One of the things I like about Christmas is that it involves celebrating a baby.
I’m not religious, but if at this time of year you need a reason to try to live a better life, hanging out with a baby – or at the very least, thinking about how your actions will affect future generations – can be good motivation.
Christianity often frames Jesus’ birthday as God’s way to save sinners, and while I don’t agree with the guilt trip implied by that line of thinking, being made responsible for helping raise a baby can really change your habits. By modeling the things you want that baby to become (patient, physically active, compassionate, intellectual, whatever) you can’t help but become better as well. Having a baby in your life can, as the herald angels sang, give you second birth.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The ¾ time signature makes it feel like it could believably be an outtake from Vince Guaraldi’s Christmas album.
2. The way the pianist’s hand scurries around the higher notes at 1:19 is like someone giving a baby’s tummy a tickle.
3. The upright bass doesn’t take much of the spotlight, but stands behind the piano patiently, like a grandparent smiling from a few steps away as they watch their adult child care for a baby.
Recommended listening activity:
Lighting a candle.