Happy Holidays! Time to bring out the Christmas albums! No way, you say? Some people can’t stand holiday music. Spoiler alert: I’m not one of them.
Don’t hate me, but I really like Christmas music. I’ve even made a couple of Christmas albums myself (though they were pretty primitive, recorded on cassette before I had better equipment, so don’t ask for one). I’m more into the religious songs, even though I’m not religious, and less into the cheesy stuff like Jingle Bells. Some of my favorites are O Come, O Come Emmanuel, which my friends once joked would make a good name for a porno movie—it has this majestic, exotic vibe. Carol of the Bells is another great one. I used to play in the bell choir at church, and we performed it beautifully every Christmas Eve. Then there’s Oh Holy Night—an all-time favorite. The last time I went to church, it was on Christmas Eve years ago, and an old classmate of mine sang it. She was kind of nerdy and overlooked back in school, but that night, she absolutely nailed it. It was so powerful it brought tears to my eyes. I told her afterward, and I think it might’ve made her year.
The holidays can be a melancholy time for me, though. Maybe it’s because I miss my parents and family. I moved out west when I was 21, leaving them behind, and sometimes that distance really hits. There’s something about leaning into that melancholy mood that can be comforting, though. I’d highly recommend the Windham Hill Winter Solstice series. The music is beautiful, and the recordings are excellent—perfect for sipping some Drambuie on a quiet evening. Another favorite is A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. It’s not melancholy but has this cool, nostalgic vibe. On the other hand, I also love Rat Pack Christmas and James Brown Funky Christmas—both fun in their own way. Those two are also Leslie’s favorites.
I get why people dislike holiday music, especially when it’s force-fed to you everywhere you go. Nobody wants to hear music they didn’t choose, especially if it’s not their thing. And yes, the holidays have become insanely commercialized—decorations seem to come out right after Halloween these days—but that’s just the way things are now. It might be good for business, but it definitely takes away from the original intent.
I was lucky to have a decent childhood, so I really enjoyed the holidays growing up. I think people who dislike holiday music probably have their reasons—maybe bad experiences when they were younger or hard times later in life. It’s totally fair not to enjoy it; you don’t have to like everything. But for me, holiday music is something I cherish. That said, if I can make it through the season without hearing Bruce Springsteen’s Santa Claus is Coming to Town, it’ll be a good year!