Tim McGraw Records Holiday Cover of Merle Haggard’s ‘If We Make It Through December’ [Watch]
Tim McGraw is ushering in the holiday season with a timely cover of a classic Merle Haggard song, "If We Make It Through December."
"Little Holiday song to get us in the spirit. Here’s one of my favorites… 'If we make it through December,'" McGraw writes in sharing the video.
He's seated with a guitar player and fiddle player, and the three dive into the acoustic cover. Dressed in a sweater, jeans and cowboy hat, McGraw effortless sings the entire tune, which is about a family facing economic struggles during the holiday season. The song is from the perspective of the father figure in the family, as he details being laid off and not being able to afford a Christmas tree.
The song does offer a smidge of hope, however, as McGraw sings that if he can only "make it through December," he'll be in a better situation.
Once he finishes the song, he remarks: "Don't mean to make you sad at Christmas."
The post's comments are full of praise for the performance from fans and fellow artists. The account for the late Haggard also posted it on their page with the comment, "So great!"
Haggard released "If We Make It Through December" in October 1973 as the lead single from his Christmas album, Merle Haggard's Christmas Present. The song became a hit for the legend, reaching to top of the Billboard Country chart in December 1973 and spending four weeks there.
It also peaked within the Top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it landed at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles 1974 year-end chart. In February 1974, he included the song on a studio album of the same name. The song has since been covered by many artists, including Alan Jackson, Marty Robbins, Faron Young and more.