monday music: christmas countdown, week one

Thanksgiving being over means lots of things. There's suddenly a rush to buy things, people are seen driving about with trees on top of their cars, and lights and decorations appear overnight. For me it means I can finally listen to Christmas music. I have a self-imposed rule about holiday tunes, to prevent myself from playing my favorites all year round. Once Thanksgiving is over, that's when the carols come out.

I've known plenty of people who hate Christmas music, and I can't say I blame them, considering the sort of stuff you're likely to hear when you walk into a store around the holidays. But for me, music is a huge part of what makes this time of year special and magical. So until Christmas, my music Monday posts will be mixes of my favorite songs of the season. They may not be what you'd expect. I've got plenty of Windham Hill Christmas cds in my collection, yes, but for the past few years I've been leaning in a decidedly indie direction. When you do a bit of searching, you'll find that lots of bands and artists seem to have a soft spot for the holidays, or at the very least do a beautiful job of expressing their Christmas angst!

You can find this week's mix HERE.