Upon touching down at JFK returning home from Thanksgiving out West, it became immediately apparent that a different ambiance is present in the city. Pulling up to my apartment, it seems as though SoHo has suddenly turned into a festive, winter wonderland, complete with lights around lamp posts, wreaths on restaurant doors, and even a Christmas tree pop-up shop in the courtyard across from my building. The only thing missing is a stark white blanket of snow to temporarily coat the sidewalks and provide some contrast to the otherwise dull and grey skies. Oh, and this too, a new playlist, which I just curated, and happens to possibly be my favorite yet.
It was 24 degrees this morning when I took my dog Cassius for his morning walk – he loves this weather. In fact, the colder the air, the happier he is, although my hands and nose strongly disagree with his sentiment. I speak frequently about weather when writing these contextual articles about our monthly playlists and I promise it’s not just to fill space or make small talk. I’d rather no talk than small talk, but I digress - the point here is that my surroundings, weather being one important element, have a huge influence on the music I want to listen to. The colder and harsher the environment, the softer, prettier, and more soothing the music I seek. This provides an interesting juxtaposition that doesn’t always ring true but certainly exists quite prominently in this framework. As the frigid air slowly freezes my fingers, I look to the music in my ears to offer warmth in the form of sound, counteracting the cold all around me. When it’s chilly and grey, it can also become quite easy to slip into an unhappy mood, especially when these are the fitting adjectives to portray your walk to the subway. Thus, a beautiful tune and message can help to lift the spirits, provide a nice distraction, and fend off the grumpy winter moods.
Because the holiday season is about peace, empathy, and congregation of loved ones, in the spirit of the latter mentioned characteristic, I reached out to friends, family, followers, and Tibi team members to discover new music, asking the simple question of “What song feels the most like December?”. I received some truly beautiful responses, gained new perspectives, and learned about many artists I was previously unfamiliar with. It is incredible to see just how varied peoples’ musical association with this time of year can be, and yet equally as similar when taking a step back and observing the correlated themes from a wider lens. The most prominent theme that pops up with everyone’s track submission is nostalgia and the fond, wholesome memories that their song evokes when they listen to it at this specific time of year.
I grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah and so I have strong memories with a range of songs on both ends of the spectrum, from the Hebrew Rock of Ages (Maoz Tzur) to John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War is Over). Happy Xmas is one of those tracks that mentally transports me to the same place whenever I hear it, giving goosebumps of course, and serving as a reminder to reflect, say thank you, and make sure the next hug I give is an extra-long one. Lennon’s prose is both inspirational and reminiscent, and as our world seems to maintain some very deep pockets of hate, I consistently find myself looking to Lennon for his incredibly simple, yet profound writing that pushes us to choose love, choose strength, and choose peace. The other, non-holiday song that I feel is deeply applicable to this season is Sinead O’Connor’s Drink Before the War - I promise it is purely coincidental that both of my shout-outs mention war. Drink Before the War most influentially came on my radar through the Peaky Blinders in season 2 episode 4. The cold and harsh settings of the show are fairly similar to the NYC streets this time of year, and walking around with this in your headphones, it’s easy to get lost in the track, while also aware of and leaning into the harsh reality of the season at hand.
I have a few additional songs to mention here - some made it onto the playlist, and some did not - they are tracks that were sent to me from some very special people across varying walks of life. Below are the song submissions accompanied by a little excerpt explaining the sentimental reasoning behind the selection.
Amy: Rocky Mountain High - John Denver
“Gabe, this song for me. Besides the words just being very meaningful, I think the end of the year is always about reflection. And nothing says cozy and December to me then snowcapped mountains.”
Elaine: All I Have to Do Is Dream - Tala moon
“This is a cover of one of the most well-known Everly Brothers’ songs – reminds me of my Dad who loved the Everly Brothers and came of age in this era alongside his hi-fi tinkering. Tala Moon has a beautiful voice, and I wish my Dad was still with me so I could share that someone loved the song as much as he did to do such a memorable cover of it …December is a time for memories and remembering things you wish you could do to set the intentions right for a new year.”
Frank: Naše První Vánoce - Karel Gott
“This song is called ‘Our first Christmas together’. The music is beautifully nostalgic. It takes me back to my growing up times and celebrating Christmas with a tree and gifts and celebrating Chanukah.”
“There are a few special reasons behind the meaning of this song to me. I used the track on a Winter Solstice mix I created for Olana in the Hudson Valley during the first year of the pandemic. I feel it predates trip hop before it was even created, which makes it extra cool - whether it actually does, I am not totally sure. Under Ice is also haunting, yet romantic, and thus very evocative of the winter season.”
Ellis: Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis & The News
“A song so catchy, most people probably don’t listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity, and the importance of trends, it's also a personal statement about the band itself.”
Noah: True Love Waits - Radiohead
“It’s super visceral, found the song in the middle of the winter in the Midwest during 2021 and it sounded like waiting through the winter for a lover to come around - tender, vulnerable, and so honest, and I think I needed it at the time. It feels like the world getting dark at 4 pm.”
Kennedy: For Emma - Bon Iver
“I guess it just reminds me of playing the album on my shitty Crosley, lighting a candle, and putting on my fairy lights to create a cozy cave during grey Texas winters. I also would play the entirety of this album on our antique, out of tune, piano with my family on holiday in Wisconsin. The piano, surrounded entirely by stone, sat next to stained glass windows, which did little to keep out the cold. I don't think I've listened to this song in any season except Winter - it reminds me of cold feet and being wrapped in a blanket, sleepy and quiet with nothing to do.”
As you can see, December is a very special month to a lot of people, for a multitude of reasons, that boil down to nostalgic feelings of warmth, love, family, and gratitude. It’s that time of year when conversations don’t just end with “Have a good day”, but also “Happy Holidays”, and a season when strangers seem to be just a little friendlier, cracking an extra smile here and there. I sought to encompass all of this through the music on the December playlist, and I hope you all enjoy listening. Part of what made this specific project so fun to curate was learning the personal sentiment behind songs submitted to me by friends, family, and Tibi team members - we would love to hear from our readers what tracks are extra special to them. As always, I suggest listening through in succession from top to bottom, but shuffle works great too.
This post just melted my heart
Great playlist and enjoyable read. Thank you. Happy Xmas, happy Chanukkah.