You know how I said a few days ago that there are no good or memorable modern Christmas songs? I may have been wrong:

Ordinarily, anything with too much of a “support the troops” theme makes me very twitchy, because that slogan is all too often freighted with unpleasant political baggage (i.e., the idea that supporting the troops means stifling any dissenting opinions, and anyone who does speak against the validity — or even just the practicality — of the war must be an unpatriotic, traitorous, generally rotten human being who surely enjoys molesting kittens). But I think this song is just lovely, and it manages to sweetly (and apolitically) recognize that there are a lot of good people who are far from home and hearth this night, and we shouldn’t forget about them regardless of what we may think of the policies or the administration that put them there. In fact, I see this as a companion piece to one of the handful of classic holiday songs I enjoy, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” That, too, was a cry of loneliness and hope that came out of wartime, and which in the end isn’t so much about the war as it is about simple human yearning to return to those we love. Yeah, I think this tune, unlike so many other attempts at writing a “new classic,” may actually be around for another Christmas or two (and no, it isn’t just because it was written and performed by my main man, Rick Springfield… although that doesn’t hurt).

Incidentally, Rick’s newly released Christmas album (of which “Christmas with You” is the title track) is great, a heartfelt, unexpectedly spiritual set that ends with a slam-bang version of “Deck the Halls” played Surfaris-style. I highly recommend it; buy it here.

And now my friends, I think I’m going to sign off for the rest of the night. If you’re still out there reading this blog — and if you are, you really should back away from the computer and go find some realspace friends or loved ones to interact with — I’d like to wish you all peace.