My last Christmas gift this year arrived just in time.  Yesterday was again marred by tragedy, and although we survived the apocalypse, sometimes losing a loved one can set your world on edge.  In the big, swirling wonder of it all, the futility of life can come into question.

Music has always been a great outlet for me.  I was beyond touched to discover that my brother had gifted me – over the magic of the Internet – the album John Denver & The Muppets:  A Christmas Together.  It’s a reminder of a simpler time, when it was hard to imagine your troubles being anything but miles away, as the song goes.  Then life, and struggles, and worries get in the way. 

I’m sharing the album with you here, but if you’re struggling with sadness this season, whatever your beliefs, I recommend Track 2.  Something about the simple, plaintive piano and heartfelt soft voices seems sincere and soothing.  As a child, I thought the song was slow, compared to the rest of the album, which was bold and fun to sing aloud to.  But maybe I’ve gone soft in my old age.  Or wiser.  And sweet and sincere is all I really need from this holiday.