Cody Johnson Shares Emotional Story About His Connection To “If We Make It Through December”
on Dec 04, 2024
The History Behind Merle Haggard’s Timeless Christmas Song
Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” is a song Cody Johnson will always hold dear in his heart.
Haggard released “If We Make It Through December” in 1973 as the lead single from his album Merle Haggard’s Christmas Present. Despite this, “If We Make It Through December” isn’t a “true” Christmas song. It focuses just as much on the topic of economic hardship.
However, the track has been associated with the holiday season for decades. Christmas is mentioned throughout the lyrics, as Haggard sings at one point:
“Now I don’t mean to hate December,
It’s meant to be the happy time of year.
And my little girl don’t understand,
Why daddy can’t afford no Christmas here.”
The story in “If We Make It Through December” has resonated with listeners far and wide. It’s also resonated with many country artists who’ve offered up their own renditions. Some of those artists include Alan Jackson, Marty Robbins, and Cody Johnson.
In Johnson’s case, he shares a strong connection to “If We Make It Through December.”
Cody Johnson Opens Up About Why “If We Make It Through December” Means So Much To Him
In 2023, Cody got his own Christmas special on CMT. Appropriately titled A Cody Johnson Christmas, the program featured Johnson’s performances of many beloved Christmas classics.
One of the songs he performed was “If We Make It Through December.” Before he sang, Cody shared an emotional story to explain why “The Hag’s” old song means so much to him.
He said he and his wife, Brandi, “were very broke” when they first got married. “Like ramen noodles was a luxury kind of broke.”
Cody and Brandi visited his parents one holiday season, and Cody took $20 and placed it in a Christmas card. Later, Brandi asked him, “You realize that was our last $20 until you get paid again on the first of the month?“
He said at that moment, all they had to their name was “three-quarters of a tank of gas.“
As they drove home, “If We Make It Through December” came on the radio. “Merle always had a way of making people cry,” Cody said, “And in the truck, we both cried. And we were wondering how we were gonna actually make it through December…“
When they got home, Brandi walked away to unpack some leftovers Cody’s mom sent home with them. Cody went outside to check the mail. That’s when he discovered his first two songwriter checks from ASCAP had arrived.
“They were $2,500 apiece,” he said with emotion in his voice. “And I walked in the house…and we cried again.”
Brandi, who was watching in the audience, wiped tears away from her eyes as Cody told the story. He thanked Merle for writing “If We Make It Through December” before launching into his own performance of the song.
Watch that performance and hear Cody share why the song means so much to him in the videos below.
