And who do you think could believe such a thing
Could believe that the story is true
And who do you think could believe such a thing
Well here's hopin' to Heaven you do. — The Statler Brothers, "Who Do You Think?"
In celebration of the season, I’m going to do my level-headed best to make the month of December all about Christmas carols. Either love them or hate them, songs of the Christmas season hold a special place for all of us. You’ll always remember where you were when you hear that one song or another carol will take you back to a place long ago, a memory fond or maybe even bittersweet.
I’m going to start this effort with "Who Do you Think?" by The Statler Brothers. Let me state this emphatically: Christmas did not start in our house until Dad blew the dust of the vinyl album, cleaned lint off the needle of the record player, and the crackle-crackle, pop-pop sounds of this album filled our house.
Dad was the one in charge of the music in my house. With a collection of over 1,000 records, the man was a music store. But it was Mom who truly loved this album and Dad always made sure this was the first one played. I couldn’t have realized it then, but there was always a moment, or so it seemed, that passed between them when the album started, a silent, gentle, “I love you” exchanged.
Now I know Christmas memories get wrapped up and distorted with nostalgia, but right then, at that moment with the music of the country quartet filling the air, everything was alright in my little world at the time.
Dad, a career military man as a cook, was always standing behind the long kitchen counter my parents had installed, working on something — cookies, candies, pie, dinner — and Mom was sitting at the dinning room table built by my grandfather, the Sears Wishbook in front of her.
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