On the First Day of Christmas, an Extravert Sang to Me...
It was the 2018 holiday season and my radio was keeping me company as I tended to some task in my kitchen. Soon I heard these familiar words:
It’s the hap - happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It’s the hap - happiest season of all
“Hmph!” I thought as I listened. “Maybe some of us would find the Christmas season even happier if there weren’t quite so many people around all the time!”
After that unexpected revelation, I was struck by another which I’d never encountered in all my years of immersion in personality type: there are Christmas songs for Extraverts and Christmas songs for Introverts. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” screams extraversion so loudly it could be its theme song!
What is it about this song that provides such a great portrait of extraversion? Well, we know that Extraverts get their energy from outside themselves, from people and objects in the environment. This description fits this holiday favorite, especially the third verse, perfectly! Let’s look at some of the lyrics.
It’s the hap - happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It’s the hap - happiest season of all
There’ll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There’ll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago
What’s the focus of these lyrics? They are about meetings with friends, parties, caroling and marshmallow toasting.This song is almost wholly about the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, as seen in events in the outer world and interactions between people. It’s the stuff of which an Extravert’s emotional energy (and an Introvert’s emotional exhaustion) are made.
Reflective Songs for Introverts
If a song focused on the outside world and group holiday celebrations is right up an Extravert’s emotional alley, what type of song is sung in Introvert heaven? We know that Introverts get their energy from inside themselves; from concepts, ideas and inner experiences. So, it makes sense that Introverts will be attracted to introspective songs that are reflective of the writer’s personal, inner response to Christmas. Often, these songs reflect the lyricist’s reflections on his own, and perhaps the world’s, need for and response to the birth of a Savior.
Let’s look at the beloved 1847 carol “O Holy Night”, with lyrics composed by French poet Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure. The first verse is reproduced below:
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night, when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine.
Despite the use of the words us, we, our and your throughout the song, which briefly point the focus outward, I find that “O Holy Night” speaks to my preference for introversion. Although it does paint a lovely picture of the first Christmas night, the theme seems to be the writer’s personal response to the birth of Christ.
The fact that this song is usually performed as a solo, or as a solo within a choral arrangement, emphasizes the idea that the words are the meditations of an individual. Even the parts that are directed to or include others (“Fall on your knees...Behold your King!”) are more about encouraging others to examine themselves and respond to Christ, than asking them to gather together, which can be a feature of songs with an extraverted focus. There is a difference between carols which are noticeably focused on the corporate aspect of worship and those with an inward focus which nonetheless mention the people involved in or who are the audience for the story being told.
Perhaps even more appealing to Introverts is the universally loved “Silent Night”, the words to which were probably written in 1816. It originally had six verses and today has more than one version. Here is the best-known verse:
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright;
Round yon virgin mother and Child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace
The only references in this song to anything outside the songwriter are to Jesus, Mary, the heavenly hosts and shepherds. It is about nothing other than the night Jesus was born and how silent, calm, holy and bright that night was. Other than the singing of the heavenly host, everything is silent indeed. “Silent Night” seems to be the exact opposite of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, which focuses almost exclusively on the whirlwind of activity in which the lyricist is immersed.
Another beautiful carol with reflective, focused lyrics about the meaning of Christ’s birth is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. Translated from Latin by John Mason Neale in 1851 (and again with different words in 1853), the whole song is about Jesus and the kind of relationship Israel would like to have with him. Each of the seven stanzas has a reference to who Jesus is (Rod of Jesse, dayspring) followed by a hope for what he will do for us (ransom captive Israel, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny). The exception to this is the sixth stanza which praises him for something he did in the past. You can read the full version of this carol here.
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Refrain:
Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel.
As a final example of a song that speaks to at least one introverted heart and often brings tears to one introverted pair of eyes, let’s look at the poignant “Where Are You Christmas?”, written in 2000 by Mariah Carey, James Horner and Will Jennings for the classic movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was recorded and made famous by country star Faith Hill.
Where are you Christmas
Why can’t I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can’t I hear music play
My world is changing
I’m rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too
Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I’m not the same one
See what the time’s done
Is that why you have let me go
If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time, oh
I feel you Christmas
I know I’ve found you
You’ll never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart
With love
Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love
As Bobbie Jean Sawyer states, this song “...is about the search for the magic of Christmas beyond childhood and in good times and bad…” Each year I know that my old friend Christmas has returned for another visit when I first hear this lovely song on the radio.
Totally reflective and introspective, “Where Are You Christmas?” is all about things taking place in the lyricist’s mind. She feels sad as she grows up and finds that Christmas is no longer all about receiving gifts and attending parties. At first she thinks that Christmas ends with childhood, but then realizes that as the years pass Christmas takes on an ever-deeper and more beautiful meaning in our hearts as we grow more loving. Even though it doesn’t mention the birth of Christ, in my opinion it is about the true meaning of Christmas in the best sense of the word.
The Extraverted Hustle and Bustle of Christmas
As we mentioned earlier, Christmas songs more geared to Extraverts are more likely to focus on activities, gatherings of people, or aspects of the external environment. This includes songs where an object in the environment stimulates an attitude of worship in some people. The German folk song “O Christmas Tree” or “O Tannenbaum” is a good example -- here’s the first verse:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
Not only green in summer’s heat,
But also winter’s snow and sleet,
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
With faithful leaves unchanging.
There are various versions of this song but, regardless which version you look at, the song is a hymn of praise to a physical object. The tree leads the onlooker from praising its unchanging beauty to praising the spiritual lessons it teaches. Thus “O Christmas Tree” meshes with the Extravert’s connection to the outer world -- a desire to affirm the importance of the environment.
“Deck the Halls” is another Christmas song which speaks of the joys of sharing the season with others:
Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
‘Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,
Fa la la la la la la la la.
This joyous song is about the sights (“...boughs of holly...gay apparel...blazing Yule) and sounds (“...ancient Yuletide carol...Strike the harp and join the chorus) of Christmas. The lyrics were written in 1862 by Thomas Oliphant, a Scottish musician, and set to a Welsh melody. The line “Sing we joyous songs together” found in a later verse reminds us of the joy of shared Christmas celebrations, an aspect of the holiday which appeals most to Extraverts.
“Silver Bells”, a song written in 1951 by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston and featured in the movie The Lemon Drop Kid, paints a beautiful picture of Christmas through the eyes of city-dwellers with a preference for extraversion, giving a real flavor of Christmastime in the hustle and bustle of urban areas:
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style.
In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas.
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you’ll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city.
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing,
Soon it will be Christmas day.
Of course “Silver Bells” is a song that even people with an introverted outlook love, especially those of us who enjoy living in big urban areas. But I see it as more aligned with the Extravert’s focus on people, action and things. Almost every stanza describes something inanimate such as the sight and sound of silver bells, the red and green of the street lights and crunching of the snow, and these descriptions serve primarily as a backdrop for the actions of people.
While “Silver Bells” is a secular song, “The Holly and the Ivy” (partially reproduced below) joins “O Christmas Tree” as a song which is deeply spiritual while showing an extraverted focus on the outside world. It is focused on two physical objects, the holly and the ivy, which stimulate an attitude of worship.
The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
Refrain:
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer,
The playing of the merry organ,
Sweet singing in the choir.
The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flow’r
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Savior.
Refrain:
The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good.
While this song was published in 1861, its symbolism predates Christ, when holly and ivy played a role in religious festivals which used to be highlights of winter. Nancy Skarmeas, writing in The Carols of Christmas suggests that the verses “...carry very solemn religious symbolism relating to the birth and death of Jesus Christ. The blossoms of the holly plant…represent the purity of the Virgin Mary; the rich red berries are symbolic of the blood of her son Jesus; the sharp prickles on the holly stem stand for the crown of thorns that Jesus wore….”
Time does not permit me to write about every song that seems made to bring joy to extraverted hearts. “Jingle Bells”, for instance, while not strictly a Christmas song since it was written for Thanksgiving, is definitely one for Extraverts!
Final Thoughts
Just as the combined talents of Introverts and Extraverts put the finishing touches of completeness on life in this world, Christmas wouldn’t be whole without both types of songs. I suspect I’m not the only one who would feel a hole in my experience of Christmas if I didn’t listen to and sing songs reminding me of both the meaning of the season and a variety of ways to celebrate it. I need to think about both my inner and outer responses to the birth of Christ.
Of course there are also many songs which win our hearts because of something other than the lyrics. Sometimes we just like the tune or think it is pretty or catchy. We may like the story behind how it was written or it may have emotional significance for us.
But I suspect that most of the time it’s the lyrics which are the most memorable aspect of Christmas songs. As these songs begin to fill the airways each fall, it’s the lyrics which determine whether Christmas is an old friend we can’t wait to see again, or a mere acquaintance we aren’t quite sure how to behave around.
