The Brew House

It’s that time of year again. That time for hot cocoa, and Plaza Christmas lights, and most importantly, Christmas music.

It’s that time of year when you put your iTunes “Christmas” playlist on repeat, curl up with a good book, and reflect on another year.

We’re pretty sure everybody has their favorite Christmas song.

There are people who love listening to Mariah Carey sing about what she wants for Christmas.*

*Believe it or not, all she wants is you.

There are those who love to walk in a winter wonderland. There are those who want to have themselves a merry little Christmas. There are those who turn on Bruce and wait for Santa Clause to come to town.

*“You better watch out, you better not cry…” link to the video…

And there are those who dream of a white Christmas. Of course, all those songs are wonderful in there own way…

But every year, I always come back to one song — “Fairytale of New York” by the great Irish band, The Pogues.

That song –- in all its raw genius –- is Christmas time.

The song, of course, starts off with the famous line…

“It was Christmas eve, babe… in the drunk tank…”

So you know it’s not going to be your normal Christmas song…

But there’s more than that.

The song is about a guy remembering the Christmases he’d spent in New York city with an old flame.

And the song just makes you feel Christmas.

You can feel the wind in your face. You can feel the scarf around your neck. You can feel the Christmas ale on your tongue, and you can smell the Christmas tree in your living room.

And most of all, you can feel Christmas in the city.

“They’ve got cars big as bars
They’ve got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It’s no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me.”

Maybe it’s because I’m Irish, or maybe it’s because I’ve been to Galway Bay, or maybe it’s because there’s something great about putting on a sweater and stocking cap and walking around a big city during the Christmas season.

Or maybe… You can just imagine being there, in this song. And that’s why the fairytale will always play, every December, forever.

“Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

…And The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing “Galway Bay”
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas Day”