"It's sentimental I know..."

On the heels of that big post about religion, here's a clever (and surprisingly poignant) Christmas song from British/Australian comedian Tim Minchin, which offers a nice humanistic alternative to the vapid sentimentality and "dodgy" lyrics of most of the Christmas repertoire...though I do, along with Minchin, quite like the songs. He even references Dawkins, and has some lines about everything from the tax-exempt status of churches to moral absolutism! Ultimately, though, it's a song about family. It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it...



Here are the lyrics to "White Wine in the Sun" (aka "The Christmas Song") by Tim Minchin:

I really like Christmas
It's sentimental I know
But I just really like it

I am hardly religious
I’d rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu
To be honest

And yes I have all of the usual objections to consumerism
To the commercialization of an ancient religion
To the westernization of a dead Palestinian
Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer
But I still really like it

I'm looking forward to Christmas
Though I'm not expecting
A visit from Jesus

I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun
I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I don't go in for ancient wisdom
I dont believe just cos ideas are tenacious
It means that they're worthy

I get freaked out by churches
Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords
But the lyrics are dodgy

And yes I have all of the usual objections to the miseducation
Of children who in tax-exempt institutions are taught to externalize blame
And to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right or wrong
But I quite like the songs

I'm not expecting big presents
The old combination of socks, jocks, and chocolates
Is just fine by me

Cos I’ll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun
I'll be seeing my dad
My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum
They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

And you, my baby girl
My jetlagged infant daughter
You'll be handed round the room
Like a puppy at a primary school

And you won't understand
But you will learn some day
That wherever you are and whatever you face
These are the people
Who'll make you feel safe in this world
My sweet blue-eyed girl

And if my baby girl
When you're twenty-one or thirty-one
And Christmas comes around
And you find yourself 9000 miles from home
You’ll know whatever comes
Your brothers and sisters and me and your mum
Will be waiting for you in the sun

Whenever you come
Your brothers and sisters
Your aunts and your uncles
Your grandparents, cousins
And me and your mum
Will be waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun

Darling when Christmas comes
We'll be waiting for you in the sun
Drinking white wine in the sun
Waiting for you in the sun
Waiting for you
Waiting...

I really like Christmas
It’s sentimental I know

And as an added treat for the holidays, here's another gem from this new discovery of mine: