Merry Christmas To Me
Alan Jackson (Holiday) Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Today I took some paper from the closet
And wrapped the wedding ring
You left behind
And I addressed it to the man
Who vowed to love you
And on the little card
I wrote these words inside

[Chorus]
Merry Christmas to me
Just one gift beneath my tree
For the fool who let you leave
Merry Christmas to me

Then I sat down in my chair
And thought about you
About the many reasons why you're gone
And I opened up the present that I gave me
And realized how much it hurts to be alone

[Chorus]

I'm the fool who let you leave
Merry Christmas to me

Overall Meaning

The song "Merry Christmas to Me" by Alan Jackson speaks about a man who is alone during the holiday season. He takes out paper from the closet and wraps the wedding ring left behind by his wonderful wife. The man writes a message to the one who vowed to love her and on a little card, he wrote "Merry Christmas" to himself. This phrase depicts his loneliness and agony seeing his life and love fade away. The chorus of the song repeats "Merry Christmas to me" and portrays the man as the fool who let the love of his life leave.

The lyrics reveal how the man spends his Christmas, reminiscing about the reasons why his wife left him, and he opens the gift he gave to himself in the living room, which is the ring wrapped in gift paper. The song conveys a sense of regret, loss, and heartbreak from someone who had lost someone they love dearly. The lyrics excellently depict how the season of joy is often the loneliest time for many.

Overall, "Merry Christmas to Me" by Alan Jackson is a sad country song that reflects on loneliness, regret, and heartbreak, and the chorus is effectively used as a reminder of the singer's pain.

Line by Line Meaning

Today I took some paper from the closet
I retrieved some paper from the closet

And wrapped the wedding ring
I covered the wedding ring in wrapping paper

You left behind
The wedding ring you abandoned after leaving me

And I addressed it to the man
I marked it with the name of the man

Who vowed to love you
The man who promised to love and be with you

And on the little card
And on the small piece of paper

I wrote these words inside
I inscribed these words within

Merry Christmas to me
A happy Christmas to myself

Just one gift beneath my tree
Only one present located under my Christmas tree

For the fool who let you leave
For the foolish person who allowed you to depart

Merry Christmas to me
A happy Christmas to myself