Thanksgiving was last Thursday, and there now just 26 shopping days until Christmas. I'm usually in a big holiday mood by mid-November, but it just hasn't happened this year. It still hasn't begun to look a lot like Christmas everywhere I go. It still looks a lot like Thanksgiving to me.
As most of my readers know, I've been assembling a holiday mix compilationfor the last dozen or so years, first on tape and more recently on CD-R. Usually I'm completely done with the track selection by December 1st. I've only got seven songs so far this year, and haven't been motivated to complete it. Thankfully we had an early Thanksgiving so I'm still a few days away from my December 1st deadline.
Looking at the latest batch of holiday releases at mistletunes.com, there isn't a lot of good new stuff out there. I checked some of the new holiday-related stuff on emusic, and wasn't overwhelmed by anything. I've got enough Christmas music to throw together a mix without any help from internets or record stores, but it's always good to be contemporary. Does anyone have any new discoveries or other suggestions?
Also, I'm pondering the idea of just doing a virtual mix this year by zipping up a bunch of mp3s and uploading them to divshare or wikiupload or something so folks could just download them and burn their own discs, or copy the songs to portable listening devices, or just keep them on the computer. This would take the USPS out of the equation, and also make it so I didn't have to go to the store to buy blanks CD-Rs. Any preferences or suggestions?
Gee whiz, I'm trying to be interactive now, breaking the third wall to ask the audience questions! Maybe I'll get more comments if I ask more questions. How are you feeling about these holidays? Is this going to be a year without a Santa Claus? Who would win a conflict between Heatmiser and Snowmiser? Or Mr. Scrooge and the Grinch? I'm sure I'll be in a holiday mood as soon as my favorite Christmas cartoons start showing up on TV.
5 comments:
Don't blame me, my song is done:
http://doubtfulpalace.com/artists/Holiday
Steve: Interesting that you mention doing a virtual mix, because Joe & I are considering doing the same thing with our traditional end-of-the-year CD. Most of the stuff on it will undoubtedly be things I downloaded from eMusic, anyway...
As most people who know me are well aware, I am the Scroogiest Scrooge around. I hate most Xmas music and try to avoid stores & malls at this time of the year so I don't have to hear it, but I do enjoy your compilations because, well, you have good taste in music, even if it is Christmas music!
My mix will probably be a series of non-material items as well...I just need to figure out the best way to distribute them. No suggestions on Christmas songs...although I keep not fulfilling my mental promise to myself to do a hip-hop Christmas song, just so's I can bill it to "MC 900-Pound Santa."
Rog, this one's for you: oogse! oogse!
You could always re-release the old mixes cassette mixes on CD-R for those of us who don't have cassette players handy anymore.
I've been hearing a certain someone in our house play one of your recent holiday CDs a lot recently, so I know whatever you do will be a big hit around here.
Did you catch the Casper & the Cookies Christmas tune? I found it via You Ain't No Picasso, http://www.youaintnopicasso.com/2007/11/28/casper-and-the-cookies-kiss-me-beneath-the-christmas-tree/
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