Happy Birthday, Jesus

A birthday card addressed to Jesus Himself, the lyric speaks to Him from the first line: “Happy birthday, Jesus, it’s that time of year.” The lights on the trees announce the season, and the writer looks back on a year in which “You helped us make it through.”

The middle verses admit how easily the holiday drifts. “We all get so caught up on material things” that it seems “we forget what Christmas really means.” The answer is modest: “It should be thanks we’re givin’,” and the song itself becomes the present. There is “a gift for everyone but You underneath the tree,” so the singer offers what they have, “Though it’s not much, I hope You like this song to You from me.”

The repeated “Happy birthday, Jesus” at the close works like a sung greeting. Luke 2:11 names the birth being celebrated, and 2 Corinthians 9:15 (“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift”) fits the theme of answering the greatest gift with simple thanks.