Christmas is a time for holiday cheer, eating, and finding interesting things in our stockings. Some of it is candy and a few extra coins, and for others…a lumpy piece of coal. Each country has their own quirks and wishes they want for the new year, so why not gift them a little something special for Christmas?
- No change in the host (people) selection formula – the hosts these past few years have been the perfect balance of talented, humble, relatable, and fun (and that was *real* tough to pull off in 2024)! Eurovision producers have struggled getting a lot of things right lately, but this? This can stay (and slay)!
- Playing with stereotypes of Switzerland; sure, we can have our chocolate and watches and the like, but what is something more about Switzerland we don’t know about?
- Australia: A pet jaguar, to encourage them to pick Jaguar Jonze to represent them in 2025. After ending Australia Decides, SBS internally selected contestants who became fan favorites on the show, such as Voyager and Electric Fields. Jaguar herself has sent immersive songs in and out of her two participations, so why not have her show off her mix of pop and rock?
- Belgium: A Pinterest board filled with aesthetic ideas for staging. Or a book of How to Create Live Performances for Dummies, so we don’t get a Chérine situation in this year’s Eurosong…or a Mustii situation on the Eurovision stage this year.
- Denmark: Some liquid courage, in order to provide more diverse entries in their milquetoast national final. Halfway to the Netherlands’ infamous NQ streak (2005-2012), they need quite a bit of it! Or a sandcastle in a glass case, to remind them of their failing fortunes.
- Estonia: Green Lays, for the hopes of further eccentricity in Estonia. Also a little snack that was lost on the way to Sweden this year.
- Georgia and Latvia: Lucky charms from around the world, so to continue their qualification streaks after they finally snapped their six years of staying in the semi-finals. Let’s see both countries show off their music scenes and succeed in converting the European public!
- Germany: An anchor to keep them in steady waters for 2025. Always on the run from one national final format to another, they have returned to Stefan Raab’s orbit after some time in the wilderness. Will he make consistent progress like he did in the past? And how about Germany sending a song with German lyrics for the first time since 2007!
- Greece: A functional national final! Considering their last attempt ended in flames and 2017 was a one-artist only affair with Demy, a strong NF would bring more attention to Greece and further accelerate its Eurovision renaissance. Plus, some polyhedral dice for the next great adventure!
- Portugal: A televote score in the final above 36 points. Since Salvador’s record-breaking win in 2017, no Portuguese entry has scored more than 36 televote points in the final. And that needs to change, especially with how their entries have been recently.
- Sweden: A playlist for unorthodox genres, along with phone numbers for outside songwriters. While Sweden has continued their reputation for Eurovision success, their excellent entries have started to become monotone. The best way to survive is to adapt, and that means seeking out their Melodifestivalen entries from different places.
- For the wrestling fans in the crowd – and yes, I know there is some crossover among Eurovision fans, even if a small contingent – Joe Hendry.