For You, Blue Vol. IV

True story: I approached a friend at church yesterday in all my blazing red-on-red glory and when he commented at my sartorial festivity, I eschewed snapping, "It's for fashion, not for Christmas, idiot!" and instead quipped, "'Tis the season!"

'Tis, indeed. And you know you've bought into the whole kit and caboodle when you look down and realize that, in fact, you are Rudolph's nose writ large, replete with tinsel-glittered heels and wind-blushed cheeks. Irritated though I may be that my friends don't recognize a Street Style tip o' the hat when they see one,  I can't really blame them. Donning a uniform of holly berry red in the month of December is begging for a mixup.

HEY! Speaking of mixups mixes, it's that time of year again, isn't it? Time for LD's annual For You, Blue (And Santa Too) holiday mixtravaganza. Mixtacular. Mix-en-scène. Okay, last one: Mixcellent. Sorry. You can spy last year's playlists here and here, though there's quite a bit of overlap because I hate change, I'm a one trick pony, if it ain't broke, why fix it? I just love certain songs a lot. 

You may recall a post from a couple of days ago wherein I displayed the visage of my dearly departed dog Rosie along with a plea for the saddest musical schlock you could muster. It's true; I was looking for Christmas music that really gets to the gut, and nothing evinces sadness quite as effectively as dead puppies. Many of you responded through various forms of social media, and I'd like to take a moment to address a couple of the offerings: 1) The only thing heartbreaking about Wham!'s "Last Christmas" is George Michael's feathery coif. 2) "The Christmas Shoes" is clearly a form of emotional terrorism and should be banned from the shores of this great country forever and ever, amen. 

That aside, if you haven't already guessed it, then I'll spell it out for you: My Christmas mix is a stone cold bummer. Moody, tinged with longing, doleful and, yes, very blue. The explanation for this is that Christmas can be joyful, sure, but it's a joy that's colored with melancholy for many people. And while it's not my intent to galvanize a cadre of musical wallowers this Christmas, I do think it's important (even healthy!) to recognize and pay a certain amount of respect to sadness. It's not all jingly bells and brightly lit malls, not for me. Not for a lot of people. 

So if you've ever trudged through a holiday season with a cloud dogging you and a nagging sense that a majority of commercial Christmas offerings are seeking to drug you with false happiness, then this mix is for you. 

Get it (for a limited time) HERE.