Jingle Belles - The 2017 Xmas Compilation

                    

What a year. We say that at the end of every year, right? But this year? What a year.   

I won't bore you with the details of mine. They will either make you incredibly jealous or incredibly happy, depending on how you view despair, joy, loneliness, creativity, major life changes, foreign customs, and the endless vigilance needed to break old habits. Which, when you get to be my age, are the only habits you have. And while that doesn't necessarily make them old friends, it does make them boone companions. (That's not a typo--that's boone, as in Aaron Fucking.)

And it looks like the one companion we all share this Christmas, the one who's running the show wherever you look, is the grubby little brat whom the Ghost of Christmas Present warned us about: ignorance. His influence is everywhere. The country is being run by venal little Scrooges who will not listen to any ghost who doesn't pay them off, or whom they can't pay off to shut up. The North Pole is becoming a swimming pool. California is starring in an annual remake of The Burning Season. And we're maybe only a couple of years away from a category 6 hurricane. Joy to the world, he said sarcastically. But then he snorted a little harrumph and added, "And that's exactly what we need, joy. That's the best weapon we have. Along with love and laughter. And music."

As I said to a non-blood brother a couple of days ago, I almost didn't do a Xmas music compilation this year, because my heart wasn't in it, because that hard-to-shut-up negative voice in me kept saying "Nobody will care," and because all things come to an end, even traditions. (It's been that kind of year.) But at the end of last week I thought, "Okay, so your heart's not in it; but I bet it will be when you start doing it. And don't be stupid, there are people out there who care about this. And what the hell, why not do a compilation? You've got 15 years of music to choose from, and you've never repeated a track in all that time, so how about something that celebrates that, as well as the holiday?" And two seconds later a voice in my head added: "And given what a hell of a year this has been, make it all female singers."

So here it is. The only male voices show up on a couple of tracks as backup and harmony, or (on the Bonus Track) on the bridge (a traditional male preserve both nautically and musically).

The world is a dark place in the winter. Light it up whenever you can. Sing out loud as you walk down the street. Smile at a stranger. We're all in the same boat, even the snooty first-class passengers who would let the folks in steerage sink if they can't swim. They'd love to turn that boat into the Titanic; but we'll do our best to make it live up to its real name: the Constitution.

Haddy Grimble, everybody.

Jingle Belles - The 2017 Xmas Compilation

1   2000 Miles   The Pretenders

2   Winter Song     Sara Barielles and Ingrid Michaelson

3   Christmas Day      Dido

4   River            Joni Mitchell

5   Love is Christmas    Sara Barielles

6   Rudy    Be Good Tanyas

7   Ten Tubas    The Professor and Mary Ann

8   The Heartache Can Wait        Brandi Carlile

9   Silver Belles and Sweet Farewells Wendy Colonna

10  (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presents, Dear       Syd Straw

11  Darling (Christmas Is Coming)        Over The Rhine

12  Unwrap Me    Saint Etienne

13  Up On The Housetop    Reba McEntire

14  Rockin’ Little Christmas        Carlene Carter

15  The Christmas Twist     Syd Straw

16  Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)       Darlene Love

17  (Don’t Call Me) Mrs. Christmas         Emmy The Great and Tim Wheeler

18  Not Tonight Santa          Girls Aloud

19  Underneath The Tree   Kelly Clarkson

20  I Did It For The Toys    Dance Hall Crashers

21  Because I’m Santa           The Dollyrots

22  Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me    The Love-Me-Nots

23  Baby It’s Christmas         Bananarama

24  Christmas In The City  Elizabeth Chan

25  Christmas Wrapping     The Waitresses

26  Merry Christmas From the Family    Jill Sobule

27  Christmas with Fat Aunt Bette      Andrea Perry

28  Little Drummer Boy     Joan Jett

29  I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus        Amy Winehouse

30  I Saw Mommy Biting Santa Claus.    The Dollyrots

31  Zombie Christmas           Emmy The Great and Tim Wheeler

32  Black Christmas   Poly Styrene

33  Maybe This Christmas  Leigh Nash

34  My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)    Regina Spektor

35  Bonus Track