Hello Santa (For a Soldier)
Sharon Kayne & Todd Lowry

I saw a great bumper sticker the other day: “I support our troops, not our policies.” It’s an excellent response to those ubiquitous ‘Support Our Troops’ ribbons, which seem to suggest that being anti-war is akin to being in bed with Osama. Maybe I get that impression because those damn ribbons are always on very large, very intimidating vehicles. And how exactly are we supposed to support our troops anyway? Those little ribbons aren’t telling. Should we donate our frequent flyer miles so our underpaid soldiers can afford to see their families when they get leave? Are we supposed to buy stock in Halliburton? What? I hate that kind of ambiguity.

In truth, the real reason I love the ‘troops not policies’ bumper sticker is because it’s a catchy way to answer critics who insist that my Christmas song is anti-war. The song is really just pro-soldier. There’s a difference. It’s about a woman asking Santa to bring her soldier home for Christmas, for heaven’s sake, what’s anti-war about that?

Granted, anyone who read my weekly humor column back in the day probably got the hint that I didn’t think bombing a secular nation was a great strategy for fighting religious fanatics. But, hey, “Hello Santa (For a Soldier)” lacks all of the sarcasm I used to dole out in my column. My God, it’s downright sentimental. And the political references are purposely ambiguous. (OK, not guilt-inspiring-ribbon ambiguous, but draw-your-own-conclusions ambiguous.)

Speaking as a true insider to the inner workings of my own mind, I can honestly say that writing the lyrics for this song was as nonpolitical as I get. Unlike my columns, which stemmed from a deep-down disgust for the current state of national affairs, the lyrics for “Hello Santa (For a Soldier)” came from somewhere besides my cynical gut. I don’t know from where, and I can’t really explain it. All I can say is that wispy bits of it were in my head as I awoke from a dream (the subject of which I cannot recall), and that they floated there all day until I finally sat down to write them out. Feel free to insert the spiritual explanation of your choice here. I’m fine with that. Just give the song a listen (www.dukecitymusic.com) and then call every radio station in your city and request it. And maybe, just maybe, a nationwide movement of extreme sentimentality will help bring our soldiers home. Common sense hasn’t done it, so what have we got to lose?

-Sharon Kayne - ASCAP Songwriter - Lyrics - 2005- Hello Santa (For A Soldier)

Click here to view the video of Sharon accepting award for
2005 - Song of the Year at the New Mexico Music Awards Banquet
“Hello Santa (For a Soldier)”