For weeks now, writing this piece has loomed in my mind and on my to-do list; I didn’t where how to start. But now, nine days after I promised to have this written in a week, I sit in my Airbnb in the heart of Milan, fueled by a few hours of stunted sleep and airplane food, and am finally ready to write this. First, some backstory: I discovered Sufjan (like many other teens, I imagine) through Call Me by Your Name. It was perhaps a few weeks after the Oscars, and I was watching the trailer for the movie when I was captivated by the ethereal music in the background. A quick Google search led me to the song title (“Mystery of Love,” of course) and the singer (whose name I thought was pronounced “Suff-jan”), and thus an obsession was born.

It started slowly at first, discovering more of his songs here and there, then it quickly snowballed: I made a Tumblr just to get notifications for when he posted there, he became my most-listened-to artist on Spotify last year, and I bought a green “Say Yes to Michigan!” shirt, among other things. I was completely enraptured by him: his concept albums featuring songs with long, eccentric titles and grandiose orchestral arrangements and mythological references abound. I mainly listened to Carrie and Lowell and Illinois, then delved into Michigan, All Delighted People, The Age of Adz, The Avalanche, and Planetarium with unrivaled zeal. With that being said, it wasn’t until this past summer that I dared venture into his impressive Christmas catalog, save for “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!,” “Sister Winter,” and “Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!).”

Let me paint you a picture: I was on a family road trip, it was July, and we were barreling down the road to see the Four Corners, then later the Grand Canyon. It was perhaps the least Christmas-y setting you could conjure. I was seated in the middle of the back row of the rental car, flanked by my twin sister and younger brother, and I had exhausted all my auditory go-to’s. So, I decided, what better time than then to finally delve into Sufjan’s Christmas music? I put in my earbuds, turned up the volume, and off I went. Which brings me to the song I’ve chosen to write about: “It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad!” This song was one of many that stood out to me that sweltering summer day. To be honest, it wasn’t my first pick to write about (I’m more emotionally affected by the previously mentioned songs, especially “Sister Winter”), but my other top choices were taken, and this seemed a worthy substitute.

A concise one minute and fifty-five seconds long, “It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad!” is at once catchy and uplifting with a more somber undertone, done with true Sufjan zest. It even rhymes. I’m not going to analyze the lyrics, as I don’t think it lends itself to that, but what I get out of the song is that Sufjan is telling us that no matter how badly our lives are going, stop and take a moment to appreciate all that we have to be grateful for, saccharine as that may sound. Everyone has something for which to be grateful (the world is abundant!). And so my parting message: if you’ve had a difficult year, or if your Christmas isn’t panning out like the Hallmark movies say it will, find something to be glad for and (to quote the maestro himself) keep it moving!