The Warmth of Winter

Happy Holidays!

Not gonna lie, I don’t really trust people who don’t like Christmas music, and I have no sympathy for people who get tired of hearing holiday music during the holiday season. So if you’re a Scrooge or a Grinch, this post is definitely not for you.

That being said, I have a Spotify playlist dedicated just to Christmas music, which I update every year. It contains what I consider to be the most quintessential (and least annoying) holiday music to help make the season bright. I decided to pull some of my favorites from that playlist this year to share with you. Some of these songs will probably always have a place on my playlist, and others I’ve only just started to appreciate this year. Either way, I hope this gets you into the holiday spirit 🙂

Here are some highlights from this year’s version of the playlist. (Listen to the full Spotify playlist at the end of this post!)

New this year:

“The Christmas Song” by Gregory Porter

 

From Nat “King” Cole & Me (2017). Not a new song, but Gregory Porter can do no wrong, IMO, so you should already be listening to him anyway.

“Señor Santa (Mister Santa)” by Y La Bamba from Holidays Rule (2012)

I just heard this song for the first time last night, but I love it! Get it? It’s like Mr. Sandman, but it’s about Santa! I haven’t really listened to Y La Bamba before, but I’m definitely going to start now, so I’ll let you know how it goes.

Forever Favorites:

“O Holy Night” by Mariah Carey

The Queen of Christmas since 1994’s Merry Christmas.

“Do You Hear What I Hear” by Whitney Houston from A Very Special Christmas (1987)

And the Queen of Everything Else, basically, singing the only version of this song that matters (RIP).

G.O.A.T.s:

“Silent Night” by Ella Fitzgerald

I mean, obviously. And that little tritone embellishment on the second-to-last “birth” in the song (as in “Jesus, Lord at thy birth”). Ugh. I die.

“A Cradle in Bethlehem” by Nat King Cole

Who needs angels when we have the voice of  Nat King Cole forever embedded in our hearts and the internet?

And as promised, here’s the full playlist. Merry Christmas!