Showing posts with label white Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white Christmas. Show all posts

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The Writer of "White Christmas" Did Not Live Here

"I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" is the chorus in the best selling single of all time, "White Christmas", written by Irving Berlin.

Berlin, born in Russia (Belarus), wrote the song in 1940, by a poolside spa in hot Arizona. He must have been a long time removed from the hardships of winter - shovelling, freezing cold, scraping, trudging.
Winter unofficially ended 7, maybe 8 months ago here. Sure, it is literally pretty, but the reality of winter is for many, a nightmare. Images of winter appear quaint to many in warmer climates, and that is easily appreciated.

The refrain, however, "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", can sound absurd to someone who lives here. It equates to a northerner writing, "I'm Dreaming of a Swarm of Locusts", or, "I'm Dreaming of a Small Earthquake, or a series of Hurricanes", "... just like the ones I used to know..."

For wishers of a white Xmas, dream no more. For anyone hoping for an early end to winter, keep dreaming.