Christmas time is here

Over the years I have realized that one almost needs to separate Christmas-Advent from x-mas, the winter holiday. I like almost everything about the religious festival, but have issues about the public holiday. But once you are able to separate the two and not feel like Santa has hijacked Christ, then it is easier to enjoy the whole thing. It is still a time that brings people together and encourages people to be nicer to each other. I still has lights twinkling and cold biting and hot beverages...

But then there is Christmas music. I'm sorry, but I hate most christmas music. Why? For the same reasons that I dislike most Pop music. It is made up of cheap, repetitive tunes that are meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Even the songs that were once decent have been played to death on the radio by top 40 artists. Not only do musicians use this season to do their usual amount of artistic rape, but they even do it to beloved carols that are meant to promote religious themes. When I hear some moron singing "oh come ye merry gentlemen" it makes me want to puke. Does Josh Groban really know what it means when he sings "to save us all from Satan's power when we had gone astray? O tidings of comfort and joy...." I dont think he does.

But... still. There are some christmas songs that I like. I enjoy most traditional renditions of Advent Carols, especially those done by choirs. And I am learning to separate songs about the Christmas season from Carols and appreciate them in their own way, either for their kitchness or their nostalgia. I can especially appreciate them if they are original songs or original covers. So... with this in mind, here is, in listening order...

Ryan's Christmas Mix 2008:

1) It starts off rockin' to the sound of The Kinks, "Father Christmas"

2) Then we go to the Beatles' "All you need is Love," a song that isn't officially christmas themed, but it has to do with love and the strings are playing Greensleeves at the end.

3) Ron Sexsmith, plays a "Maybe this Christmas" rendition that is almost as good as his last name.

4) Continuing with the same sweet vibe as before, we move on to "All that I want" by the Weepies.

5) Missing someone during christmas seems like a common theme, as Coldplay plays "2000 Miles" by the Pretenders.

6) Who would thought that the same group that wrote "Zero" or "If there is a God" would write a Christmas song, but Smashing Pumpkins' "Merry Christmas" is actually quite pretty.

7) Next up: "The Christmas Song" by the Raveonettes. A song good enough to make me want to find other stuff by this nordic group.

8) Sufjan Stevens is famous for his christmas songs and deserves to be on this list if not by the large amount of songs to choose from. "That was the worst Christmas Ever" is a very beautiful piece.

9) Continuing with stories about bad holidays, Tom Waits gives a gravely and tender "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis"

10) I have no idea who Tom McRae is, but I like "Wonderful Christmas"

11) Pedro the Lion tends to sing incredibly heartbreaking christmas songs, but I found a second rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" that I really like.

12) Ending on a religious note, we go with Sufjan Stevens hauntingly beautiful "Holy, Holy, Holy." The old hymn never sounded so earnest and reverent as it does with his soaring harmonies.

(My favorites from that mix are 4, 5, 7, 8, 12)

Many of these songs can be legally downloaded from THIS WEBSITE's "12 plays of christmas songs". I linked the first one, the other 11 are linked on the page. Happy hunting and Merry Christmas.