I can see it like yesterday. My mom and dad in the kitchen preparing the Christmas dinner and us kids decorating the tree with grandma. It feels like it was yesterday but in reality, the image I have in my head is from thirty-five years ago. Those were happy times. It’s easy to be a kid, isn’t it? Everything is catered to you. You can just enjoy it all. They’ll tell you when it’s time to eat and when it’s time for presents. You just show up.
My kids wrote a letter to Santa a month ago. They asked for everything under the sun, even a brand new Tesla was on one of their lists. After we had placed their letter neatly in a new, crispy, white envelope. My son wanted to know if I had written a letter to Santa and more specifically, what I had asked for. I started thinking. What would I want for Christmas? It had been a while since I wrote to Santa. And I wasn’t going to start again but it was an intriguing thought.
I found myself excited by this prospect of getting something I really needed and after a long and hard consideration, I decided I would like to travel back in time. I made a huge mistake a while back and this sort of present would give me a chance to set things right. I knew instantly which day, year and place I would travel back to and what I’d do, or rather what I wouldn’t do. Instantly, my imagination took over. How happy I would be, the roads not taken, the possibilities and the opportunities, being younger, all of it. In fact, it began to sound like a fantastic idea, a trip of a lifetime. I felt lighter I had in years, my stress levels started going down. “Brilliant,” I thought.
Then I heard my four-year-old son ask me with his beautiful high-pitched voice, “Are you asking for a CD?” I got down on my knees and told him that that’s exactly what I wanted, trying hard not to laugh. “Good,” he said and continued, “Let’s go wrap one up.” We walked into the library and he pulled out a CD at random. It was the Love Actually soundtrack. I have thousands of CDs, how he found that particular one will remain a mystery to me. We wrapped it up and then he wrote my name on the present: Dad. After that, he gave me a big bear hug, kissed me on the cheek and said, “I love you, Dad.”
At that moment, I made a mental note to cancel that trip back in time I was planning. I wasn’t going to go after all. Truth be told, we all make mistakes and suffer the consequences but very few of us are as lucky as I am. I have six wonderful, healthy sons. One of my colleagues at work said that I am a “rich man” because of that and she was right. Therefore, instead of traveling back in time, I decided to hang out with my son and suggested we open the newly-wrapped present early, which we did. “Let’s play it,” my son stated eagerly and soon the sound of “Christmas Is All Around Us” by the imaginary Billy Mack filled the room. My son sat in my lap and listened to the track with me.
Once the song had finished, he looked at me with his puppy eyes. I knew instantly what he was after. “Absolutely not,” I said with faked authority, “Your mom would kill us. We’ll open the other presents on Christmas Eve.” “Can we wrap this one again, Dad?” he whispered. “Do you want to open it again?” I inquired. My son nodded. We did that about twenty times but left the CD in the player, so we could play Billy Mack on repeat.
Consequently, “Christmas Is All Around Us” is our track of the week. Check it out. You’ll love it!
Oh, and merry Christmas.
It's a movie, no links this week. =) LOL.
About the curator - Tommi Tikka
Tommi Tikka is a linguist, poet, professional songwriter, recording artist and a music aficionado. He started playing guitar when he was four and writing songs when he was six. Consequently, he doesn't remember a time when he wasn't playing or writing. It's fair to say, music and lyrics are not just something he loves to engage himself in. To him, they are a way of life.
You can check out his current band The Impersonators here:
And the music of his previous group Carmen Gray here: Spotify