Nicole Asensio's touching Christmas single is the tune we need in these uncertain times

To say that Christmas this year won't be the same would be an understatement.

With socializing still a no-no because of COVID-19, many of us will be celebrating the festive season far from our loved ones and friends. Compounding that feeling of loneliness are the stress and anxiety brought by months of uncertainty because of the pandemic.

This is the mood that shaped the creation of the song "See You This Christmas" by Nicole Laurel Asensio.

"See You This Christmas" encapsulates our collective feelings as we celebrate the holiday season with a sense of doubt and confusion.

“Some who had never touched a wooden spoon before have now become masters of the oven. Some have noticed that office hours have multiplied as work extended far past cubicle confines. Blazers paired with boxers have become a fashion statement. Some slept and slept and slept cashing in on years of sleepless nights from once working tirelessly,” said Nicole.

“Some, a brave few, our front-liners have stayed on, fighting for us. After all, it was like we were in a backwards war, where the enemy was invisible and constantly around us and the only way to care for those we loved was to keep our distance and wear masks that hid our smiles from them.”

Nicole, like all of us, felt the toll of the situation as days of uncertainty dragged into weeks then months.

She began wondering about the people “who have gone all these long months without holding the ones they loved” or those “who bid a loved one farewell through an I-pad”, and “those who lost everything they once owned and were left with how's and why's.”

The General Luna vocalist found herself humming a tune one day “while thinking of people and opportunities I missed dearly.”

That initial melody would pave the way for "See You This Christmas."

The song was completed with help from musicians Lawrence Nolan (drums), Simon Tan (bass), Nikko Rivera (keys), Michael Guevarra (flute), and Lester Sorilla (trumpet).

Providing additional music and arrangement to the song were ex-Bamboo guitarist Ira Cruz, Nikko Rivera, and esteemed sound engineer Angee Rozul doing the mixing.

The mastering of the song was handled by Alex Wharton at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London.

The song's music video, meanwhile, was directed by Gorio Vicuna.

In the end, the song gave Nicole a sense of comfort and optimism. There is still so much to be grateful for despite the weird circumstances that we're all in.

And this is the message that Nicole hopes the listeners will realize after hearing the song.

“We're all a little broken, but strangely enough, we're all a little stronger and hopefully, smart,er too,” she pondered.

“We're less about the decor and wrappers and more about the stuff inside, everything we've learned this year. After all, one way or another we have all survived something this year, we have all changed somehow, whether we choose to admit it or not.”

She continued, “Moving forward into 2021, one day we might celebrate with all the fanfare again. Life might slip back into the comforts we once knew, life as we knew it.

“But I hope we remember that we didn't really need all of that glaze to draw meaning from a Covid-time Christmas, and that Christmas has not lost its meaning, but probably means more now.”

"See You This Christmas" will be available on Spotify starting this Friday, December 4.