First, a confession that may well alienate anyone reading this: I am a bit of a grinch when it comes to Christmas music. I’m not talking about nativity-themed choral stuff, I love traditional carols to bits. What bugs me is the music they play at work all day long (Ahh, retail…): it’s music someone decided was Christmassy but seems to be mostly about snow, Santa or the frustrations of long-distance romance. Having never personally experienced any of those things, I may be the world’s biggest cynic but they leave me uninspired.
Being an obsessive mix-tape maker, I decided to make a rocking holiday mix of my own. Now, only two of these songs have any Christmas content whatsoever, and my sister the traditionalist will bemoan the lack of bells and children’s voices. But these are my gems, the songs that are constantly making me embarass myself on public transport by grinning like a loon and twitching in time. There’s a good deal of giddy, dance-inducing folk music here and a few songs more subtle and spare. But they all inspire that rare unselfconscious pleasure that I associate with the best of the season, that handshake of the human and the divine. And so, at the risk of outstaying my welcome (did I just mention religion? What was I thinking?), how about a little giveaway?
I am turning 26 next Wednesday (is 26 still mid-twenties, or late-twenties? I have no idea), and I feel like celebrating. Whoever would like some lovely sock yarn and a copy of said mix-tape, leave a comment on this post with a suggestion of what I should be when I grow up. Comment as many times as you like between now and Christmas and then I’ll make up a package to send to my favourite commenter in the new year.
