ThomasRedheart

<p>🎄<strong> Empty Chair, Full Heart </strong>🕯️</p><p><strong>Lyrics By: Thomas W. Peterson AKA RedHeart&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>©COPYRIGHT 11–9-2025 All Rights Reserved ©</strong></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Verse 1)</strong></p><p><strong>The calendar turned fast this year, Thanksgiving's already gone,</strong></p><p><strong>And now the silver bells are ringing out, greeting the Christmas dawn.</strong></p><p><strong>I pulled the box of ornaments down, the ones you always hung, Dad,</strong></p><p><strong>But the silence in this living room is the saddest song I've ever had.</strong></p><p><strong>The smell of pine is strong and sweet, just like it used to be,</strong></p><p><strong>But there’s a quiet space right here, where you both should be with me.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Chorus)</strong></p><p><strong>There’s an empty chair at the table, but the memory’s standing tall,</strong></p><p><strong>It's the love that’s missing, not the tinsel, that shines the brightest of all.</strong></p><p><strong>No one to tell the old stories, or light the angel on the tree,</strong></p><p><strong>But I know you're watching from the stars, still keeping watch on me.</strong></p><p><strong>Yeah, Mom and Dad, this Christmas hurts, but I won't let the spirit die,</strong></p><p><strong>I'll lift a glass to the heaven where you rest, with an empty chair and a full heart's cry.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Verse 2)</strong></p><p><strong>I made your famous stuffing, Mom, just like the recipe reads,</strong></p><p><strong>I used the rusty tin where you kept the spices and the seeds.</strong></p><p><strong>I heard myself say, "Don't touch that plate!" to the ghost standing next to mine,</strong></p><p><strong>Guess some habits are just too strong to break, frozen in that precious time.</strong></p><p><strong>We used to laugh till our sides ached, watching the old black-and-white show,</strong></p><p><strong>Now the screen is bright, the house is warm, but the light inside is low.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Chorus)</strong></p><p><strong>There’s an empty chair at the table, but the memory’s standing tall,</strong></p><p><strong>It's the love that’s missing, not the tinsel, that shines the brightest of all.</strong></p><p><strong>No one to tell the old stories, or light the angel on the tree,</strong></p><p><strong>But I know you're watching from the stars, still keeping watch on me.</strong></p><p><strong>Yeah, Mom and Dad, this Christmas hurts, but I won't let the spirit die,</strong></p><p><strong>I'll lift a glass to the heaven where you rest, with an empty chair and a full heart's cry.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Bridge)</strong></p><p><strong>I bought a pair of crimson candles, and put them in the window view,</strong></p><p><strong>One for the laughter, one for the love, and one for remembering you.</strong></p><p><strong>'Cause every year the season rolls around, the calendar flips to December,</strong></p><p><strong>And the best darn Christmases I ever had, are the ones I still remember.</strong></p><p><strong>I'm grateful for every single holiday we spent right by your side.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Verse 3)</strong></p><p><strong>I watch my own little girl now, trying to hang the star up high,</strong></p><p><strong>She reaches for the top branch, just like I did, beneath your watchful eye.</strong></p><p><strong>I tell her the story of Dad's tangled lights, and how he’d fuss and groan,</strong></p><p><strong>And how you, Mom, would sing so soft, until the perfect moment shone.</strong></p><p><strong>I see a flicker of you both in her eyes, as she sets the old train track free,</strong></p><p><strong>And I realize that nothing’s truly missing, as long as the memory lives in me.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Chorus)</strong></p><p><strong>There’s an empty chair at the table, but the memory’s standing tall,</strong></p><p><strong>It's the love that’s missing, not the tinsel, that shines the brightest of all.</strong></p><p><strong>No one to tell the old stories, or light the angel on the tree,</strong></p><p><strong>But I know you're watching from the stars, still keeping watch on me.</strong></p><p><strong>Yeah, Mom and Dad, this Christmas hurts, but I won't let the spirit die,</strong></p><p><strong>I'll lift a glass to the heaven where you rest, with an empty chair and a full heart's cry.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><strong>(Outro)</strong></p><p><strong>So the lights go on, the carols play, I'll keep your traditions strong,</strong></p><p><strong>Even though the people who taught them to me, are singing a different song.</strong></p><p><strong>Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad, from down here on the ground,</strong></p><p><strong>Until we meet again, I’ll spread the love you left all around.</strong></p><p><strong>This song aims to capture the simultaneous pain of loss and the gratitude for the love they left behind. Would you like to explore who might sing this song, or perhaps have me write a different kind of Christmas song?</strong></p>