Christmas had always been a special time for me. The anticipation of Christmas day – decorating the tree and house, buying presents, beautiful food and spending time with family. But over time, Christmas has lost its sparkle. While I still appreciate the day with people I love – it no longer holds the same energy as years before. The excitement has been replaced more with a time for reflection and a longing for times gone by. Grief has woven her darkness through the tapestry of life with my brother Carl’s passing after a car accident, precious pets transitioning, and long-term relationship endings. I haven’t put my Christmas tree up for the past five years. Each Christmas I tell myself – ‘next year.’ Next year, I will decorate the tree and make an effort again. But that desire is still very much absent.
While I work, I have the radio playing in the background. A couple of times this year I heard a Christmas song playing – Driving Home for Christmas sung by Chris Rea. The song was released in 1986 but I can’t ever recall hearing it and I had never heard of Chris Rea before.
Music has a way of touching the soul and this simple tune and lyrics resonated with me. It is a song about memories and coming home to loved ones. For many, Christmas time is the opportunity to have a day, or if lucky a little longer away from the grind of life – work, commitments and worries and this song took me on that journey.
Apart from hearing the song a couple of times, I forgot about it. But on Christmas day a prompting to look up the song and listen to it again was persistent. This is usually how I receive messages from loved ones who have passed over.
I searched “Driving Home for Christmas” and a video came up. I clicked to play and noticed on the top of the video playing was written – Carl’s Old Record Club. Carl loved to go for drives and the two lines So I sing for you though you can’t hear me. When I get through, and feel you near me are so relevant. I am in awe of these moments and grateful.
Continued afterlife communication has shown me there are no coincidences. Just unconditional love and a reminder that there is more to our existence than we can ever understand.
Merry Christmas Carl.
TheOldrecordclub
Carl’s Old Records
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDt3u2Ev1cI
Driving Home for Christmas
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas
Oh, I can’t wait to see those faces
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas, yeah
Well, I’m moving down that line
And it’s been so long, but I will be there
I sing this song to pass the time away
Drivin’ in my car, drivin’ home for Christmas
It’s gonna take some time but I’ll get there
Top to toe in tail-lights
Oh, I got red lights all around
But soon there’ll be a freeway, yeah
Get my feet on holy ground
So I sing for you though you can’t hear me
When I get through, and feel you near me
(Drivin’ in my car)
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas
Drivin’ home for Christmas
With a thousand memories
I take a look at the driver next to me
He’s just the same, just the same
Top to toe in tail-lights
Oh, I got red lights all around
I’m drivin’ home for Christmas, yeah
Get my feet on holy ground
So I sing for you though you can’t hear me
When I get through, oh and feel you near me
Drivin’ in my car
Drivin’ home for Christmas
Drivin’ home for Christmas
With a thousand memories
I take look at the driver next to me
He’s just the same
He’s drivin’ home, drivin’ home
Drivin’ home for Christmas
Drivin’ home for Christmas
This really moved me. The detail about Carl’s Old Record Club appearing at the top of the video gave me chills. I’ve had clients at MyFarewelling describe similar moments, these little signs that feel impossible to explain away. One widow told me a cardinal started appearing on her windowsill every morning at exactly the time her husband used to wake up. Another found a voicemail from her father she’d somehow never deleted, months after he passed. These moments don’t erase the grief but they make the weight a little more bearable. Thank you for sharing Carl’s message with us.