Winter has always been my favourite season, and I have a tendency to romanticise it. I am someone who loves routines, traditions, and returning to my old favourites year after year like returning home with a sense of satisfaction and reconnection to something true in my heart's core.
In that sense, this playlist was incredibly difficult to craft, as I have whole albums of songs I wish I could put in this list, which I revisit every year at different periods and phases of the season. I hope in this mix to illuminate some of my favourite traditions and the music that plays as a soundtrack to them. Of course, there will be Christmas songs (would it really be a winter playlist without them?) but I have tried to include a real mix, with a few covers you hopefully have not heard before.
So, without further ado, let's begin. As before, all click-through links take you to the track on Spotify, but the whole playlist is here.
Every year, the ethereal and winter-breeze-like opening of this track marks the start of the festive period sometime in late October. The Scrooges amongst my readership will cry that this is far too early to be thinking of Christmas, as if I haven't been thinking of it since sometime in May. My mother and I always bake our Christmas cake early every year, following (in the loosest sense of the word, for we always adapt and change the recipe to be packed full of all our favourite dried fruits. Oh, and extra booze.) the Mary Berry recipe from a cookbook we have been spilling sugar and splatterings of butter into since I was a child. We make it early for a number of reasons, but mainly to let it rest for a while as is traditional for a Christmas Cake. We cannot begin baking until Mr Bublé is on. With his voice filling the kitchen, something glistening like snow settles freshly on our hearts. Call me sentimental, but as we all crowd around the bowl to take our turn stirring the mixture and make our wish, it is this love and excitement which we pour into the bowl every year that ensures the cake is a success. It wouldn't taste quite so good without Michael Bublé's Christmas Album and Mary Berry's trusty recipe.
The scene is this: my father has just picked my brother and me up in his car, I am strapped in the backseat and my brother, being that much older, is allowed to sit in the front with dad. We've probably already listened to this song at least twice, as it's one of mum's favorites too. We spent the morning opening our stockings in her bed and laughing at the silly things Father Christmas has brought for us. Dad comes to pick us up at midday. Mum has ensured we're all wrapped up warm, that we've got dad's present in the boot with our over-night stuff. We're so lucky, I always thought, I get to see my mum and dad at Christmas, and do it all twice! My dad has a gift of always knowing exactly what song to play in the car. The sound of a cash register rings like bells, "Are you ready children? Yeah!" and just at the wholly ridiculous sound of a raspberry being blown, dad starts the track again. It's ridiculous, and we are in hysterics at his antics. The cash register again, my brother and I cry yeah! and the raspberry is blown. Again. "Da-aa-ad! Play it properly!" We must have cried, laughing and bubbling with excitement. I don't remember when we grew out of this silly game, but it is a fond memory that returns to me every time I play this track. This song encapsulates my Christmas spirit - for I also wish every day was Christmas. The song is full of so much energy and playfulness, and the sleigh-bells accompanying the choir of children at the end of the song never fails to transport me back to childhood, to singing in our school nativity, to watching Top Of The Pops at Christmas, to the thrill of sharing Christmas with both my parents, no matter what. I will miss that feeling especially this year with the difficulties we are all facing, but this song will help me remember the Christmases we have shared, and help me look forward to the next one.
It made sense for me in a way I am sure I will struggle to express that this song had to be on this playlist. It is a ghostly track, with heart-breaking lyrics such as "But something kept me standing by that hospital bed / I should have quit but instead I took care of you." This album, in particular, is one I return to in winter as the spectral vocals, haunting lyrics, and floating music feel at times bleak, at times mystical, and at times even beyond that entirely. For years, we have been fascinated by the darker, more ominous side of winter. We deck trees with lights and shining baubles, while the branches outside tremble bare in the frost and the cold. It is the A Christmas Carol effect, perhaps, of needing a ghost to question who we are. A floating figure to gently remind us to reflect as the year draws to a close. I am sure these words are too vague, too strange, to truly explain why this song is here. Hopefully, if you listen to it, you will also understand.
Similarly, it is AURORA's vocals which I love. Known mostly for this track on the infamous John Lewis advert and her vocals in Frozen II, AURORA sounds like an angel who is friends with Gabriel themself. Perhaps it is that tradition and magic which add to the reasons why I love this track, for every year the department store hone in on the year and produce a zeitgeist advert which always finds a way to make me cry. We all remember the little girl gazing up at the moon in wonderment and befriending the lonely man who lives. We all know this is a beautiful song, but AURORA brings something so gently magical and affectionate, reminding us that nobody should feel alone at Christmas, even if we can't physically reach them.
God Only Knows - She & Him brings a quirky, retro sound to such an iconic song. It is dreamy and heartfelt in a way that still feels fun with Zooey Deschanel's harmonies and do-waps. This song sounds just perfect with a hot chocolate, tired after a long day wrapping presents, and admiring them in their new place under the tree. It has a distinctly festive feel (which is also heard on their album 'A Very She and Him Christmas') without being a Christmas song. So, when I've heard enough of the tried and true classics, I often turn to this song for that warmed-by-the-fire, thankful, and full of good cheer feeling.
From the soulful acapella opening, this Leslie Odom Jr. sings this directly to the listener. It feels so sincere, as he sings one of my favourite verses: "Christmas Eve will find me / Where the love light gleams / I'll be home for Christmas / If only in my dreams" The longing lyrics take on a new meaning this year, as I am sure many of us will be thinking of the Christmas Eve we wanted to share under a glow of love and affection. The gentle piano and soft jazz that doesn't feel pretentious, only honest. It is an intimate and old-school song with renewed romance. The fairytale dreaminess drifts my mind to a bygone era of slow dancing in beautiful ballgowns under the mistletoe, held close and warm by a love one, as we sway before the roaring fire. The trumpet and soft drum that floats through the melody is really the musical highlight for me, as it compliments the warmth and honest of Leslie's voice all the more and takes this song from a sentimental, stripped back cover to something truly memorable in its own right.
Classical music always has a place on my usual playlists, but for this list, I particularly struggled to narrow it down to just one. Christmas has always gone hand-in-hand for music with me, especially the carols we used to sing at school and at church. However, one of my most cherished memories is when my mother took me to see The Nutcracker ballet when I was a child. I remember being in awe of the phenomenal dancing, the costumes, the sets, and how wonderfully festive it all was. It has left a lasting impact. The Nutcracker is one of those 'underrated' (of course, it is immensely popular, yet when we the last time you recall it being on and accessible? When was the last time you watched it?) stories which is so quintessentially festive; full of dreams, fairies and toys come to life, of Christmas parties and dancing, and just a sprinkle of darkness in the form of a Mouse King. Even narrowing down to this one ballet, picking a single track was agony! But, The Nutcracker Suite has everything I could wish for. The familiar melody and gently mystical plucking of strings form the opening, before leading into something more 'Nutcracker'. The wind instruments have a more marching and solid feel. But then the strings and wind join together, and it is an orchestra of festivity. It is so pure in its excitement and joy (with only the distant feeling of ominous threat), that for a moment you inhabit a fantasy world far from this one, where anything is possible. Even heroic nutcrackers.
This is another song that does not instantly feel 'festive', but one that I often return to in winter. I am lucky to live only a short train ride from the center of London, and I usually plan an annual day with my friends or partner in which we browse the many Christmas markets, get a bit of shopping done, eat treats, and drink mulled wine. The lyrics themselves are straightforward snippets of an unperfect life, "And when the morning comes / We won't mention a thing / It was only a cheap / Secondhand ring" which feel like moments in the overheard lives we pass as we squeeze around strangers on Oxford Street. It is a song about complications and difficulties but is just so good to listen to. This song has an indie brit-pop vibe, and a relentlessly energetic and mischievous feeling, which always makes me want to dance. It is impossible to resist, and it is that feeling of unabashed and un-self-conscious joy that reminds me of my treasured memories of Christmas display hunting and ice skating outside the Natural History Museum.
This is one of my favorite covers of White Christmas, because of the acoustic guitar and Alex Francis' incredible voice. I have had the pleasure of seeing him perform a few times, including for my 18th birthday. I adore his rich, raspy, and soulful voice which brings this Bing Crosby classic up to date. This song is always easy to enjoy and love, but this cover is fresh and confident in its own right. It is modern with an indie feel that even your coolest friends will be impressed by. It is the perfect track for our future post-covid laid-back Christmas cocktails and mince pies with friends, as you swap presents and laugh together. Those will be the days!
It is going to be impossible to condense the infinite reasons I love this song into just one paragraph, but here goes: firstly, this film is a classic. Based on the festive ghost story, Charle's Dickens' A Christmas Carol, the Muppet version stays fantastically faithful to the source material whilst bringing an exuberant twist which we all love. The whole soundtrack is buoyant and light, with incredible lyrics that articulate the novel's message with a catchy song: "The world has got a smile today / The world has got a glow / There's no such thing as strangers when / A stranger says 'hello' / And everyone is family, we're having so much fun / After all, there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas" It fills me with that childlike anticipation, a goofy excitement, and love for mankind. There is no denying there is something magical within this film and it's a wonderful soundtrack in how it can make even the most mature, grown, sensible adult feel like a little child once again, trying not to fall asleep before Father Christmas comes.
And thus concludes my Winter Playlist and my last playlist of this year. In 2021, we can look forward to Spring and Summer playlists. Until I next write: stay safe, stay kind, and have a wonderful holiday season however you are able to celebrate.