Christmas not complete without John Denver, Muppets

It’s hard to believe the Christmas season is upon us. As I’ve grown older, the years seem to go by faster and faster. When I was a kid, I relished that, but now I would like to sit back and watch a few more crimson sunsets fade into the cornfields behind my home or catch a few more light and fluffy snowflakes on my tongue. I guess, in the end, we all get a little wiser too.

With a hint of snow in the air comes the shimmering red and green lights adorning Christmas trees in living room windows and stockings hung above a crackling fireplace. Sounds like a Norman Rockwell painting doesn’t it? All of us have traditions, from cutting down a fresh pine tree to listening to our favorite Christmas carols.

When I was 3, my parents bought me a record, “John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.” Little did they know that I would still be enjoying this music 30 years later. To this day, that album is probably one of the greatest gifts they ever gave me.

When I was growing up the Muppets were very popular. They had their own TV show and movies including “The Great Muppet Caper” and “The Muppets Take Manhattan.” I still have my stuffed Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy somewhere in my closet. Heck, I still love the Muppets and I’m not afraid to admit it. I even have a couple Muppet ornaments adorning my tree.

Every year after Thanksgiving, I start playing my record. Now that’s vinyl with some serious mileage on it. When I went off to college, I was very happy to see that my favorite record finally came out on CD. So, John, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and the whole gang came along to Clarke College in Dubuque with me to help usher in the holidays.

My tiny dorm room felt a little more like home with their melodic voices floating through the air. I can still see myself draped across a couple textbooks, listening to my favorite songs and dreaming of Christmases I had when I was a kid. I would give anything to be able to relive some of those days again. Looking back, I don’t understand why we are always in such a hurry to grow up anyway.

My album features traditional favorites including “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Deck the Halls,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” My favorite songs are a bit obscure, unless you own the album I doubt if you’ve ever heard them. John Denver and the Muppets don’t get a lot of radio play and in my opinion that’s too bad. I love to sing along with “When the River Meets the Sea,” and a medley that includes “Alfie, The Christmas Tree,” “Carol for a Christmas Tree,” and “It’s In Every One of Us.”

Denver wrote “Alfie,” which is about a tree in the forest who loves Christmas and the true meaning behind it — not just all the ribbons and bows tied around the bustling holiday season but of the Christ child and how we should treat one another.

The song starts out like this: “Did you ever hear the story of the Christmas tree who just didn’t want to change the show? He liked living in the woods and playing with squirrels. He liked icicles and snow.” As the song continues, the message of Christmas gets stronger and even as a child it spoke volumes to me.

“Oh, Alfie believed in Christmas all right. He was full of Christmas cheer. All of each and every day and all throughout the year. To him it was more than a special time, much more than a special day. It was more than a beautiful story. It was a special kind of way. You see, some folks have never heard a jingle bell ring. And they’ve never heard of Santa Claus. They’ve never heard the story of the son of God and that made Alfie pause.

Did that mean that they’d never know of peace on earth or the brotherhood of man or know how to love, or know how to give. If they can’t… no one can. You see, life is a very special kind of thing not just for a chosen few but for each and every living breathing thing. Not just me and you.

So, in your Christmas prayers this year Alfie asked me if I’d ask you say a prayer for the wind, and the water, and the wood and those who live there, too.”

The spirit of Christmas is one that should not just be practiced in December, but all year long to our neighbors, strangers we meet on the street and even our furry loved ones at home. When Denver died in a plane crash on Oct. 12, 1997, listening to my album was bittersweet that year. I’m very thankful for the all wonderful memories Denver gave me and all the children of my generation who grew up listening to “John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together.”



Angie Bicker is the Lifestyles Editor for the Clinton Herald. She can be reached at angiebicker@clintonherald.com. Source: “John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together,” “Alfie: The Christmas Tree,” 1979, Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co.

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