Ella Gilbert
The iconic Swedish pop-group, ABBA, released their first album in 40 years, ABBA Voyage, back in November. One of the tracks that immediately stood out to me was the song Little Things. It’s a beautifully subtle Christmas song that immediately reminded me of my childhood Christmases.
Neither of my grandmothers are Swedish, but hearing Agnetha and Frida’s voices reminded me instantly of them. Naturally, their voices have changed slightly with age and we can now hear this beautiful perspective of a grandparent watching their family enjoy the ‘little things’ of Christmas.
The music in the background is simple and lullaby-like which is calming and very fitting for the lyrics and style. The opening piano sequence followed by Agnetha and Frida sounds like a very nostalgic opening to a story. The rest of the song follows this sort of descriptive style of what I would call ‘the perfect Christmas’; perfect not because of decoration or events, but because of the little things and the everyday magic in life.
Agnetha and Frida’s voices are paired with a singing chorus of children. This really emphasises the familial relationships and how different generations experience Christmas, but that they all enjoy the ‘little things’ that create the sense of Christmas magic. Something I love about being older is getting to watch my family of all generations interact with each other and share the love described in this song.
‘Little moments of happiness and of bliss’ is exactly how I’d describe what makes Christmas, and life in general, so special. Little Things is a refreshing break from endless songs about heartbreak or life just being unfair. It makes you reflect on what you love the most about those around you at Christmas. From the ‘giggles and screams’ of excited children to the ‘joy Santa brings’, it reminds us there’s so much more to Christmas than the media depicts.
Little Things fills a gap in an otherwise over-saturated Christmas song market, celebrating familial love and the beauty in everyday activities, instead of the Christmas romances, longing and heartbreak that makes the classic Christmas tunes. While I can’t see it staying wildly popular in years to come, I truly think it’s a beautiful song that is well produced with a wholesome meaning behind it. It’s one I can envision being sung at primary school carol concerts or used for festive video edits.
It might not be the next All I Want For Christmas Is You or Jingle Bell Rock, but it’s a lovely tribute to the little things in life and is a much-needed break from the heartbreak and commercialism otherwise presented to us in the media at Christmas.
Image courtesy of Andrew Ebrahim on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.
Ella Gilbert
Ella is History and Spanish student at the University of Sheffield. She is the social media manager for Empoword and a keen writer for various publications. When not writing or studying (which is far more often than she'd like to admit), you can find her exploring the outdoors, going out for drinks with friends, or in bed with Netflix and TikTok.