Tis the season so I thought I’d attempt another holiday song. For some reason, this one also includes a reference to Santa Claus in the malls, I guess that was a big holiday indicator for me in my childhood. I think I only actually visited with Santa once, around age 2 or 3 and I cried and screamed, “No Hanta Claus!” according to a recollection by one of my aunts.
In this song, however, the song is more about one of Santa’s elves, the object of a crush by a barista working at a coffee kiosk in the mall.
“Winter Wonder”
Hey, you may not remember me, but I remember you
You were the cutest elf with those pointy shoes
As a Santa’s helper in our local mall
Fa la la, tis the season, you deck the halls
Oh my winter wonder, I wonder where you are
You’re my favorite distraction as I watch from afar
As I spice the pumpkin latte and brew the Irish cream
I wonder if my winter wonder ever thinks of me
Hey, you may have forgotten, but we once shared a smile
It may have been my imagination that your eyes lingered a while
The holidays wouldn’t be the same without a glimpse of you
Stop by for a cup of coffee when your shift is through
Oh my winter wonder, I wonder where you are
You’re my favorite distraction as I watch from afar
As I spice the pumpkin latte and brew the Irish cream
I wonder if my winter wonder ever thinks of me
I wonder if my winter wonder ever thinks of me.
I’ve been working my way through songwriting courses on Coursera and the music for this developed from the class “Writing the Music” taught by Scarlet Keys of Berklee College of Music. I learned that it’s much easier for me to understand the idea of chord progressions on keyboard, as well as other basic music theory concepts, than it is on guitar. Perhaps it’s because I took piano lessons as a kid and am much more familiar with the layout of a keyboard than I am with a guitar fretboard.
The piano melody came from some of the concepts I learned in that class and developed it into a “holiday” song. Wasn’t sure if the whole elf thing works or is just weird, but I just went with it.
Here’s “Winter Wonder.”
My Songwriting Journey 