Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: singer-songwriter
Song Meaning of “Mysteries of the Christmas Mist” by Sufjan Stevens
“Mysteries of the Christmas Mist” by Sufjan Stevens is a beautiful wintery track that conveys the mysteries and disorientation of the Christmas season. The song has a very dreamlike, ethereal quality, as if one is walking through a fog surrounded by twinkling lights, strange sounds, and other unfamiliar sights. The loudspeaker speaks, “Let us not underestimate the mysteries of the Christmas mist.” The speaker points out that despite our attempts to explain away all things from a purely logical standpoint, sometimes the beauty and wonder of the season is simply inexplicable.
The chorus speaks of an angel – both a literal being and a metaphor for the strange sense of inexplicable joy and hopefulness that Christmas brings. “Old angel, my friend, you are a mystery/Bringing timeless messages of eternity.” The angel brings us messages of hope, peace, and hope that transcend our understanding and transcend time.
The song suggests that in the midst of the merry chaos of the Christmas season, we should take time to reflect and pause, allowing ourselves to revel in and be comforted by the mysteries of Christmas that for which we have no explanation. No matter what religion we identify with, what culture we come from, or what language we speak, Christmas has a unique way of connecting us all with messages of love, peace, and hope.