Have Yourself a Depressing Little Christmas

So it's that time fo the year again, and as early as a few weeks before Thaknsgiving, I have been compiling some of my favorite Christmas/holiday tunes of yesteryear and today, as my friends and family tend to look forward to my annual Holiday mixes. Last year the mix was only one disc long, as I overdid it in 2006 with a four-disc monstrosity that I just couldn't seem to reproduce fast enough. Anyway, I was commissioned to play a little Holiday themed acoustic set at a private party, and while I was learning some of my favorite holiday songs, I noticed that a large number of them were sad songs, depressing really. This revelation, in turn, made me remember an article I had read a few years back that talked about how while the holiday season brought feelings of joy and sentimentality for some, others felt an increased sense of isolation and despair for a number of different reasons that I'm sure we're all familiar with. On top of that, the increased frenetic activity, namely juggling shopping, work, social obligations, etc, all lead to a rise in physical and emotional stress. So I figured that this year, instead of just making random mixes, I would make themed Holiday mixes, so to coincide with the stress and sadness we're all bound to feel at some point, here's the first holiday mixtape installment, the sad songs. Now, just because thy're melancholy doesn't mean they're bad, in fact a lot of my favorites are classified as "sad songs" so don't discriminate.

1. Coldplay - 2000 Miles
2. Feist - Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming
3. Bright Eyes - Blue Christmas
4. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Cold White Christmas
5. Ben Folds Five - Brick
6. Tiger Baby - This Christmas
7. Snow Patrol - When I Get Home For Christmas
8. Ryan Adams - Hey Parker, It's Christmas
9. Mogwai - Christmas Song
10. The Pogues - Fairytale of New York
11. Sufjan Stevens - That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
12. Snowden - White Christmas
13. The Walkmen - The Christmas Party

So there it is folks, keep your eyes peeled for more Holiday mixtapes coming soon. And cheer up would you? Jeez.