From awkward gifts and impossible-to-shop-for friends to a heartfelt text about a simple cup of tea, this is an essay on the unexpected ways we show up in someone’s life — and how being remembered might be the best gift of all.

In this essay, I write about the magic and melancholy of Christmas music — from classic carols to Broadway ballads — and why one song in particular has come to mean more to me with each passing year.