'tis the damn season

featuring Fleet Foxes, Simon & Garfunkel, Counting Crows, and more!

I grew up in a town where one street was well-known for its impressive Christmas lights. As kids, my siblings and I used to love going for a drive down this street to see all the houses lit up. Around this time of my life, John Mayer’s debut album, Room for Squares, was a mainstay in my mom’s car CD player. A song on the back half of that album, “St. Patrick’s Day,” always made me think of this activity; during the bridge, sleigh bells kick in and he sings:

We should take a ride tonight around the town
And look around at all the beautiful houses
Something in the way that blue lights on a black night
Can make you feel more

It’s not a Christmas song in the traditional sense, but I have long felt like it could be. Today’s mix is inspired by this song and features others that for whatever reason [references to winter, holidays, or snow; the presence of sleigh bells; use in holiday-related media; etc.] sound like Christmas songs. A good mix for when you’re wanting to feel seasonal, but don’t need any more Santa!

*sub Joni Mitchell’s version of “River” if you use something besides Spotify!

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