Advent Countdown 2025 Part Four 🤶🦌

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I received this year’s first one of these yesterday – it’s in the TBR pile, until I can bring myself to look at it!

I have much more important things on my mind anyway, like playing some more seasonal tunes. For this selection I am relying on four more of my regular favourites while adding in a new one, and am rounding things off with one of this year’s better adverts.

As I have said, I don’t often venture into the pop charts for my seasonal songs, but for this one I make an exception, as it is so much fun:

I love this one, as much for the slightly puzzled looks on some of the kids’ faces as for the song itself. You can almost hear the conversations now, can’t you: “It’s summer outside, so why do we have snow indoors?” – this video was apparently made in July. There’s actually a lot I like about this one, which for us is a real Christmas classic. Wizzard were a glam rock band, started by Roy Wood after he left The Move and had a short spell with the earliest incarnation of ELO. This was released in 1973, and spent four weeks at a peak position of #4 over the Christmas/New Year period. It still sounds fresh to me today!

Many songs have, over the years, become standards for Christmas, quite a few of them being in the territory of the crooners, who I find too bland for my taste. This is one of those songs, but given a different treatment. It is a big favourite of mine which is why I have played it every year since 2015, when I first started doing this:

Brynn Andre’s version of Let It Snow is my absolute favourite version of this song, as I told her when I first heard it. I’ve just checked and the comment I left – and Brynn’s reply – are still there. Rather shocking to me is the fact that this video has only received 1,200 views in the thirteen years since it was posted, and I probably account for quite a few of those! That fits with what I have said before about Brynn going under the radar: she released two albums, in 2009 and 2011, and a couple of EPs in 2011 and 2012, but then went rather silent. This was the title track on the second of those EPs, neither of which is available any longer, as far as I can find. She got married, started a family (twin daughters), and developed freelance careers as a copywriter and a life coach, which you can find under her married name of Brynn Johnson or the company name – Swandive –  if you are in need of either service. She made a small return in 2018 and 2019 and then fulfilled my wish to hear new music from her with a full album, Honeymoon, in 2023. Like this song and video that album is ‘delightful’ and I recommend it to you.

The Killers released an original Christmas song each year for a while, and I have played several of them before. But I keep coming back to this one, which is my favourite of them. This is one of my all time favourite Christmas songs, about the loneliness some people feel at Christmas, especially if life isn’t working out the way they hoped or planned. I think it is a beautiful song, and the video is superb:

As I said, The Killers released a Christmas song each year from 2006 to 2016 to raise money for the Product Red charity, whose aim is to help increase awareness and reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in eight African countries. These were combined into an album, Don’t Waste Your Wishes, in 2016. Many of these singles made the lower reaches of the UK charts – more than they did in the US, in fact. Christmas In L.A. got to #92 in the UK, presumably a low placing in the face of too much competition from the usual re-released dross that fills the charts at this time of year. I have always felt that this, their 2013 offering, is the best of the bunch. The video stars Owen Wilson, in the role of a struggling actor, with Harry Dean Stanton being heard as the ‘voice of reason’ and making a brief cameo appearance. The song was written by the band in collaboration with Taylor Goldsmith, of the band Dawes, and Irving Berlin gets a writing credit too, for the inclusion of some of the lyrics from a little number called White Christmas. If you know the music of Dawes you will recognise how much of an influence Taylor had in this: in all honesty, this could really be a Dawes song, as it is so typical of their style. It is a lovely song, performed wonderfully, all brought together by a video which is a perfect fit.

Now for this year’s new one – well, new for me, anyway. I was reminded of this album when Nancy played a song from it the other day, and as it had been lurking in my Apple Music library for several years I thought it about time to let it out. This is the fabulous Rob Thomas:

You may know of Rob Thomas from his being the lead singer of the great band Matchbox Twenty, or possibly from the Santana big hit track Smooth, on which he was the vocalist. Aside from that he has made a number of solo albums, and Small Town Christmas is a track from his October 2021 offering Something About Christmas Time. As its title suggests this was a collection of seasonal songs, most of which he wrote himself. It was far from being his most successful album but it has some nice songs, and I rather like this one and its sense of nostalgia.

Today’s final tune is another that I play every year – it wouldn’t be Christmas for me without it:

Joni Mitchell, of course, with River. I did actually play a newer official video for this song previously, but I love this one, which just feels so right for this absolutely beautiful song, which you probably already know was on Joni’s Blue album, released in June 1971, and which I still think is her best album ever. Ten tracks, and they are all brilliant. The album peaked at #15 in the US, at #9 in her native Canada, but I’m pleased to say that we did best by it, as it reached #3 here in the UK. Fifty four years ago, and it still sounds as fresh as ever. Joni suffered an aneurysm some years ago which has severely affected her, but it is good to know she is still recognised for her music: she received the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Historical Album, for her Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) collection, and made a nostalgic appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in summer 2022, accompanied by many who paid homage by joining in with her on some of her songs. She looked frail but thrilled to be there, and was still (just) able to perform.

That’s today’s music sorted, but as usual I leave you with an advert. For many years the gold standard here was held by the John Lewis stores, whose annual offering was eagerly awaited. In recent years they haven’t quite done it for me, but this year’s is a good one. It may not quite be up there with their best, but it has a nice feel to it:

I get a good feeling from that, and I hope you do too.

We’re now halfway through my sets of seasonal songs, and there are so many more I want to play you. There are a couple of new ones I might include, but if I’m going to keep these sets to five songs I may just end up playing the usual suspects – wait and see!

I hope you’re keeping well and aren’t too stressed out with all of the preparations. Take care, and I’ll see you again for Song Lyric Sunday 🎄

71 thoughts on “Advent Countdown 2025 Part Four 🤶🦌”

  2. are those Wizzard’s usual outfits – or something special for Christmas?

    I agree that Brynn Andre’s version of Let It Snow is top notch.

    Christmas In L.A. and River are also among my favorite Christmas songs, along with their videos. I’ve already played both a few times this holiday season.

    and a great advert from John Lewis – thanks for sharing!

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    • They usually dressed up in outlandish outfits, so these weren’t odd at all. A really fun band, while they were around.

      Glad you agree on Brynn – so much better than the old men in sweaters!

      I’m pleased you found some more favourites in here, and that was one of the best of a poor set of Christmas ads this year.

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      • This may come as a surprise to an American but the hype of Super Bowl passes me by! We have a sports channel for the NFL but when it goes to an ad break they show us local ones rather than what you get. And we don’t get the half time show either, as far as I know.

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      • That figures!

        I hadn’t even heard of the guy doing it this time, until Trump threw his toys out of the pram about him.

        I’ll take your word for that. A ‘game’ that has an hour’s play in more than four hours isn’t worth losing my sleep for!

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      • I had heard of him, but was not familiar with his music.

        And I agree that man of our sports drag on way too long. I have been enjoying watching Premier League games, partly because they don’t take up an entire afternoon/evening…

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      • It isn’t! Not uncommon for the Monday night game to kick off at 8pm, with the programme starting at 6pm and going on until 11pm. It’s the same opinionated twats loving the sounds of their own voices, so I tend to wait until kick off!

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      • I never watch pregame stuff either. Like you, I just want to watch the game.

        And speaking of sports, I’m not sure if you follow American college sports, but in my opinion, money has ruined it.

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      • I follow very little pro level US sport, so your country’s fascination with college games baffles me! We get coverage here of the NFL, basketball and rounders – sorry, baseball – but I never watch. I think it’s only the top level stuff.

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      • I see to enjoy college sports, back when amateur meant something.

        By the way, we watched Love Actually today. Loved it. And a nice little bonus of hearing Joni Mitchell singing River in the background. Thanks for the tip!

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      • Money has damaged many sports, but I still prefer that to amateur! But with a choice of Premier League football or the lower tiers I always go for those – the game is more honest away from the megabucks.

        I’m pleased you enjoyed the movie. It has so much to enjoy with all the different story lines, with a fantastic cast and a great script. It first came out around 2003, I think, and I must have seen it somewhere between ten and fifteen times. Never tire of it!

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      • When I think of amateur, it reminds me of sports like rowing and swimming, where the athletes competed primarily for the love of it, not for the money. For the most part, most college sports used to be like that, until the money started pouring in, for both the schools, and now the athletes.

        And speaking of honest. Sports gambling is out of control in the U.S.

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    • Thank you, Christine, I’m glad you liked it. That’s one of my favourite memes – I bring it out every year, and I still haven’t read the one I have so far received!

      They released a new official video for ‘River’ a few years back but I much prefer Snoopy!

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  10. another good ad!
    and all songs have a uniue holiday vibe but my top one today??

    the Joni Mitchell and Peanuts = and did you know that I do not totally love Joni Mitchell – I know lol – anyhow, that video was special!

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  11. All wonderful songs!
    “I wish it could be Christmas every day” and “The River” are tied for first place. 🙂.
    The commercial was tender. I’m glad you shared it.
    I am enjoying the season. Not going too crazy. 🙂 Sitting up late at night, reading with the Christmas lights on, is a favorite part of the season for me.

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  13. These are really wonderful, Clive. It was so much fun seeing and hearing “Wizzard”! I really like the ones by The Killers and Rob Thomas; they are among my favorite performers. I wasn’t crazy about Joni Mitchell’s song but that’s just me. Thanks for putting us in the Christmas Spirit. Happy Advent, Clive! 🌲 🎅🏼 🌟

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  15. That John Lewis ad is great! I hadn’t seen it before (and we do get British TV here in Spain). That dad-son relationship is a tricky one, and the ad shows it well. Awesome Christmas songs. Thanks.

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