Christmas is here. It’s hard to tell, here in Hollywood, except the sparkly illuminated stars stretch down Santa Monica Boulevard from La Brea to Doheny. I love those. They always seem to magically appear one night, like presents under a tree. One day, it’s just plain ol’ Santa Monica Boulevard, the next it’s the Avenue of Joy. Except a couple Wednesdays ago when I spin with Nick at Carbon I come back through town at two AM and see the elves hard at work with their pneumatic lifts. And the magic evaporates.
I get my own dose of Christmas cheer yesterday at Rite Aid. Someone’s finally making LED Christmas lights on the cheap, so I pick up a couple strings. As I wrap them around my window sill, I’m spinning the new five-disc exercise in excess known as “Songs For Christmas” by Sufjan Stevens. It seems every year he gets together with his buddies and records a session of Christmas tunes to give out as presents to friends and family. The guy is absurdly prolific (although even at this rate, he’ll never get around to recording those fifty CD’s for fifty states).
I try to avoid Christmas carols like ebola, but when they’re dressed up in the jangly, intimate fluffiness of Sufjan and friends, I’ll make an exception. Besides, there are plenty of original tracks to be had. Since it’s the season of giving, I’ll share a couple with you here.
Nothing says Hollywood Christmas like LED Christmas lights and music by Mr. Stevens.
One Comment
Awwww….don’t you have a soft spot in your heart for the Mormon Tabernacle’s Christmas album? And what about the Kingston Trio’s “Last Month of the Year”?