I’d give all the snow and sleigh bells, all the Christmas lights. I’d give all the cold and mistletoe, all the cosy nights. I’d give all the love this time of year and all that festive cheer. I’d give anything this Christmas to have you here.
Global (11 November 2020) – “Oh Wonder” may have written this Christmas song last year, but the words feel more apt to 2020 and the global pandemic that the world has faced.
This year has been tragic, and everyone is facing really big monsters that we are not talking about – loss of loved ones, loss of routine, loss of income, security and economic stability. This year has been long, incredibly tough, and everyone’s pretty tired.
COVID-19, caused by a virus with unprecedented deadliness and voracious contagion, brought the world to a standstill. As we struggle to process the pandemic’s rising death toll and reel from its economic impact, many of us still can’t move or gather together freely. Our normality and what we knew is gone. Coronavirus anxiety is still everywhere.
The future is uncertain, and the outlook is bad. All of us are grieving.
We’re all in this kind of emergency state, and everybody’s destabilized. It’s really scary, and we’re experiencing loss because we’ve lost our sense of security. And that makes it really tricky. The other thing that makes COVID-19 really tricky is that the destination isn’t clear.
The world is mourning on a wide scale, some of us grieving what we have lost and most of us grieving what we haven’t yet lost.
Even if we and our loved ones all make it through okay, there will be an enormous loss of life across the globe, transforming the makeup of our towns and neighbourhoods. And that’s not to mention the loss of routine, economic security, local businesses, and the dozens of other things that once comprised everyday life.
We’re collectively experiencing an emotional state called anticipatory grief, where people acutely feel a loss that hasn’t yet occurred, on a global scale. Unlike bereavement, the grieving that follows loss, anticipatory grief lacks a sense of finality.
An immense loss that “Oh Wonder” has seemed to capture perfectly in a Christmas song.
Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht comprise the alt-pop duo, Oh Wonder. Initially, while writing and producing in South East London, the pair gained fans with down-tempo, keyboard-driven melodies, releasing one song a month for a year on SoundCloud. In interviews, the two confessed that they considered themselves songwriters first. By setting a monthly deadline, they forced their emotionally insightful songs into the light of day.
Oh Wonder’s “This Christmas” boasts the same compassionate spirit that has endeared them to a dedicated audience. So while the ennui of the holidays may have hit a few of us, this wonderful live performance will remind you of the season’s most important feels.
There’s a million faces smiling in the street
And a quiet hum sing winter melodies
Seems funny how the season brings a tear
And I’m longing for the snow to disappear
Hey now
If I close my eyes now
Shut all the world out
Just you and me
I’d give all the snow and sleigh bells
All the Christmas lights
I’d give all the cold and mistletoe
All the cozy nights
I’d give all the love this time of year
And all that festive cheer
I’d give anything this Christmas
Anything this Christmas
I’d give anything this Christmas to have you here
There’s a taxi driving someone home tonight
And a Christmas card that I will never write
Wish I had that river I could skate away on
Wish I had you in my arms where you belong
Hey now
If I close my eyes now
Shut all the world out
Just you and me
I’d give all the snow and sleigh bells
All the Christmas lights
I’d give all the cold and mistletoe
All the cozy nights
I’d give all the love this time of year
And all that festive cheer
I’d give anything this Christmas
Anything this Christmas
I’d give anything this Christmas to have you here
I’d give anything this Christmas, anything this Christmas
I’d give anything this Christmas
All the snow and sleigh bells
All the Christmas lights
I’d give all the cold and mistletoe
All the cozy nights
I’d give all the love this time of year, all that festive cheer
I’d give anything this Christmas
Anything this Christmas
I’d give anything this Christmas to have you here
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