George Harrison Received a ‘Depressing’ Christmas Present That Made Him Dread His Future

Long before fame, George Harrison received a Christmas present that made him fear his future. Though he wanted to pursue music, his father made it clear that he should look for a more stable job. Harrison found this upsetting because he didn’t think he would be able to follow through on his dad’s dreams for him.

George Harrison received a Christmas present from his father that depressed him

After Harrison left school, he struggled to find a job. His friends returned to school as he tried, unsuccessfully, to get his music career off the ground. 

“I used to borrow money from my dad,” Harrison said in The Beatles Anthology. “I didn’t want a job — I wanted to be in a band. But it got a bit embarrassing when my father kept saying, ‘Don’t you think you’d better get a job?’”

Harrison’s father made it clear what type of job he wanted his son to have through a Christmas present. Harrison did not appreciate the gift.

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“My dad never had a trade, but he had the idea that all his three sons would have different trades,” he said. “My eldest brother was a mechanic, my second brother did panel beating and welding. So Dad thought, ‘George can be an electrician, and then we can have our own garage.’ For Christmas, Dad bought me a little kit that opened up and inside were screwdrivers and tools, and I thought, ‘Oh God, he really does want me to be an electrician.’ That was depressing, because I had no chance of being one.”

The Beatle’s father still helped his music career

Harrison ultimately got a job as an apprentice electrician, much to his father’s delight. Though he wanted his son to follow a more traditional career path, he still helped him with his music.

“My father had something to do with the Liverpool Transport Club in Finch Lane and he got The Quarry Men a gig there once, on a Saturday night,” Harrison said. “It was a dance hall with a stage and tables and people dancing and drinking. My dad was pleased and proud that he’d got us to appear there. We had to play two sets.”

Ultimately, though, Harrison’s father came to regret his decision to help the band. In between sets, Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney got drunk and were “totally out of it” when they took the stage again. Harrison said his father was “very pissed off” that they had embarrassed him in this way.

Did George Harrison write any Christmas songs?

While in The Beatles, Harrison recorded several Christmas records for members of the band’s fan club. It was clear that his heart was no longer in it by the time the band released their final holiday record — Harrison’s contribution was only six seconds long.

After The Beatles broke up, Harrison released the holiday song “Ding Dong, Ding Dong” in 1974. In it, he sings about New Year’s and encourages the listener to “Ring out the false/ Ring in the true/ Ring out the old/ Ring in the new.”