The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Once in Royal David's City stood a lonely cattle shed,
Where a mother held her baby.
You'd do well to remember the things He later said.
When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties,
You'll just laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making
That Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry,
And how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I just messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
Remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
(Hey! Santa! Pass us that bottle, will you?)
Where a mother held her baby.
You'd do well to remember the things He later said.
When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties,
You'll just laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making
That Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry,
And how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I just messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
Remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
(Hey! Santa! Pass us that bottle, will you?)
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Sorry, but you're all full of crap. Like Anderson himself when he wrote and recorded it. What a mean-spirited and self-righteous hypocrite. How does he know that nobody else "understands" the "meaning" of Christmas? This is one of the most mean-spirited and unwarrantedly harsh attacks ever directed at gullible rock fans. It ranks up there with Kurt Cobain sneering at his devoted listeners that he's deep and they're all shallow ("All Apologies": "I wish I was like you, easily amused"). Thanks, a-hole. Just what I need, gratuitous insults. Go f--- yourself, you hypocritical self-righteous jerk; you never ate a Christmas dinner? Give me a frickin' break. And you idiots writing this nonsense, encouraging his jerkiness, you're frickin' clueless. For your information, Ian Anderson is a successful businessman and capitalist. I've nothing against his making money; but he can spare me the lectures about being a selfish and thoughtless sinner, acting as if he's more virtuous/holy/Christly-than-thou.
You totally miss the point of this song, Ian isn't saying that parties and feasts are BAD things, they're just not what the holiday SHOULD be about. It should be about giving and helping those with less, rather than gorging and living gratuitously. It is making the point that all this commercialism and bullshit where people spend hundreds on champagne and booze and roast turkeys while their mothers starve strays about as far from the meaning of Christmas as possible. I fail to see how the fact that he has become wealthy from his trade somehow makes his statements any less true. It may not apply to you 100%, but like most things in life take what you can from it. I think it drives home a great message.
I also think that the ending bit "hey santa, pass us that bottle will ya?" Is kind of him saying that he is just as guilty of it as anyone, but that doesn't mean he can't write about it and make his point. There is hypocrisy and then there is falling short of perfection.