A Belated Christmas Tale
I confess to utter bafflement when it comes to the emergence of Joni Mitchell’s wonderfully depressing song “River” as a Christmas standard. So I enjoyed reading this article in TNR about how it all came about.
Of course, I am probably not one to talk. A few weeks ago, my older son asked me to sing “Winter Wonderland” to him before bed. I couldn’t remember the lyrics. He asked for another seasonal song. I am embarrassed to report I suffered absolute brain lock and the only tune that came to mind was Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat.”
It’s four in the morning, the end of December, I’m writing you now just to see if you’re better
New York is cold but I like where I’m living, there’s music on Clinton Street all through the evening …
Here’ s why mothers love their sons: Jake listened, rapt. When it was all over, he only had one question. “Mom,” he asked, “what was that song about?”
Next time, I’m remembering to sing “Jingle Bells.”
About Helaine Olen
I am the voice of The Bills, a column about the intersection of money and life, at Slate. At Inc., I contribute to the Spread the Wealth personal finance column. My work on politics, economics, workplace culture and women’s issues has been published in numerous other print and on-line publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Salon, Pacific Standard, and The Los Angeles Times, where I wrote and edited the popular “Money Makeover” feature.
I'm the author of the critically acclaimed book Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry, and The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to be so Complicated, which I co-wrote with Harold Pollack.
What else? I’m a passionate bibliophile, a fan of 1970s pop music and a lover of rummage sales. I live in New York City.
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