‘Til I’m Back Home: our fave Christmas song for 2012

It’s hard to write a nice Christmas song. So kudos to Irishman Eric McGrath who has come up with a cute song and video that doesn’t have us reaching for the v…t bag.

Many of the elements of a Christmas song are there, starting with the title. Going home for Christmas is about as universal as you can get. McGrath sings it in a slightly wavery voice that adds to the authenticity and avoids it slipping into slush mode. For some reason, the song reminds me of the 20s.

McGrath gets extra points for not having sleigh bells in the song (OK, some very discreet glockenspiel). So all in all, it’s a neat, modern Christmas melody.

The video by Syafigah Cullen complements it perfectly, with its cute lo-fi stop-motion account of two families.

What’s more, all the proceeds went to the Make A Wish foundation. So “‘Til I Get Home” was my favorite Christmas song so far in 2012. If you see any worth pointing to, drop a note below.

UPDATE: My own Christmas song

Back in 2020, a song I co-wrote for Harry Coseman, has just received a Christmas upgrade. 

Find song lyrics by Michael Leahy