Letter 8 - Mini-Christmas Special
Actually good Christmas songs, and festive films for your holiday rotation.
Hi,
A short bonus letter sharing the definitive playlist of every good Christmas song ever released*, and some movies to add to your festive film rotations.
My next letter (which may arrive before, or after Christmas) will be my 2024 year in review.
Please like & subscribe, share with anyone who would enjoy, and let me know what you think of any of the recommendations (either directly or in the comments below).
Much love, Odhran x
Music - Actually Good Christmas Songs
Generally I think Christmas songs are often given a pretty rough time, although there are to be fair, plenty of genuine complaints:
it’s the music industry at its most cynical and capitalistic;
most of the releases are cash grabs at their most debased;
the vast majority of releases are from talentless hacks or washed-up has-beens;
the good artists that release Christmas songs are usually half arsing it; and
the good songs are horrendously overplayed.
And yeah that is all true, but I think quite a lot of good music is unfairly caught in the crossfire. Sure Mariah’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is long past overdone, but nothing signals the coming yuletide like those opening bells, and yeah Greg Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas is a song deriding the commercialisation of Christmas, whilst being a Christmas hit itself, but it’s the perfect blend of Christmas carol and ‘70s alt-rock.
Ultimately how I look at it is that you can’t feel truly Christmassy without Christmas music, and I actually think the post-millennium pushback against Christmas music has cost us some opportunities for good tunes.
There are plenty of good Christmas records from the 20th century, like Fitzgerald’s Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas (1960) and A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra (1957), but very few in more modern times. I didn’t quite grasp what we might have missed out on until last year when Ezra Collective released God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen as part of Spotify’s Christmas releases, and Olivia Dean released Merry Christmas Everyone as part of Nest Audio Sessions (whatever that is), and it dawned on me we have been denied a quality contemporary Christmas collaboration album from the likes of them because people think Christmas hits are cringe.
I will admit there is a lot of shit out there though, so for your benefit and mine, I have slogged through literally thousands of releases, often covers of the same songs, and complied every actually good song into a playlist.
I tried to keep it to no more than two versions of each song, but it’s not my fault White Christmas is such a banger, so I have kept it as a hard cap of three versions. I will be taking no notes and no comments, this is definitive.
You can listen to the playlist here on Apple Music & Spotify.
I have also made a “background” version, which leaves out the more upbeat poppy tunes which might not suit your relaxed dinner vibes and focuses on the jazzier & lounge singer tracks, which is available here on Apple Music & Spotify.
*Also full disclosure, there are four Michael Bublé songs in the playlist, which were added under duress from my wife and sister last Christmas.
Film - Alternative Christmas Classics
It’s impossible to recommend any real hidden gems but there are definitely some movies that aren’t in the Christmas rotations of most people I know. So to bulk up your annual lists, here’s some you might be missing out on.
The Holdovers (2023)
UK Streaming: Sky Cinema & NOW TV
The Odhracle Rating: 4.5 stars.
With five academy award nominations, it’s infuriating that Alexander Payne’s modern Christmas classic received a January release in the UK and Ireland. Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are incredible in this odd-couple style comedy drama that really pulls on your heart strings. The third of the trio Dominic Sessa puts in a fantastic performance, made only more impressive that he only got the role when Payne offered the students at the school they were filming at a chance audition. An essential Christmas watch for 2024, great one to watch with your parents.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
UK Streaming: Disney+
The Odhracle: 4 stars.
One of the most famous Christmas movies of all time, it may seem silly to recommend this, but the year is absolutely critical here. I was raised on the 1994 John Hughes remake - cheesy and schlocky and entirely missing the point of the 1947 original. A courtroom drama starring Maureen O’Hara, it is vastly superior in every way. I needn’t say more if you’re seeking a heart warming Christmas film.
Black Christmas (1974)
UK Streaming: Rental only
The Odhracle Rating: 4.5 stars.
Historically it has been difficult to watch one of the first Christmas-horrors in Europe, even through nefarious means. I finally got the chance this week, and can’t quite believe how good it is. Clearly a seminal text in the slasher genre, there are shots and tropes in this evident in thousands of horror movies that followed it. I’m so rarely scared by any film made pre-2000, but some of the imagery in this is seared into my brain.
The Family Stone (2005)
UK Streaming: Disney+
The Odhracle Rating: 3 stars.
Okay a fair portion of this Christmas family reunion film is arguably quite bad, some of the tolerance the family have for Sarah Jessica Parker’s character is ludicrous, and at times Luke Wilson feels like he’s acting in an entirely different film. But on the whole, I really enjoyed this family comedy drama. A sterling B-list cast adds Diane Keaton, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney and Paul Schneider (from season 1 of Parks & Rec). It’s fun and easy watching, fits in well with the likes of The Holiday.
Carol (2015)
UK Streaming: Mubi.
The Odhracle Rating: 4 stars.
In development hell from 1997, Todd Hayne’s 2015 romantic drama starring the sterling trio of Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Sarah Paulson is absolutely brilliant. Set at Christmas in 1950, department store worker Mara meets glamorous soon-to-be divorcé Blanchett shopping for a gift for her daughter, and the pair begin a covert relationship. The film is fantastically written and acted, but most of all it’s beautifully shot on Super 16 mm film with a Christmas colour palette. I’ve not seen this film in about 4 years, and I suspect my 4 star rating will jump up an entire star on next watching.