Do You Need a Little Christmas?

Here’s another suggestion for beating the blues from Joy Behar’s When You Need a Lift: But Don’t Want to Eat Chocolate, Pay a Shrink, or Drink a Bottle of Gin:

I go to my piano and force myself to play a rousing chorus of “We Need a Little Christmas,” followed by a few bars of “It’s Today,” and after subliminally saying, “Listen to your own advice, kid,” the gray snaps back to its usual chrome yellow and I walk away laughing.

                    Jerry Herman, Composer and Lyricist

I challenge you to sing “We Need a Little Christmas” from start to finish without getting in a better mood.

It’s amazing how certain types of music have the ability to instantly change our emotional state. How about disco? After hating disco for many years, I realized that people liked it because it was peppy, happy music. Or listen to a waltz. Could you write lyrics for a waltz that weren’t upbeat? Now imagine applying heavy metal or grunge lyrics to a waltz or disco. You can’t do it. Your mind would reject the mix.

Today, take Jerry Herman’s advice. Find some music that you love and that always puts you into a good mood. It may be Stevie Ray Vaughn turned up loud, , or the songs from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (admit it: you can’t sing the Oompah Loompah song without feeling better.). Put it on right now. Turn it up. Sing. Feel the love, brothers and sisters. Remember: You don’t have to feel bad to feel good.

Make a great day.

Photo: Sister72