Written by 14 Songs of Christmas – (11) Please Come Home For Christmas.
On the 11th day of Christmas Songs, I hope that I have given everyone enough time to get home for Christmas. I think that just about everyone has heard some version of this song somewhere, even if you didn’t want to. I have shared with you a few versions that I like. There are a lot of different recordings of this song. Check these ones out.
Out behind the house a few years ago. That looks like the Christmas Star shining through the trees. Perhaps the trees were bowing to the newborn King.
Before I get to the song, let me explain this 14 day run of Christmas Songs posted here. There is a reason for the season, and there is a reason for this 14 Days of Christmas Songs project as well.
Last May (2021) my younger brother suffered and lost his battle against cancer. I haven’t completely grasped the idea that I have outlived a younger sibling, I still struggle with our loss. I still remain as a big brother to a pair of siblings and one brother now in heaven. I think of him constantly. He and I were both big fans of each other and of Christmas. We loved being with family, especially during this time of the year.
For some months now, I have been thinking of writing more about music, about lyrics, and about the connections that music makes for us all in so many ways. This December I decided to do my 14 Songs of Christmas. My late brother’s favorite number was 14. A lot of folks knew my brother as #14. Since there are 12 days of Christmas, I figured I would come up with a different number for the songs of Christmas. 14 of them, or so.
Please Come Home For Christmas. (Eagles)
Songwriters: Charles Mose Brown / Gene Redd
This song has been around for a long time and probably has always played in some form on the soundtrack of my Christmas experience. The older versions are good because, well, it’s a good song. Then the different recordings come along and some grab my attention more than others. In the end everyone has their own style and their own energy, and I love to try out the different sounds.
Growing up in our house there was a record player in the living room and that was my favorite room, by far, once the Christmas decorations were up. There were Christmas records playing often in the living room and I would listen to the songs as I played with toys on the floor (or with little green Army men in the tree branches). There is no question, that home was, and still is, my favorite place to be at Christmas.
Many times I just sat on the heater/radiator and gazed at the lights and reflections of the decorations on the Christmas tree, while I dreamed boy’s dreams. Or perhaps I stared through the front window into the night, looking past the electric candle, and searching the skies for any hints of snow.
Sometimes, I still long to be that little kid sitting next to a frosty window, the only light in the room being the glow of our simple Christmas scene. Hearing Mom in the kitchen and Dad coming in from the cold night after another day working in the ministry of his calling. Siblings in and out, but mostly me solely focused on the songs, the words, and the reason for Christmas. Dreaming my dreams, without knowing that I was learning the tools to cope, to self-sooth, and to be calm.
Thank you for sticking with me. Music is awesome! There is something for everyone. Merry Christmas!
The 14 Songs of Christmas Series so far:
Songs of Christmas – Bonus Day Mix
Songs of Christmas – The Angels Cried
Songs of Christmas – Whoville Medley
Songs of Christmas – Walking In The Air