After listening to this Christmas song released by Sufjan Stevens, I was struck by a few lines:
1. “I’m a Christmas Unicorn! In a uniform made of gold”
2. “Oh I’m hysterically American! I’ve a credit card on my wrist”
3. “I’m a frantic shopper and a brave pill-popper and they say my kind are rare”
Oh and the part where we are all “Christmas Unicorns!” I’ve always had an affinity for unicorns…and Christmas. And while combining my childhood dreams in a fantastical song, Sufjan has the ability to hit me in the gut with a dose of holiday reality.
Feel free to share your reflection on the song below!
Christmas Unicorn
I’m a Christmas Unicorn! In a uniform made of gold
With a billy-goat beard, and a sorcerer’s shield, and mistletoe on my nose!
Oh I’m a Christian holiday; I’m a symbol of original sin
I’ve a pagan tree and a magical wreath and bow-tie on my chin!
Oh I’m a pagan heresy; I’m a tragical Catholic shrine
I’m a little bit shy, with a lazy eye, and a penchant for sublime
Oh I’m a mystical apostasy; I’m a horse with a fantasy twist
Though I play all night with my magical kite, people say I don’t exist
For I make no full apology; for the category I reside
I’m a mythical mess with a treasury chest; I’m a construct of your mind
Oh I’m hysterically American! I’ve a credit card on my wrist
And I have no home or a field to roam; I will curse you with my kiss
Oh I’m a criminal pathology with a history of medical care
I’m a frantic shopper and a brave pill-popper and they say my kind are rare
But I’ve seen others in the uniform of a unicorn just like me
We are legions wide and we choose no sides; we are masters of mystique
For you’re a Christmas Unicorn! I have seen you on the beat
You may dress in the human uniform, child . . . but I know you’re just like me
I’m the Christmas Unicorn! You’re the Christmas Unicorn too!
(I’m the Christmas Unicorn; it’s all right, I love you!)
[Repeated]
Love: love will tear us apart . . . again
Love: love will tear us apart . . . my friend
(I’m the Christmas Unicorn! You’re the Christmas Unicorn!)
