Tim Minchin's Christmas Carol

Tim Minchin’s musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda was the toast of Broadway in 2013. The musician and comedian’s dark wit perfectly conjures both the naughtiness and sweetness of kids being kids.

So when it comes to Christmas, it’s probably not surprising that Minchin is a bit of a cynic. But we think his Christmas song, written for his daughter, is a modern classic. Sure, he’s got some bones to pick with the holiday: “all the usual objections to consumerism, to the commercialization of an ancient religion,” he sings, over a gentle waltz, “to the westernization of a dead Palestinian press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer. But I still really like it.” For an Australian living thousands of miles from home, the chance to see his parents, siblings, and Gran is a little miracle worth celebrating.

(Originally aired: November 25, 2011)

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