Kristen Bell Sang 2020's Version Of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"

In a recent virtual interview with Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Bell sang a classic Christmas song with songwriter Bob Mervak, but they gave it a much-need update for the chaos that is 2020. The pair took a modern crack at "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with some fresh new lyrics that perfectly capture the nightmare that has been this year. I don't know whether to laugh or cry or both. So yes, that is definitely 2020.

Bell recently sat down for a chat on The Tonight Show where she and Fallon discussed their shared love of holiday music. The mom of two took the opportunity to announce that she had asked one of her best friends from high school, songwriter Bob Mervak, to come up with a new version of an old Christmas classic. A song she considered, "extraordinary," as she explained to Fallon. Mervak rewrote the lyrics to "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," which was originally written in 1944 by Ralph Blane and sung by Judy Garland for the movie Meet Me In St. Louis.

Mervak explained that Bell had reached out to him because "she didn't really feel there was a song that encapsulated the delightful year that 2020 has been. And so she asked if I could take a crack at rewriting the lyrics to this holiday classic."

The two performed the new version of the song, which is beautiful, funny, and also somehow strangely moving.

A smattering of the 2020 lyrics for "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" include lines like, "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, next year's on its way. Homeboy's got a vaccination on his sleigh," and "let the s**t show go, take a beat and think about the things you know. Close your eyes and let out a sigh, 2020 is almost gone."

The song continues to acknowledge how difficult this holiday season will be for people who can't get together due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and social distancing recommendations. Families are either having to forego beloved holiday traditions or drastically change them to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

So yeah, people are definitely breathing a sigh of relief when they say goodbye to 2020.

Bell's new version of her song ended on an emotional note, with her singing "Though this year will be socially distant, we'll get through it all. Flash a mask and smile behind a sneeze guard wall. And have yourself a Merry little Christmas now."

This is clearly the holiday song we needed for Christmas 2020. Part funny, part emotional, and beautifully sung by Kristen Bell, who clearly can do absolutely everything.