A Song from 1958 Helped Me Discover My Hobby

What's my favorite hobby? My favorite hobby is…

Wait a minute. You know what? Let's play a game for this particular topic. I don't want to make it too easy. Enough with all the dry and vaguely-written essays that can't connect with the reader.

This piece will answer the question of when I started this hobby. Only the question of the time. This will be answered by picturesque experiences and fascinating stories of my childhood.

These stories and experiences are only there to help you, aren't they?

Hopefully, you will see its value and quality by the end of the piece and adopt the same hobby. Actually, scratch that.

By the end of the work, you will be able to identify your own passion for things that have happened or are happening in your life, but you always thought that they were irrelevant.

• Disclaimer #1: You have to read the whole piece to know what the answer is.

• Disclaimer #2: Pay attention to the stories of the piece and try to picture them in your mind.

So let's cut to the chase right away!

Sure is dark out

Ain't the slightest spark out

'Pon my slackened jaw

Who's there?

Who is it?

Stopping for a visit?

'Zat you, — — — —?

Are you bringing

A present for me

Something pleasantly

Pleasant for me?

Then it's just

What I've been waiting for

Would you mind

Slipping in under the door?

Cold winds are howling

Or could that be growling?

My legs feel like straws

My, my, oh, me, my

Kindly would you reply?

'Zat you, — — — —?

These are the lyrics to a viral song. Do you know which song this is? Wait.

Don't cheat. Don't google it. Try to figure it out on your own.

Mind you, the dashes in the lyrics have covered the two words that would instantly reveal the period, the reason, and the hidden meaning.

Let me see what I can reveal for this question. Uhm…. I'll say that this is my favorite song when it comes to this hobby.

I'll also tell you that this is a motivating song for everyone that is a fan of the pursuit the same way I am.

I can also reveal that this song made me a fan of the hobby for some random reason.

The story goes like this.

I was in school at around 13 years old. It was cold outside, and we were allowed to stay in for the break.

After a while, the kids decided to play some songs on the board while some other art students were actually working on a project.

Me, as a socialized kid, I went over to the kids that were using their scissors to make decorations and hung out with them just because I was curious to see what they were into.

A boy from the project was the one that tried to help me understand its purpose and how this 'art thing' worked.

Suddenly, it hit me. I heard the song. I stood up and went to the computer that the students were using for DJing.

But it was already late. They had changed the song. I was asking everyone what the song's title was, but no one could answer because it was in the random playlist at the time.

The break was over. We rushed to close the youtube tabs, and I lost the train of my thought.

You know when you have a loop in your mind of a catchy song, but you then start forgetting it.

Well, this is when the first attempt failed. I hadn't caught any of the lyrics, and the melody that I was attracted to was lost in the abyss of my thoughts.

However, one thing that I had learned and didn't forget was making a banner. That's what the art students helped me know. And I sure didn't forget it.

But don't be quick to think that I could apply what I have learned back home. I wasn't. I tried several times for the next year, but I couldn't make something that would live up to the expectations. To my expectations.

So I got less and less motivated to pursue this hobby just because I was young. Instead of failing, I thought it would be better not to try since the emotions would be less painful.

Fast-forward two to three years later, I am sitting in the back seat of the family car, and the radio goes on. It's the song. I had heard the music for the first time when I was 13, then forgot about it since I couldn't discover its title. Finally, with it, I forgot about all the memories associated with it.

But now it was a different time. I just heard the song. Then I told everyone to stop talking kindly, so I could catch the lyrics of the chorus. And I did.

Immediately after the song's end, I wrote everything in the Notes app on my phone to not forget the lyrics or the melody again.

When I went back home one month later, I didn't want to listen to any other song. This played on repeat. What a great melody. What a fascinating spirit. What a mysterious tone. What a song, overall.

And then it struck me.

I was listening to this song, and suddenly, I remembered all the memories associated with the melody and the story of discovery.

I remembered the kid that had shown me the way to make a banner.

I remembered all the times I struggled with the art and how I had given up on my craft.

So you might know what came up next—the time to try again. And I don't know if you believe in coincidences. Still, after playing this song repeatedly, I started working on my craft more meticulously and meeting my own high expectations. It's crazy how music can motivate you and help you achieve your goals.

The only sad thing is that this is a hobby that works only the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, it's in the Christmas period. Yes, the title of the song is "Zat You, Santa Claus?".

Nothing is like the old African-American jazz melody and slang that makes "Is that you" equal to "Zat You." I discovered the song during the Christmas holidays of 2013, and it has been on my Mount Rushmore ever since.

The hobby which is associated with this song is creating homemade Christmas banners. What makes this hobby special is the feeling of being with my family, listening to this song, and actually reminded me of the whole storyline.

If you made it to the end of the story, I just wanted to say a genuine thank you. I never take my readers for granted, and I hope that my piece helps you, reflects you, or even touches you in some shape or form.