I currently listen to the country song, “Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton. Hard candy Christmas is a Christmas where families that could not afford expensive candy bought inexpensive candy for their children. Hard candy means that life can be hard and sweet (Sparkman, 2021, n.p.).

In the song, the speaker lists out many possible things to do. The speaker does not know what to do. However, the speaker reassures herself that she will be alright. Her feelings make that moment feel like it is a hard candy Christmas. The speaker currently feels stressed out, sad, and uncertain. The song is from a movie. The song appears when the main character shuts the brothel house down. She and the girls have to leave and say goodbye to each other. They have been together for a very long time. I feel sad that they have to be apart from each other. As they say goodbye to each other, they all sing “Hard Candy Christmas.” Here is what this song means to me. The song means to move on with life no matter how hard it is. As we move on, we should always remember and cherish the sweet times of our life.

This song relates to real life in many ways. Life is hard because there are hardships to deal with. People have to say goodbye to their friends and family when the time comes to leave them. Life is bittersweet because it is hard and nice at the same time. People have to keep going despite the hardships and losses. People have to keep telling themselves that they will be “fine and dandy” (https://genius.com/Dolly-parton-hard-candy-christmas-lyrics). Even though this song is a holiday song, it can still be heard any time of the year because people can use this song for comfort any time.

References

Sparkman, D. (2021, December 14). 'Hard Candy Christmas,' The Story Behind Dolly Parton's Holiday Classic. Wide Open Country. Retrieved April 3, 2022, from https://www.wideopencountry.com/hard-candy-christmas/