Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays. Growing up Jewish in South suburban Denver, my Christmases were spent eating Chinese or Indian food and going to the movies. But I also relished the music and food and spirit of the season. I remember vividly singing “Carol of the Bells” with my high school choir and being moved by the layering of harmonies (I still sing aloud in public when it plays in the grocery store). I often watch David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s rendition of “Little Drummer Boy” this time of year. And Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas is both a Halloween and Christmas tradition for my family. So, I’m no grinch…
But there comes a point about two weeks before Christmas when even the opening bells of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” begin to wear on me. It’s not unlike the feeling a week after Halloween when I just can’t eat another bite of candy. It’s too sugary, too artificial, too much. I still love the lights, the office holiday parties, and even the seasonally themed TV-shows. I just need an alternative soundtrack. It was with this imperative in mind that I created a Winter Themed Playlist for kids and their grownups. My goal was to curate a holiday-free cold-weather playlist for the whole family to enjoy.
Running just shy of 80 minutes, this playlist is great for cozy snow days, traversing the front range, or blasting on New Years Eve. It features some fabulous kindie artists that I’m excited to share with you, including Josh and the Jamtones, Seanster and the Monsters, Kids Imagine Nation, Cowboy Andy and the Salamanders, Jazzy Ash, and Caspar Babypants (who I saw perform in 1996 at the Ogden Theater in his other role as lead singer of Presidents of the United States of America). My favorite song on the playlist is probably “Snow People” by The Okee Dokee Brothers, which is a song that incorporates lessons on gender inclusivity with a catchy chorus and beautiful harmonies. All in all, it’s a really fun collection of songs that should keep you amped about the winter season long after the yuletide cheer (and familial drama) has faded into memory.
