lori McKenna, Christmas is Right Here. Lori McKenna happens to be one of my favorite songwriters so when I heard she was releasing a Christmas EP I was certainly intrigued. Lori’s music style falls under the Folk/Americana genre along with some country music aspects. Something that makes her songwriting so enjoyable is her ability to highlight the tiny details of life that make you feel seen and understood, and this Christmas EP was no exception.
This EP features six songs, the first being a cover of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”, which is performed in an acoustic-like style giving it a mellower listening experience. And while this cover is lovely, it doesn’t even compare to some of the originals she included on this EP. Right off the bat, Lori digs into the mixed feelings and emotions that come with the holidays in the song “Christmas Without Crying”. “Christmas Without Crying” is my absolute favorite of this collection and I could probably write a whole post dedicated to this one song. I remember being younger when I started to notice the feeling of Christmas joy mixed with a bit of nostalgic sadness that many people experience during the holiday season and she happened to capture that feeling perfectly. This year also happens to be my family’s first Christmas without my grandfather, who was a significant presence in our family, so this song immediately pulled at my heart. The lyrics talking about looking at old photos and singing all of the Sunday hymns because you know every song perfectly encapsulates my experience with my grandparents every Christmas. It especially got me in the first chorus where she sings “You’ll be thinking of grandpa when you're stringing up those lights, and that will be why you can't make it through Christmas without crying.” I mean come on, it was like she knew exactly why I would be sad this Christmas! Overall, this song is one of the only Christmas songs that has been able to fully capture that mixture of cozy and joy with an air of melancholy seeping through. I also wanted to point out that it almost seems like a Christmas version of another favorite song of her’s, “People Get Old”.
Following that masterpiece of a song is another wonderful tune that captures the importance of family during the holidays. In this song, she sings of all the previous places she’s been with family during the holidays that make her feel the warm comfort of Christmas with family. This song also gives insight into the tough feelings that come with her career as a singer-songwriter in Nashville and being unable to make it home. This song is another example of how she is able to shine light on the smallest details about humans, while also highlighting the weight of these little things. For example, the lyrics “Three sisters in pajamas at the top of the stairs, Mom and Dad saying y’all wait right there, last year we helped them pack up that house, yeah, Christmas is Georgia, but it ain’t there right now” somehow perfectly reflects a core memory of hers, the comfort of being in her family’s old home, and the pain that comes with missing that period of her life. This song just really made me stop and appreciate the previous places with my loved ones that made Christmas special for me. Sneaking around the Christmas tree with my brother while our parents were still asleep in the house I grew up in, the camaraderie that came with celebrating Christmas with my dad’s side of the family while my grandmother spoiled us grandkids way too much, and gathering in the living room with all of my cousins on my mom’s side while we took down our stockings that lined the entire mantle complemented by the smell of my grandfather’s pipe. These small details and memories are absolutely what makes Christmas so special, and I have totally felt the sadness of not being able to have those moments and it not really feeling like Christmas that she describes in the song “North Pole”.
photo from Lori McKenna’s Instagram
The next song, “Still Christmas in Nashville”, captures a similar feeling like the song “North Pole”. She shares of her experience of working on her dreams and career as a singer-songwriter and still trying to make the best of being away from her family in Nashville. I also love how she gave a nod to the late John Prine, another phenomenal songwriter that you can definitely tell has influenced her work. Following that song is a song that gives us a chance to humanize the Virgin Mary and her experience as being the mother of Jesus. I don’t think I have heard a Christmas song that showcases that point of view so I appreciated that being portrayed in that song. And lastly, she ends it with a lovely tune simply about being grateful, appropriately titled “Grateful”. Oftentimes, this season can be overwhelming with having to worry about gifts, decorations, and making time for everyone so it is nice to slow down and simply be grateful for the life you have. The song seems to reflect moments in her life and how no matter how things have ended up, she is grateful. I think that is a wonderful outlook to have, especially during this season.
Overall, I think what instantly made me fall in love with this collection of Christmas songs was Lori’s ability to replicate the complicated feelings of nostalgia and sadness that come with the holiday season by highlighting the things that are most important, simple memories with family. Sometimes it can be difficult during the holiday season when you face those moments of sadness while every other Christmas song is basically shouting at you to be joyous. With this EP, Lori McKenna was able to wrap those feelings up in a red bow and let us all know that it is okay to feel that way, and having memories that make us sad during the holidays is also a major blessing.
If you occasionally have those moments where nostalgia takes over and leads to that melancholy feeling, I urge you to give this EP a listen. I guarantee it will warm your heart!
