A CELEBRATION OF FEATHERS AND FELLOWSHIP CHRISTMAS IS FOR THE BIRDS IS CHRISTMAS FOR THE SOUL
Christmas Is for the Birds stands as one of the most whimsical and heartfelt entries in the holiday repertoire of Conway Twitty, emerging from the festive narrative landscape of his 1983 Christmas project Merry Twismas. Though not released as a chart single in the traditional sense that would place it on the Billboard charts, the song occupies a unique place in Twitty’s catalog as part of an album that endeared itself to listeners for its imaginative approach to Christmas storytelling. The original album was issued by Warner Bros. Records and presented Twitty not simply as a country music titan but as a bard of Christmas joy and wonder. In later years the work would be reissued in live formats, such as A Twismas Story (Live), testifying to its ongoing appeal across generations of holiday listeners.
“Christmas Is for the Birds” unfolds within the larger context of Merry Twismas, an album that blends traditional carols and narrative interludes into a single adventurous arc. Rather than offering a conventional Christmas song, Twitty crafted a piece that feels like a vignette from a winter fairytale. Within its lyricism lies a playful yet profound meditation on inclusion, belonging, and the often overlooked magic found in the natural world. The title itself gestures toward a kind of gentle subversion of expectation: Christmas is not only for people and presents, but for all creatures great and small, especially those who sing without regard for applause.
Lyrically the song celebrates birds of every feather—city sparrows and country robins, stately eagles and humble canaries—with a sincerity that transcends its ostensibly lighthearted surface. The narrative voice of the song recounts an encounter with Santa Claus who, with characteristic jollity, reminds the listener that the season’s spirit extends beyond the hearth and hearthside conversations. In that moment, Twitty’s warm, resonant baritone becomes a vessel for something larger than sentiment: an affirmation that Christmas, in its truest sense, is a festival of care and recognition for every being whose song lifts the human heart.
Musically, “Christmas Is for the Birds” aligns with the broader sonic palette of Merry Twismas, which fuses country warmth with the textures of classic holiday orchestration. The arrangement emphasizes acoustic warmth and melody, employing instrumentation that evokes both the cozy intimacy of a fireside gathering and the expansive wonder of a snow-dusted forest glade. It is this duality—earthy yet ethereal—that gives the song its enduring charm. The seasonal context allows Twitty to explore themes of gratitude, community, and the quiet joy found in simple truths, all wrapped in a narrative that feels personal and universal at once.
The legacy of “Christmas Is for the Birds” rests not in commercial metrics but in the affection with which it has been received by those who revisit Merry Twismas each holiday season. For many listeners, the track evokes memories of shared moments, of listening with family or friends, and of rediscovering the familiar comfort of Twitty’s voice year after year. Within the canon of Christmas music, the song stands as a testament to the capacity of holiday art to surprise us with depth beneath delight, reminding us that even the smallest singers have a place in the season’s grand chorus.
In the tapestry of Twitty’s long and varied career, “Christmas Is for the Birds” may appear as a curious outlier, yet it embodies the generosity of spirit that underpinned his work across genres. It invites us to consider Christmas not as an event bound by dates and decorations but as a state of openness to the world’s wonders, especially those we might otherwise overlook. It is a message that, much like the birds it celebrates, lifts us higher with its simple grace.