A Massachusetts Family And Friends Made A Christmas Song Honoring Front Line Workers

I'm honestly so excited about this on so many different levels, because I feel like how we've treated first responders/healthcare workers since the pandemic started has changed SO much, and not for the better.

Back when COVID started blowing up, people would applaud and cheer nurses during shift changes. I mean, even in New York City, it sounded like there was a parade going on at 7p every single night to show nurses appreciation. A lot of us showed patience, caring, gratitude -- it was that glimmer of hope that maybe we'd get back to how it used to be when we all did more good toward each other than bad.

And then, like everything else good, it started to fizzle out. Cheers for nurses replaced with jeers and cries of annoyance because of how long it takes to get your nose swabbed for a COVID test. Appreciation and patience shown toward anyone on the front lines constantly putting themselves at risk of being exposed WHILE TRYING TO SAVE AND/OR PROTECT THE REST OF US, disrespected because waiting around while people who probably hadn't slept in at least 24 hours (or more, easily) were helping others, and it was cutting into other peoples' time of sitting on their couch binging Schitt's Creek.

So, that said. That's why I love this. Because it brings back that appreciation, it embraces the Christmas Spirit, and most awesome of all -- it's all because of a local family from Salem, Mass (the one with the witches, not Canobie Lake).

Karen Scalia was inspired to write a song one morning when she watched a healthcare worker wrapping up an overnight shift. She took her inspiration to her nephew, Derek Dupuis (a musician and Berklee grad) to finish off lyrics and add music. Derek enlisted the help of other Dupuis Family members (Samantha, Dan, and Stacey), plus friends Carl Ayotte and Chris Wilson to add to the instrumental and singing.

Capped off by mixing and mastering by a couple of Grammy-award winning New York artists, Ignacio Molino and Daniel Ovie, and "Thank You It's Christmas" was officially born and is currently making the rounds. Hear the song (via the lyric video) below.

It's people like Karen, the Dupuis family, and everyone else involved that bring SO MUCH GOOD to New England. We can literally be anything and like anyone -- so let's be like them.