The creation of Jinkx was complicated. "From the movie Death Becomes Her, I was inspired by the crazy extent vain women will go for eternal youth, beauty, and power," Monsoon explains. "Through Lucille Ball I saw how a woman can bring you to tears with laughter with nothing more than a look. Through the Disney villains I was raised with, I saw how powerful a woman can be, and yet so deliciously evil. And through my mom, I saw not only the trials and tribulations a single mother faces every day, but also the strength and determination a woman can possess when she is trying to provide a bright future for her children."
Passive Aggressive Christmas
Jinkx Monsoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Another chance for us to get together and argue
Just like Santa wants
The house is dressed in jewels of green and red, oh
Sugar plums in each collective head, oh
And in the grand ol' fashioned way
With the family for the day
The cousins and the uncles takin' turns, oh
With family dramas, medical concerns, oh
I only know we fight it best
If we could give that top a rest
And then this holiday the peace is truly earned
Let's have a passive aggressive Christmas
Let's not pretend we're all that close
Dad can talk about the new car
And TV shows he loves the most
It's only 7 hours, so let the work shift now begin
We did it all last year and we'll do it all again
Everybody glows a Christmas light, o-oh
Everybody's tryin' not to fight, o-oh
And now it's Macy's own parade
Another reason to behave
Another chance to say we're doing St. Nick right
Let's have a passive aggressive Christmas
And cut the sentimental end
No, Mom, I don't have a boyfriend
No, Grandma, I don't have a girlfriend
Let's think about the presents and of the cracking New Year in
We did it all last year and we'll do it all again
Oh, Grandma, Franklin, Uncle Paul
You love them all, yeah, you love them all
And you can keep that smile on through the night
Oh, but, I swear to God that it isn't fair
If the Andersons ask about my hair
For the hundredth time that day, oh, hey
Now, sweetheart, do you want to be the one to say the blessing today?
And I'll say...
Let's have a passive aggressive Christmas
'Cause we're all in it till we're free
The folks all say they love the turkey
But, no one cares about the turkey
We'd rather wash the dishes
Cause of the trouble that we're in
We did it all last year and we'll do it all again
Oh, we did it all last year and we'll do it all again
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la-la
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh no
The song "Passive Aggressive Christmas" by Jinkx Monsoon is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the complexity of family dynamics during the holiday season. The lyrics describe the tension and drama that can arise from spending time with relatives during Christmas, and the way in which everyone tries to keep up appearances and avoid conflict. The song suggests that rather than pretending to be close or sentimental, it is better to approach the holiday with a passive-aggressive attitude, acknowledging the underlying tension but attempting to diffuse it through humor and sarcasm.
The verses describe various scenarios that are common during Christmas gatherings - family members arguing, discussing medical concerns, and gossiping over wine. The chorus then reinforces the idea that everyone is trying to maintain a facade of happiness and togetherness, even though tensions are palpable. The lyrics use humor to exaggerate the situation, but also highlight the difficult parts of family relationships that can surface during the holidays.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, it's another Christmas with the folks
Yup, just like every year, we have to spend Christmas with the family
Another chance for us to get together and argue
A perfect opportunity for us to get together and fight
Just like Santa wants
It's just like what Santa would have wanted
The house is dressed in jewels of green and red, oh
The house looks so Christmassy with all the green and red decorations
Sugar plums in each collective head, oh
Everyone is in a festive mood and all anticipatory for the holidays
And in the grand ol' fashioned way
And in that traditional family way
With the family for the day
With the whole family united for the day
And all the wine-soaked gossip that is bein' said
And all the rumors that are circulating with everyone fueled by alcohol
The cousins and the uncles takin' turns, oh
The cousins and uncles taking turns bragging and bickering
With family dramas, medical concerns, oh
There's always plenty of family drama and health problems to discuss
I only know we fight it best
I only know we fight the chaos the best way we can
If we could give that top a rest
If we could stop those conversations in their tracks
And then this holiday the peace is truly earned
And then this holiday would really feel like a peaceful one
Let's have a passive aggressive Christmas
Let's keep up the passive-aggressive tone for the whole time
Let's not pretend we're all that close
Let's acknowledge the fact that we aren't really that close, and just deal with it
Dad can talk about the new car
Dad's going to talk non-stop about his new car
And TV shows he loves the most
And he'll be sure to throw in a list of his favorite TV shows
It's only 7 hours, so let the work shift now begin
It's only 7 hours of torture, so let's begin and get it over with
We did it all last year and we'll do it all again
We've been through this all last year, and we'll survive it again, no matter how bad it gets
Everybody glows a Christmas light, o-oh
Everyone's spirits are high and glowing like a bright Christmas light
Everybody's tryin' not to fight, o-oh
Everyone's trying their best to not argue or fight with one another
And now it's Macy's own parade
And now it's time for Macy's own parade
Another reason to behave
Another reason to keep up the good behavior
Another chance to say we're doing St. Nick right
Another chance to brag about our Christmas tradition and pride
And cut the sentimental end
Let's cut out the sappy sentimental talks
No, Mom, I don't have a boyfriend
Mom, I don't have a boyfriend, let's not talk about it
No, Grandma, I don't have a girlfriend
No Grandma, I still don't have a girlfriend, let's move on
Let's think about the presents and of the cracking New Year in
Let's focus on the upcoming presents and what the New Year will bring
Oh, Grandma, Franklin, Uncle Paul
Oh, Grandma, Franklin, Uncle Paul - they're all here
You love them all, yeah, you love them all
You gotta love them all, whether you like it or not
And you can keep that smile on through the night
Keep wearing that smile all night long, even if it's fake
Oh, but, I swear to God that it isn't fair
It's honestly not fair that we have to put up with all of this
If the Andersons ask about my hair
If the Andersons ask about my hair for the hundredth time
For the hundredth time that day, oh, hey
For the hundredth time that day, oh great
Now, sweetheart, do you want to be the one to say the blessing to
Now, sweetheart, would you like to say the blessing
Let's have a passive aggressive Christmas
Let's continue being passive-aggressive throughout the whole Holiday
'Cause we're all in it till we're free
We're all staying in here until it's over and we can finally leave
The folks all say they love the turkey
Everyone's saying they love the turkey, even though we all know they don't really care
But, no one cares about the turkey
But in reality, no one gives a damn about the turkey
We'd rather wash the dishes
Washing the dishes is way more preferred, looks like a better idea
Cause of the trouble that we're in
We're in a tight spot, and washing dishes is way easier
Oh, we did it all last year and we'll do it all again
We've suffered through this last year, and we're certain we'll have to do it all over again (next year)
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la
'Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la' is how the song goes!
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la, la-la-la
We've been singing 'Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la' all night long!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh no
We're all screaming out in terror, as we realize the dysfunctionality of our family
Contributed by Sarah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.