I went shopping for gifts on Newbury Street this week (didn’t find anything) and took these pictures. It was fun to see all the holiday lights and enjoy the amazingly mild Boston weather before flying south for the big cookie eating day, which I will be spending in Florida with my mom. ‘Till next year, peace and love to all!
This week’s music Monday video is dedicated to all the people out there, including myself, who are struggling with the dark side of Xmas — Christmas depression. While Christmas is a wonderful time of year, it can also be very stressful and sad. My family history more closely resembles “Apocalypse Now†than “It’s a Wonderful Life†and family togetherness brings both painful memories and exhausting expectations. While I am fortunate not to be grieving the loss of a family member, I have a close friend that lost a family member on Christmas and know those who have lost someone close to them within the last few years. And then there is all the overspending! Who doesn’t feel some Christmas blues when they start thinking about their mounting credit card debt?
So I fight back with music. Years ago, my college roommate would wake me up in the morning (after she heard me hit snooze on the alarm clock for the 5th time) by cranking one of my favorite Beatles songs, usually “When I saw Her Standing There.†Within minutes my eyes would open and I’d be out of my bunk wiggling around the room. Today music still takes the edge off depression. This morning’s get-outta-bed prod was the UK house duo The Shapeshifters (known as Shape-UK in the US), with gospel singer Cookie on vocals, that got me moving.
“Out upon merry Christmas! What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer…? If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ upon his lips should be boiled with his won pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!”
Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”
If you haven’t heard the desert blues guitar of the Malian band Tinariwen, give this video a listen. Very popular in world music circles, Tinariwen won BBC’s radio 3 2005 world music award. Many of their songs are in french (but you should still take a listen!) as is Tinariwen’s official website. You can also read more about them at the following blogs: Global Beat Fusion, Cloudsoup, and Mullytron’s MOG.
Tinariwen “Chet Boghassa”
Garden variety North American Nomad. Born in the Midwest; lived and worked on the West Coast and abroad; studied in the South. Recently spotted putting down roots in New England.
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