Sharla’s favorite Christmas song(s)

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Matt Todd

When I issued the call for guest posts about your favorite Christmas song, Sharla was one of the first to respond. I’ve never met Sharla in person, but she’s a friend of my wife’s cousin. So she has that going for her. What’s that make us? Absolutely nothing. But I digress…

Sharla is from southern Indiana. She’s a stay-at-home mom of two who rarely stays at home. She’s a Purdue grad living in the heart of IU/Louisville/KY country and she insists that would make her some kind of protected species, if she were an animal.

Thanks, Sharla, for sharing with us! We’ll begin petitioning the government about that protected status for you.

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“Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is my favorite Christmas song. My heart swells and I get a little teary-eyed singing it next to husband as we harmonize during our church’s midnight Christmas Eve service.

BUT my other favorite that has a much “better” story attached, is “Merry Christmas from the Family,” by Robert Earl Keen. The opening lyrics are “Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk, at the Christmas party….. ” as this Texas singer-song writer continues to croon about an incredibly dysfunctional and hilarious family gathering.

My husband and I would laugh as we sang along, saying that every family has at least one of these characters in it. Fast forward several years…..we are on a road trip with our 18-month old daughter, and are discussing which cd to play. “What would you like to hear, Audrey?” we asked her. “Robba Dah,” she said. What? She was actually a very early (and articulate) talker, and we weren’t used to not being able to understand her. “Robba Dah,” she kept saying. We went through the list of whom she might have been requesting and finally one of us said, “Oh my gosh, she wants the Robert Earl Keen song!”. We knew it was time to start screening our musical choices.

Merry Christmas!
Sharla from Indiana

Thanks again, Sharla! Merry Christmas from the Family is a special song that is near and dear to my heart because it became a staple at our post-campfire gatherings the year I was on staff at Beaubien at Philmont Scout Ranch. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard a cowboy sing this song in the middle of July. 🙂

Christmas is just a week away! So time’s running out for you to finish (or start) your Christmas shopping and share your favorite Christmas song with us!

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Matt Todd

Howdy. I'm Matt. My wife, Christy, and I have four kids and two dogs, I'm passionate about orphan care. I'm a die-hard fan of the Evansville Aces, the Indiana Hoosiers, and Star Wars. I'm trying to live life by the Todd family motto: "It behooves us to live!"