My Attempt To Get Into The X-Mas Spirit: Part 1

Christmas is so mainstream.

Thanksgiving came and went. I filled up on some really great home-cooked meals, met up with some friends from back home, and even made a few bucks at my regular job. But even before my family members and I sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas was in mighty form. Special sales, lit houses, those eerie 1970's clay animated Christmas specials on TV, the whole shebang. And now Christmas is batting a 1,000. The university and community is cluttered with seasons greetings decorations and even on KUR, every commercial break sees a holiday liner. For me, X-Mas couldn't feel further away.

I like to blame my workload. Senior year hasn't been as easy-going as anticipated. Did you know the library stays open until 12 am? Neither did I, until I was scrambling to get a project completed earlier this week. Finals week, stress and the run-a-round of campus life hasn't quite made me a Scrooge, but it hasn't made me anything, really. Maybe I'm looking for an end to it all.

With the show completed until 2010 (despite our second annual Christmas Special, which I'll talk about in another post), I find myself in a weird spot. What can I look forward to before and after Christmas? I need a little help finding joy in the season.

One person that has been a beacon of hope through all of this otherwise pitch-black holiday season for me, has been none other than Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan? Bob Dylan. He's got a new Christmas album out now, titled Christmas Is In The Heart and one song is a very cool remake. "Must Be Santa" is the name and it's all about Kringle coming to town. Not my favorite X-Mas tune ever, that comes later. But I do enjoy it and maybe you will, too. Reminds me of how much I looked forward to Santa delivering presents on that silent night. My favorite was writing to him on the Eve. The illusion sold and it's just something I always loved doing.

Bob Dylan - "Must Be Santa"

So enjoy the video for it. I feel like an alternative rocker in 1994, wishfully hoping for a simpler time. But then again, I've been thinking that way as soon as I entered college. But this sort of thing will continue until I get in the spirit, or the holiday passes and I'm cool with it. We shall see.

Merry Christmas.