Mark Schultz – The Christmas Shift

CCM: A few years ago, you wrote a song with our good friend Cindy Morgan called, “A Different Kind Of Christmas.” The success of the song has been a bit surprising considering the content was birthed from such a sad experience, right?
MS: Yeah, real life. We moved in next to my in-laws, and six months later our first son was born. My father-in-law got to hold him, then he got cancer and died six months later. When Christmas rolled around, I was in my office writing songs and my wife walked in. Now let me stop right here—ever since my wife was young, she and her dad would put cookies and the milk by the fireplace. The next morning the milk and cookies would be gone and there would be a note from Santa. It would say, “I came down the chimney last night, and I ran into your dad. He told me you’re about the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him. He loves you so much, and he’s so proud of you. Hope you have a great Christmas. Love, Santa.” Even when she was in college, she loved leaving the notes for Santa to see what he would have to say. When we got married, the notes changed. They’d say, “Your dad thinks you’re the greatest thing in the world. Your husband needs to learn how to fix some things around the house, but he’s okay, too.” [Laughs]

So when her dad passed away, that all changed. She walked into the office and said, “We’ve got the same tinsel, we’ve got the same lights, we’ve got the same decorations for the tree, but it’s a different kind of Christmas this year because Daddy’s gone.” I started writing “Different Kind Of Christmas” about the legacy somebody leaves. You can’t replace it. You can only pass it down.

CCM: In some ways, the song is an antithesis of “Have a holly jolly Christmas”—it willingly explores the lonely aspects of Christmas that, I think, are a reality for most people who have lived any adult life. It doesn’t mean everyone’s sitting in a depressed stupor all Christmas long and they don’t find the points of light in the season, but isn’t it interesting this song resonates more deeply than the “happy” songs?
MS: What I realized was that this song wasn’t meant to serve my career. This song was meant to serve people. It went out and found people that were walking through [grief] and they could say, “That’s me this Christmas. I don’t feel so alone.”

photo: Kelly Jobe

There was a literal hole in the middle of Christmas that first year [after my father-in-law died.] We were faking our way through being happy and joyful, but the person who loved Christmas more than anyone was gone. We were doing all the same stuff, but it just had this sinking feeling to it. That happened for a couple of years. I was so wrapped up into, Christmas isn’t like it used to be. And then my kids came into the picture. Instead of trying to live in the past and What am I missing? What am I not getting anymore?, I ask, What can I give? We have reflected that back on to the kids, so now they’ll grow up having that same legacy passed through us.

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