It's that time of the year, and yeah, I mean Christmas!  There are two really favorite songs for the Yuletide that I really adore, but for slightly sad reasons.  The first, "I'll Be Home For Christmas", a song recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943, speaks of the holiday with "Mistletoe"  and "Snow', but being written from a WW two soldier's view point  which points up the war effort prevalent at that time.  The line "if only in my dreams . . ." gives an added unexpected punch.   Melancholy indeed!

http://youtu.be/EYOvd2PZoPU

Many years later (1970), Richard and Karen Carpenter came up with "Merry Christmas, Darling"  A song that Frank Pooler had written for a paramour in 1946.  Richard Carpenter took the ill-fated lyrics and composed a new tune.  In Novemer of 1970 it premiered.  There was that last line punch again with "I wish I were with you" after the build-up.  Both are now classics, several generations apart
http://youtu.be/EYOvd2PZoPU