I was feeling like I hadn't discovered any new songs this year but...

I was wrong- I found a lot of stuff! Pardon the super stupid links. Some are decent but most are either abbreviated or are incorporated into very strange, inexplicably unrelated videos.

Jingle Bells/Sleigh Ride – Roy Rogers & Dale Evans

La Virgin Lava Panales – Placido Domingo

Or Nous Dites, Marie – Chris Norman

Burgundian Carol – Joan Baez

Do you hear what I hear – Mahalia Jackson

White Christmas – Otis Redding

The Christmas Song – Mel Torme

The Gifts they Gave – Johnny Cash

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day – Pedro the Lion

Christmas – Leona Naess

Merry Christmas – Judy Garland

Mary, What You Going To Name That Pretty Baby? – Mike, Peggy and Penny Seeger

The Merriest – June Christy

Wintersong – Sarah McLachlan

The Rebel Jesus – The Chieftains

Christmas Bells – Perry Como

Silent Night – The Everly Brothers

Its Christmastime Again – Peggy Lee

Someday at Christmas – Stevie Wonder

Winter Weather – Fats Waller

Mary Had a Baby – Paul Robeson

Little Jack Frost Get Lost – Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee

Christmas Dreaming – Frank Sinatra

All I want for Christmas is You – Carla Thomas

Happy New Year – Nat King Cole

A Change at Christmas– The Flaming Lips

O Christmas Candle – Doyle Lawson

Maybe this Christmas – Ron Sexsmith

The Friendly Beasts – Johnson Mountain Boys

Santa Will Find You – Mindy Smith

I fully endorse this playlist:

From indiemuse.com last year; a really good selection!

Belle and Sebastian – Christmas Time is Here

Rogue Wave – Christmas

Blitzen Trapper – Christmas is Coming Soon

Daniel Johnston – Rock Around the Christmas Tree

Sufjan Stevens – We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Rilo Kiley – Xmas Cake

Deerhoof – Little Drummer Boy

The Flaming Lips – A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So)

The Walkmen – The Christmas Party

The Kinks – Father Christmas

MP3: My Morning Jacket – Xmas Curtain

MP3: Low – Just Like Christmas

The Flaming Lips' White Christmas

The darkest midnight

December has flown by; I feel like Thanksgiving was last week. Yesterday, we had early christmas with the grandparents, siblings, s.o.'s, a cousin, and a mom. It was very jolly and silly and a pleasant time was definitely had by all. It was a much needed experience as I feel like I haven’t gotten around to as many xmas elf activities this year as I would like but I figure it's ok to cut myself a little slack since 2009 has easily been the WORST YEAR EVER.

I would like to at least complete my xmas music mix so we'll see if that can be accomplished!

On that note, I will share a seasonal occurrence and the related thoughts it inspired:

Today I received a card from a coworker that was so outrageously religious it made me uncomfortable and strangely offended, which was a little exciting and new to me. This kind of behavior I’ll tolerate from family but for some reason, from strangers it seems even more offensive. I have made it a point to be tolerant and respectful of others' religious choices but, as an atheist, I know that few of my friends of christian faith particularly tolerate or respect that choice – technically my choice, and any choice that differs from following jesus, really upsets the prime christian directive.

It was interesting to feel actually offended by a piece of christian propaganda and it made me think: I think it's nearly unconscionably rude to force your faith on someone else, or presume that the person to whom you're speaking shares those same views (clearly I'm not a missionary (colonialism) fan). Since I have let go of faith, I have worked very hard to not assume or judge people based on faith and what irritates me about this is that my choice to tolerate and keep my opinions to myself (to possibly be shared loudly and with mild derision in the privacy of my own home with other like-minded individuals, but never mind that) is completely non-reciprocated.

My choice to live a faith-free life, to work consciously to free myself from the constraints of hope and fear, and to decorate uproariously at christmas as a nod to my christian, pagan, and mid-century american roots, has not ever been a belief that I feel I could or should brandish at friends and strangers of all faiths on a card. I'm not sure where this leaves me on the scale of offense so I'll just conclude with something like: boo to you, humans and culture!

Lastly! Pandora gripes: PANDORA! I DO NOT LIKE HAWAIIAN CHRISTMAS MUSIC and even though I love christmas music, I am not christian! So, that means the do-not-play list is as follows: no hawaiian xmas music, contemporary-christian carols, or hanukkah songs. How's that for a demonstrated exercise in tolerance!

Even More Obsessive Xmessing.

 

Did you want to see my xmess?

Xmas 2009

The majority

of americans do not share my feelings on christmas carols: Check out this Culture Monster article. Really? O Holy Night? It would be interesting to hear it in french, though.

Also, Pandora, stop playing Hanukkah songs for me. I feel anti-Semitic every time I thumb them down.

Stocking up

I collect very specific, very kitschy christmas accoutrements. My favorite items by era include pretty much anything ancient up to mid-century, sometimes stretching into early seventies but with the majority of my collection grounded in the 40s - 60s.

This weekend, I went thrifting with my brother and brother in law-ish and, although they did not buy a thing, I found a ton of nonsense (a skill that is both blessing and curse). My xmas discoveries included a 16 inch white tinsel tree, a strange creche candle featuring an infant jesus, a glass Incredible Hulk ornament, and an amazing stackable christmas tree lighter and individual ashtrays. Although I am not a smoker, it was too cool to not have. In future posts, I'll include pictures of new finds.

Xmas thrifting is one of my favorite things that I engage in covertly throughout the year but can, in this season, fully and openly indulge. My favorite finds are ornaments (preferably glass shiney brites); tinsel trees (in all sizes); xmas handkerchiefs; linens; vintage figure candles(those featured below, I do not currently own but would like to!);

odd/silly mugs/glasses/plates/dishes; strange plastic creations (holly balls, plastic fir branches, pinecones, bells, etc.); any handmade felt-based item; ceramic trees (the one below is mine!);

And of course, the grail of all xmas vintage grails: 1940s japanese cardboard houses. In my collection I have about five that my grandmother was kind enough to give me but aquiring any others by accident at a thriftstore is pretty much unheard of. These little houses define the look of christmas to me and have deeply influenced the way I need christmas in my house to look - the village was always set on my grandmother's mantle and now I get to feature it in my own home. Unwrapping all my treasures and decorating the house in a magical, nonsensical way is truly more fun to me than unwrapping a christmas present. 

kicking it off

 I am a committed celebrator but, as I do with most aspects of my life, I must personalize. Therefore, I  began being crazy two full months before the holiday season. And by being crazy, I mean I'm auditing my christmas music stations on pandora so they're fully prepped for the season. I am actually deriving very little pleasure from this work- it really just feels analytical. Its just preparation. So, in this spirit of pre-holiday research, I share my list of vaguely holidayish, definitely seasonal songs that I have run across over the past year. These songs are all good and all by good artists. Enjoy!

Winter Songs:
Ruth: 87 Sundays
Claudine Longet: Snow
Nat King Cole: I wish you love
Mazzy Star: Flowers in December
Michael Cashmore: The Snow Abides
Animal Collective: Winter's Love
Mi & L'au: Christmas Soul
Bonnie Prince Billy: The Way
Zee Avi: No Christmas For Me
Peter Paul and Mary: Christmas Dinner
Chet Baker: Grey December
Bob Dylan: Girl of the North Country
Gordon Lightfoot: Song for a Winter's Night
Rolling Stones: Winter
The Dodos: Winter
Nico: Frozen Warnings
Simon and Garfunkel: Hazy Shade of Winter
Tori Amos: Winter
Elvis Presley: Snowbird
Leonard Cohen: Winter Lady
Buffy St. Marie: Winter Boy
Elliott Smith: Angel in the Snow
Nick Drake: Milk and Honey
Paul Simon; I am a Rock
Murder City Devils: 364 Days