The older I get, the more I see Christmas as a complex (and complicated) season.

It can be happy. I mean, I think we’re constantly told it ‘should’ be happy.

The truth is, it isn’t, at least, not always. That ‘push’ to be happy can make the melancholy feel so much worse.

These days, Christmas for me comes with too many empty chairs at the table.

I miss my family and friends that have died much more during the holidays. In the nostalgia of the season the absence seems so much bigger.

These are the kinds of thought that come to mind when I listen to Rosemary Lawton sing The Robe. I don’t want to make you think the song makes me sad. It doesn’t. It makes me feel better, because I think Lawton knows the kind of feeling I’ve described. The way she expresses it feels… comforting and beautiful.

You can hear ‘The Robe’ on Brad Tuck and Rosemary Lawton’s Songs for Christmastime.

More Christmas and Holiday Music from Newfoundland & Labrador

Stay tuned for more great Christmas songs from Newfoundland and Labrador.

I'm a big fan of traditional Christmas music, I love to hear a modern rendition of a 300 year old carol but, occasionally, a brand new song comes to my attention and dominates my Christmas listening. Newfoundland and Labrador's musicians have been holding their own in both regards. I’ll be sharing local songs —both old and new— from now until Christmas in my 2023 NL Music Advent Calendar.

Follow along on Instagram stories and get playlists here.

Check out: 2022’s NL Christmas music calendar.