It’s September, and if you haven’t had your Filipino card revoked, this means something, right? You only have to step into your neighborhood mall, and the telltale signs will greet you with bells, whistles, and those trademark vocal runs of the first few words of “? ( The pronoun “I” should last a full 10 seconds) don’t want a lot for Christmas.” The pronoun “I” should last a full 10 seconds. If you know, you know.
And when you leave, the last thing you’ll hear as you’re about to cross the Entrance/Exit threshold is the tinkle of piano keys interspersing those now-memeable verses: Whenever I see boys and girls… You don’t need to pretend you don’t know what this is all about. You knew this—just as you know, in a few days, there will be a decking of halls with boughs of holly.
It’s beginning to look like the longest Christmas season—Guinness should immortalize it as a world record.
But because it runs from September to the Feast of the Three Kings in January, do your ears a favor by occasionally pausing your favorite Yuletide tunes by the undisputed Christmas royalties. A little caveat: for everything that is good and holy, do not remove this holiday staple from your playlist, because if you think about it, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without belting out the highest note from that Mariah Carey song and reminiscing about your childhood caroling, crooning Jose Mari Chan’s indelible hit.
Here are five songs to stream when you want a little breather from the usual:
Santa Doesn’t Know You Like I Do (Sabrina Carpenter)
Pop music’s most recent “It girl” captures longing laced with a bit of obsession like nobody’s business. She even challenges the quintessential North Pole old guy, despite knowing full well that he knows who’s sleeping or awake. If your affection is up against Santa Claus’s omniscience, then maybe it’s a love worth missing for.
River (Joni Mitchell)
Not immediately packaged as a Christmas song, as it comes from Joni Mitchell’s autobiographical Blue album, but the opening line and melody give it away: It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cutting down trees, with a sampling of Jingle Bell instrumentation. She goes on singing about losing the best baby she ever had while wishing for a river to skate away on during wintertime. With the release of the music video commemorating the song’s 50th anniversary in 2021, Mitchell described it as a Christmas song for people who are lonely at Christmas.
My Only Wish (This Year) (Britney Spears)
The world has been failing Britney Spears; let this year’s Christmas be different. Stream this earworm on loop—without end.
Last Christmas (Carly Rae Jepsen)
When Carly Rae Jepsen rerecords a song straight from the ’80s—and one that’s hugely popular at that—she makes sure it undergoes the same meticulous edits as her criminally underrated E.mo.tion album. The result? An addictive concoction of synths, strings, and her immediately recognizable vocals.
Fairytale of New York ( The Pogues feat. Kristy MacColl)
Stream this song at your own risk. It’s rude and crass—almost anti-Christmas. With a string of words not typically associated with the holidays, it’s a slice of life for all those embittered and desolate, who still wish for a miracle like everyone else. It’s both uplifting and miserable—the adulting Christmas that people know all too well.
You can’t ward off the nostalgia of All I Want for Christmas and Christmas In Our Hearts. The least you can do is create a new one.
Photo: Jose Marie Chan | Shopee
Photo: Mariah Carey | www.purepeople.com
