Ahem, I have an announcement

[itsallovernow]

I've made the executive decision that I do indeed have a cold. Fuck it, I say, as I sit here in my office dressed like an extra from Almost Famous, Penny Lane's stand in with a calf length suede coat with fake fur trim that I stole from C. even though it's cheap pigskin and smells funny, but I've got a cold so I can't actually smell it.

They're playing Christmas music in the other room, and god, there's gonna be 25 days of this. Awful flashbacks to working at Bloomingdales, selling handbags next to the giant TV sculpture that played the CK1 ad on repeat and pumped in XMas music starting in mid-November. It's filling me with holiday wrath, and I want to make a real Christmas CD, starting with The River, because it's one of the best winter songs ever, and maybe that song about the guy who took his girlfriend to get an abortion over Christmas, or at least I think that's what it was about and if it's not, well, dude, it sure sounded like it, and Fairytale of New York, because you have to love a song that starts out, "It was Christmas Eve, in the drunk tank..."

I love I'll Be Home for Christmas. Sung right, it makes me cry, and The Christmas Song, but I'm gonna break the Manheim Steamroller albums. They're not an improvement over the traditionals.

So what else would go on the Fuck Christmas album. Sorry, I'm really not bitter. I love the holiday season, I like the kindness, the snow and the trappings of gold and color and warmth. I love seeing my family, now that my parents no longer feel the need to Excel my time into nanoseconds of mine and yours. But I'm allergic to pine, which is a drawback, and we never have gotten a fake tree, and there's never enough wassail and I hate the crass commercialism even though I love buying and receiving presents. It's a whole holiday of dichotomy, coupled with my not so into the whole Jesus thing, which is relatively important, though I do love going to the midnight service, singing hymns and lighting candles, but I don't want a sermon in a town full of people who use their God to justify bigotry and small mindedness, even if the people at the service tend to be more just regular folks, fond of their faith and the beautiful music.

I love the cooking and the baking, and the sniping and the Asti Spumante and the snark. We're a family that's big on snark.

So, perhaps maybe just Winter is a better title, in the spirit of celebration. It's solstice time too, isn't it?

Other Winter/Holiday songs that aren't spork to eyeworthy?

Comments

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

and maybe that song about the guy who took his girlfriend to get an abortion over Christmas, or at least I think that's what it was about and if it's not, well, dude, it sure sounded like it

"Brick," by Ben Folds Five? Yeah, you were right.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Yes! Not crazy:) And thanks.

[fourteenlines.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was gonna say, "Oh, you mean Brick." But someone beat me to it. *g*

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Sadly, unless it's a song that I know very, very well, I still tend to think of them with the titles I've assigned them, as opposed to what they're actually called:)

[electricland.livejournal.com]

oooh! ooh! when you make that album, can I get a copy?

Have to nominate that Pretenders song, but if you hate it I understand.

Loreena McKennitt did a Christmas EP many years ago that was really quite nice. I lost my copy somewhere. Lots of solsticy/wintry stuff. Ah, here it is.

... hang on, she did two!

I will think on this. My CDs are still all boxed up, unfortunately.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Nope, the Pretenders definitely go in the mix:)

And I'm looking forward to seeing what else you come up with.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

lilactime mentioned "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses...?

Never heard of 'em myself, but perhaps it rings a bell?

[electricland.livejournal.com]

Straying very far afield indeed, of course Tori Amos had a song called "Winter" on "Little Earthquakes".

Although I'm not sure it really qualifies for even a Fuck Christmas album. Good song though.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

It is a good song, and since I'm leaning more towards the Winter theme as opposed to the Fuck Christmas theme, more appropriate as well:)

[raithen.livejournal.com]

ooh, I should burn a copy of Quartette's Christmas album. Thea, it does have trad'l stuff. But it's Quartette. Sylvia Tyson, Cindy Church, Colleen Peterson (before she died) and Caitlin Hanford. It's really quite lovely.

And ELL, you have prolly heard, and Thea, you would like, the Canadian 12 days of Christmas:
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me ... a beer /On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle necks and a beer spoken voice: there needs to be more here in a tree.... etc. etc ;)

[raithen.livejournal.com]

Quartette's Christmas Album: It's Christmas

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the head's up!

[raithen.livejournal.com]

OK, sorry with the spammish posting, but I wanted to add that the O Come O Come Emmanuel on this CD sends shivers up my spine everytime I hear it.

And "This Year My Christmas Wish is MExico" resonates for some reason....

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Canadia 12 days of Christmas sounds hysterical. I want, I want!

[raithen.livejournal.com]

Lyrics are here -but turn your volume OFF as they play a terrible electric, no-lyrics, canned version of the song.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Okay, that's hysterical!!

[raithen.livejournal.com]

it's even funnier to hear them perform it, because they really can't sing, but get the tone down perfectly :D.

It's awesome.

[electricland.livejournal.com]

And while I was looking for the decent version I found once upon a time, I found... Bad Christmas Songs!

Re: It's awesome.

[raithen.livejournal.com]

and the most amusing part of that list? The person who asks, in re: Bob and Doug's song, "What the hell's a toque?" ROTFLMAO!

[elishavah.livejournal.com]

The only holiday song that doesn't make me cry tears of pain that I can think of off the top of my head is that "One More Sleep 'Til Christmas" one from the "Muppet Christmas Tale." Kermit makes all things better.

::hugs:: Pamper yourself some tonight, sweetie. Blankets and tea.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Oh, dude, Kermit is definitely going into the mix:)

And thanks honey:)

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

i vote for kermit too. which makes me think...you know how they have famous singers doing christmas song duets? why isn't there a kermit/rygel christmas album yet? *veg*

something of a tangent here....i love getting the christmas stilton, and the marzapan. and although they aren't songs...i can't imagine this time of year without them. and i'm drawing a complete winter song blank...all that comes to mind is obscure grateful dead stuff. heh. *g*

ps. feel better soon.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Thanks honey:)

And yeah, there are Christmasy things - like Trader Joe's Glugg, that are just such a fun and weird part of the holidays that I can't imagine this time of year without them.

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

when i was a kid we used to make eggnog from scratch...i don't think i'd dare now though. but we always have yorkshire pudding every year still.

[casapazzo.livejournal.com]

::cruising by off F2::

James Galway has a great Christmas album (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000003FAC/qid=1102027102/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-5735456-4844822?v=glance&s=classical) that's very unsporky - being a)instrumental and b)mostly songs you don't usually hear, including some older English and French carols. So it nicely fits the "winter-sounding" bill without being saccharinely Christmas-y.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that sounds lovely. In addition to the synthtastic Manheim Steamroller, my mom has some lovely Celtic Christmas music, including the James Galway. It really is lovely. She actually has a very non gagworthy collection, but the radio station we're listening to at work, unfortunately, does not have the same selection:)

ooh

[raithen.livejournal.com]

I almost forgot: "Grama Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

Re: ooh

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Oh dude, my cousin got that tape one holiday season and he and my grandfather played it until the spools fell off.

[suenix.livejournal.com]

You might want to include "Father Christmas"
by the Kinks. It says a few things about
the commercialism of Christmas.

Suenix

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Ohhh! Yes, yes. Good suggestion.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Almost more about poverty than commercialism, but, yeah, definitely a kick-ass Christmas song.

[scorpy808.livejournal.com]

Colds suck. I actually know how to get rid of them, but you kinda have to catch it right as it's kickin' in, before it grabs hold of you :( Hope you feel better soon!

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Thanks hon. Hope you're feeling better as well.

[barkley.livejournal.com]

I love "Song for a Winter's Night." I prefer the Sarah McLachlan version, but I also have the Gordon Lightfoot one.
"Winter Lady" - Leonard Cohen - ok, so there's probably more winter imagery in Counting Crows "A Long December" but I like both of them anyhow and one mention of winter or December gets you on the list. *g*

John Prine's "Christmas in Prison" not so much for its stellar qualities, but for its Christmas in Prison qualities.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Yes, oh huge smacking kisses to you because yes to all of those. Winter and dark Christmas tidings and yeah:)