12 Songs of Christmas - #3 Do They Know It's Christmas?

Band Aid 1984

Disclaimer: All perspectives, opinions, and memories in this entry are mine and mine alone. Some content is rugged, raw, and - sometimes - NSFW, but it's all authentic and included with purpose.

To read the "12 Songs of Christmas Intro," please CLICK HERE
To read Song #12 - "God Bless Us Everyone," please CLICK HERE To read Song #11 - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," please CLICK HERE To read Song #10 - "All I Want for Christmas is You," please CLICK HERE To read Song #9 - "Santa Baby," please CLICK HERE To read Song #8 - "Baby, It's Cold Outside," please CLICK HERE To read Song #7 - "Celebrate Me Home," please CLICK HERE

To read Song #6 - "Don't Waste Your Wishes," please CLICK HERE

To read Song #5 - "I'll Be Home for Christmas," please CLICK HERE To read Song #4 - "Winter Dreams (Brandon's Song)," please CLICK HERE

Why it’s on the list…

To some people this might just be a fun, campy track from the 80’s featuring Bono, Duran Duran, Sting, Phil Collins, etc., but for me it’s maybe the MOST meaningful Christmas song on this list.

In the Intro, I mentioned that I got Scroogy about Christmas in the years immediately after my broken engagement. I hated everything about the season for a while. I hated the shows and specials and music. Especially the music. It was on literally everywhere you went and you couldn’t escape it for an entire month.

It was exhausting and defeating to try to avoid something that was completely unavoidable.

It was two to three years into my Grinch phase that I rediscovered “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and I found myself gravitating towards it more and more. It was the only song that wasn’t about love or presents or the commercialism of Christmas. 

It was about thinking of someone else.

I’m not exaggerating, this song truly helped me out of my Christmas funk. So much so that it started shifting my professional focus as well. I went from pursuing journalism (where I was finding no success) to working non profit, trying to help people (where I found immediate success) and am still am over a decade later.

There are other two Christmas songs I enjoy more, but none that have had more of a lasting impact.

While We’re Here..

I’ve been able to connect my Top 5’s to every song on this list so far but wasn’t able to with this one. Had this song and this Top 5 left over so they got paired together on this entry. Here are my Top 5 All-Time Favorite Christmas treats/snacks:

5. Candy Canes - Growing up, we used to decorate our tree with candy canes but then I would legit eat myself sick. I’ve had to stop using them on the tree but still can’t pass one up.

4. Sugar cookies - I have weird Pavlovian cravings with sugar cookies at Christmastime. Like my mouth is watering right now as I write this.

3 Advent Calendar Chocolate - When I was a kid, my parents would get me one of those calendars where you open the next door each day as you count down until December 25th. Behind each door was a little piece of milk chocolate and I can still taste it today.

2. McDonald’s Holiday Pie - I can only describe these pies as “amazing” so I actually googled it and the official description makes it sound even better: “Creamy smooth, vanilla custard nestled in a flaky, buttery crust glazed with sugar and topped with rainbow sprinkles.” 

1. La Crema Williamette Valley Pinot Noir - Maybe it’s because I first experienced this label at a Christmas party in 2016, but for whatever reason this is now my favorite wine to enjoy during the Holidays.

Listen to "Do They Know It's Christmas?" here: