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.

From weddings to workout classes, Proud Mary keeps showing up — and so do we. In this joyful, memory-soaked reflection, I’m thinking about life lessons that live in dance floors, disco lights, and one unstoppable woman named Betty.