I find there are few things that cause more turmoil among friends than holiday music. Those of us who like it, LOVE IT, and those who don’t, DO NOT love it, like a HOUSE ON FIRE. If you want to find out who your friends and enemies are, don’t bother discussing the recent election. Put on a little Perry Como Christmas and see who sighs and flits about, and who smashes a bottle on their boot and heads for your jugular.
Even for those of us who can handle holiday tunes, there are factions. Some of us are very picky about what is canon and what is considered reaching. Some of us really prefer Dr. Demento’s holiday tastes, and others can only handle music written in the 12th century.
Some of us believe that you can know all about a person based on their preference for the Bing Crosby or Judy Garland version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I know this to be true. I’m a Judy.
I have waaaay to many favorites, so I’ve been putting together a playlist for the last several years. Thank god for Spotify, where I can gather most of them and now, share them with you. I’m not going to editorialize it any more, other than to say it’s bipolar because DUH, and everyone who listens to this needs to listen to the MF Donny Hathaway version of He Ain’t Heavy (He’s my Brother). THANKS. Happy Everything. Apologies to A Christmas Story for borrowing a rather lazy trope, but I think it’s funny.