Say what you will, but Christmas has a great P.R. department. Just think about it. The very mention of the word brings forth these vivid images. You see people in Santa hats, doing snow angels, and going to various department stores just to get the right gift. Everything about this holiday has such a built-in fan base that you can’t help but notice it everywhere. Sure, Thanksgiving wishes it does. Halloween has cropped up as the Dreamworks of Fall holidays, Christmas is the Disney: a pleasantly safe place where every cheery idea has been allowed to roam free, forcing joy onto an unassuming public. If you believe that “Let It Go” is everywhere, just know that “Let It Snow” exists.
My personal relationship with Christmas culture (not the holiday itself) has been tumultuous over the years. There have been years where I personally don’t care about any of it. There are others where I’m constantly growing sentimental, feeling some thankfulness for family and friends. However, it’s crazy to note that among the endless options for entertainment are the songs. Everyone knows them. How could you not? It’s a time when everyone is obsessed with the idea of snow, demanding to have someplace to pull out your sleds or stay in because it’s cold outside. Not only that, but there are those who want to risk their own health to go out into the cold and sing for crowds the various carols.
In some respect, I appreciate what this group is trying to do. The desire to reach out to others is something that on its surface is a welcomed sight. The only issue is that door to door salesmen have given them a bad name, where every stranger knocking on your door has some nefarious motive. You almost expect these carolers to stick out their hands and demand a tip for their talents. As someone who has gone caroling only once in his life, I can confirm that while this is a gesture of love that I think has emotional value, I’ll forgive you if your impulse reaction is to humor us until we get off your lawn.
When I think of the quintessential carols, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” comes very close to the top. On its surface, it is very straightforward. There’s no misleading subtext in wishing people Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Even the melody swings with this jaunty nature that works for a multiple-part harmony. The way that it rises is charming, and you’re left with a sense of camaraderie. This is the end of the year, and it feels like a good time to put aside any petty grievances and just accept that humanity isn’t so bad.
What I’m about to write isn’t any highlight of noteworthy covers. I’m sure there are some, but for me, there’s been something strangely dated about the song. For as good as its initial themes are, I find it difficult to love the further it goes on. There is this strange sense by the end that the carolers are going to perform an Occupy Wall Street-style coup on your lawn. I understand that this is centuries-old (and we’ll get into that), but the strange insistence that the cry for figgy pudding line doesn’t change or update is bizarre. Also, it’s so redundant that the majority of contemporary people singing it likely: A. Haven’t eaten figgy pudding, and; B. Probably don’t understand its significance.
Before I go further, I will say that this is the part of the song that has always bugged me. Why would modern carolers care so much about figgy pudding? It’s an example of reciting something simply because everyone else is. After all, we are talking about a medium that continually changed “gay” to “bright” (or whatever fit the rhyme scheme) for reasons that may or may not be problematic. Why does this food that nobody can even picture survive for as long as it has? Also, what’s the deal with being so arrogant about it?
Listen, I understand that the part of the song that goes “We won’t go until we get some” is humorous. If you’re a caroler, it maybe works pretty well as this awkward joke that you’re not leaving until compensated. However, listening to the various popular musicians sing makes them sound greedy and selfish. Also, how long are we just going to forward the plot of this song with only one repetitive line for various verses? It’s all a bit much if you ask me.
It wasn’t until I began to put the song into a greater context that I’m able to appreciate anything about what this song is going for. It’s considered a traditional English Christmas carol, listed as numbers 230 and 9681 in the Rould Folk Song Index, and is commonly performed by carolers, wassailers, and mummers throughout the 19th century. Organist Arthur Warrell is the most responsible for its rise in popularity, having orchestrated it for The University of Bristol Madrigal Singers. As you can guess, it went over well and the song was never the same.
It was because of this that carolers began to use it as their own form of protest when performing for wealthier audiences. It’s the ulterior motive, of a salesman shouting “But wait, there’s more!” randomly when you think they’ve made their entire point. Sure, they DO wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, but it can’t be that simple, right? They can’t just be giving good tidings to you and your kin. There has to be a catch.
According to Wikipedia, figgy pudding is very similar to modern Christmas puddings and was served in the West Country of England. It’s designed more as a treat of hospitality. Connecting the dots, this was designed as some half-hearted joke that the wealthy listener would give them something to eat. After all, most carolers around this time were less fortunate and thus unable to afford these pleasures. It was their goal of connecting the economic gap, making them pay attention to their struggles. After all, it’s the holidays and this is a time of giving.
With that in mind, suddenly the song regains any poignancy. The act of asking for food becomes something more compassionate than a mass jingle. I cannot speak for the socioeconomic struggles of the British lower class in the previous centuries, but it feels nice to know that not only was someone out there looking after them, but this story was able to resonate for centuries. Even if the figgy pudding has lost all meaning, it continues to symbolize a desire that everyone has. I’m not sure why it wasn’t updated to something more contemporary (even Christmas pudding would make more sense), but it’s such a harmless detail that I frankly don’t care.
Do I think this makes it a better or worse carol? I’ll be honest that if you spend enough years around these carols, they lose most resonance. At a certain point, they’re a cultural permanence that we all know by heart. I’m sure the best covers will make me feel some deeper emotion, but for now, I think of the many that take bolder risks lyrically, whether they be “Do You Hear What I Hear” or “O Come O Come Emmanuel.” They convey a full story, building a mythology that paints a more vivid picture. Even if they’re less secular, they still convey something tonally about this time of year.
Still, there has to be some reason that “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” has continued to resonate so well. It could just be that it’s the most direct holiday song in existence. There’s no way to find a misleading thought in all of it. It also has the idea of festivity, even if it’s somewhat arrogant, and that adds small wincing humor to the whole experience. It’s cheery and “funny,” but more importantly it’s a reminder to recognize those less fortunate than us. They too deserve to have a merry Christmas. Give them that figgy pudding. While I’d argue there are better foods to gorge a hungry stomach on, I guess that this will do.
Before I wrap this up, I thought that I would share another fun fact that I discovered when researching this. There’s a variation called “Cellar full of beer.” This was sung by children (mummers). While the concept remains the same, they would sing:
We wish you a merry ChristmasAnd a happy New Year,A pocket full of moneyAnd a cellar of beer.
There would be a later verse commenting on “a pantry full of good roast-beef” and “barrels full of beer.” I can understand why this version didn’t catch on, if just because we didn’t want kids turning into W.C. Fields. Still, I love the idea that people can update the song in meaningful ways, recognizing how versatile these lines actually are.
Of course, this year I would be grateful if anyone would come around caroling. I understand the risk and I don’t wish anyone to do so. With another lockdown in place and COVID-19 numbers rising, it’s going to be difficult for anyone to spread joy without spreading something else. At times like this, novelty songs like this feel more acceptable and I kind of want them. They remind you of tradition, of some stability in society. I’d love kids to complain about cellars of beer. It might actually get the teens out, so long as the cops aren’t trailing them. I’d love for so much to happen, but I suppose the most important is the one that they’ve been singing all along.
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