Apparently the number one trending song on YouTube currently is the Christmas latest, from the duo of Elton John and Ed Sheeran. If you haven’t yet heard it, you can join the trend now.

Having just listened to it, I thought it was alright. Catchy tune and a bit of fun… didn’t think it was much more though, to be honest. Nothing wrong with it, just feel I’ve heard better. Take the lyrics…

“I know there’s been pain this year but it’s time to let it go, next year you never know, but for now Merry Christmas”

I appreciate the sentiment. This year stank. Will next year be better or worse? Good question, who knows, but for now let’s just enjoy Christmas, they tell us. I totally get where they’re coming from and I don’t want to be a party pooper, but when the song finished I just felt empty and was asking questions.

Let go of the pain. How? But for now Merry Christmas. Why?

As great at song writing as both these two guys are, it did make me a little annoyed that the only mention of God in the song was mildly blasphemous. There are plenty of Christmas songs out there that don’t mention God, of this I’m well aware. But to use Christmas time – when we remember the birth of Christ – to write a song that you’re going to make money from and then take the Lord’s name in vain, well, it just turned me right off the song. If you take Christ out of Christmas, then what’s left? How can you regain meaning?

According to the song, “dance in the kitchen while embers glow… sing along to the song, just having so much fun” is how it’s done. As I said, it’s a catchy tune that’s a bit of fun, but is this all that Christmas is?

Because if that’s all Christmas is, then it’s no different to any other fun “good night”.

Deep within many of us, we seem to know that Christmas is supposed to be special. Those who celebrated it in their childhoods have genuine nostalgia for times past, shared with family and friends. But this can happen at any time of the year, for any reason your family can conjure up.

Celebrating Christmas correctly means we’re actually celebrating God.

Let go of the pain. How? Through a Saviour who is born into the world.

But for now Merry Christmas. Why? Because those trapped in sin can be set free.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying Elton John and Ed Sheeran’s song. Merry Christmas is catchy… perhaps a tad cheesy, but each to their own. Maybe I’m just having a Scrooge moment, but for me, a song like it just ends up being vapid. It’s fun while it lasts… but then what?

Where’s the meaning? Has the pain actually gone?

Yours in looking for something more,

Alison