Friday, December 24, 2021

A Very Micah Christmas 2021


 Hey! I'm *extremely* late in getting this year's edition of A Very Micah Christmas. I have my reasons, but you're not having them, are you? Better get on with it then. Here are the songs you'll be grooving to:

1. "Hell of a Holiday" - Pistol Annies
2. "Merry Christmas" - Ed Sheeran & Elton John
3. "Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)" - Kelly Clarkson
4. "Marshmallow World" - The Lone Bellow
5. "Blame It on the Mistletoe" - Amanda Shires
6. "Baby It's Cold Outside" - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats with Julie Davis
7. "Go Tell" - Flame with Dee-1 & George.Rose
8. "Happy Holidays" - Glass Tiger with Rich Voisine
9. "Dear Santa" Mr Little Jeans
10. "Stretchy Pants" - Carrie Underwood
11. "Make It to Christmas" - Alessia Cara
12. "Christmas Caller" - Beach Bunny
13. "Angels on High" - The Falcons
14. "Christmas Don't Be Late" - Norah Jones
15. "We Gon' Find You, Mr. Grinch" - Beleaf with Sarah Juers & Logan Histed
16. "Joy to the World" - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
17. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - Duke Pearson
18. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - Wrabel
19. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Albin Lee Meldau
20. "Zen Christmas" - Randall Bramblett
21. "Christmas in Dixie" - Alabama
22. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Steve Perry
23. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" - Johnny Mathis
24. "Silent Night (Be Still)" - Rend Collective

You can snag it here.

The kids love the streaming, so you'll find it in Spotify form below.

Want a little more visual flair? Then you'll want to watch the mix over at YouTube:

And that's that! I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 21, 2020

A Very Micah Christmas 2020

 


It's that time of year again, only this time much, much later! Yes, I'm super late getting this out. Between my insane seasonal work schedule, general procrastination, and overwhelming pandemic malaise, I lacked both energy and motivation to put this together in a timely manner. But I somehow pushed past that, so here we are!

This year I included more original Christmas songs than usual. After consuming so much music year after year for this project, yet another overly faithful rendition of an old chestnut bores me. Either put your own damn stamp on it or bring something new to the table. We're all about self-care these days, right? Well, original holiday songs perk my jaded ears up, so deal with it.

Here's what's in store for you on the Oh Please For The Love Of Pete Will This Year Ever End, er, 2020 edition of AVMC:

1. "Blame It on Christmas" - Bebe Rexha & Shea Diamond
2. "A Chinese Restaurant on Christmas" - Jeremy & The Harlequins
3. "Joe and Mary" - Bryan Adams
4. "Little Drummer Boy (feat. Dave Grohl)" - the bird and the bee
5. "Holidazed & Confused" - Nadia Vaeh
6. "It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries" - Carly Rae Jepsen
7. "Holidays" - Josie Dunne
8. "All the Best" - Saintseneca
9. "Christmas Girl" - The Easy Button
10. "Silent Night" - Pink Velvet
11. "Flying for Christmas" - Jackopierce
12. "If Christmas Didn't Exist" - Mosey
13. "Christmas" - marinelli
14. "Heartbreak Holiday" - Josh Rouse
15. "Christmas in My Home Town" - Charley Pride
16. "Christmas Is Annoying" - Keb' Mo'
17. "Baby, It's Could Outside (Latin Version)" - Brett Eldredge & Sofia Reyes
18. "A Midwest Christmas" - Andrea von Kampen
19. "Christmas Dinner" - Echobaby
20. "Snowqueen of Texas" - The Mamas & The Papas
21. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" - Cloverton
22. "Eight Nights a Week" - Loudon Wainwright III
23. "A Christmas Carol" - Tom Lehrer
24. "Oh Holy Night" - Andrew Bird
25. "This Must Be Christmas" - Kodaline
26. "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" - Johnnyswim
27. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" - She & Him
28. a suprise!

You can snag it here.

But honestly, who downloads music anymore? It's all about the streaming, baby! Spotify is my streamer of choice and here's the playlist there:


Don't have a Spotify account or want a little more visual flair? YouTube has you mostly covered. (One song I used - Josh Rouse's "Heartbreak Holiday" - is nowhere to be found there.) Behold:

Feel like diggin' through the eggnog crates? Previous editions of AVMC can be found under the Merry Mixmas tab up top. (On a mobile browser, click Home and it'll give you the option to switch.) Yeah, yeah, I've slacked off and haven't replaced the dead download links. Just enjoy the sweet, sweet YouTube and Spotify streams for now, ya filthy animals.

And there you go. I hope this year's mix lightens a little bit of your covid funk. Feel free to pass this on to any kith and/or kin who could use a shot of Yule tunes into their veins. It's guaranteed to keep the cooties at bay.* Merry Christmas!

*not a guarantee

Friday, December 18, 2020

Yes, Virginia, Die Hard is a Christmas movie AND a to-go Cocktail.


 Courtesy of Miracle in Carytown. Hopefully 2021 won't be another shit show and one can actually go inside the bar to take in their exquisitely decked halls.

Monday, December 23, 2019

A Very Micah Christmas 2019


Have I really been doing these mixes for TWENTY years now?! Indeed I have. Craziness. This year's edition is super late, I know. Work's been especially grueling this season, so with the energy left after my long days (weeks, years... ) I've only been able to put this together in dribs and drabs. But the wait is finally over!

So what do I have in store for you? Glad you asked. Stuff your ear holes with the following:

1. "Sugar and Booze" - Ana Gasteyer
2.  "Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season" - Andy Williams
3. "Looks Like a Cold, Cold Winter" - Ingrid Michaelson
4. "Jingle All the Way" - Lena Horne
5. "O Holy Night" - Lauren Daigle
6. "It's Christmas" - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
7. "Holly, Carol, Candy & Joy" - JD McPherson
8. "Christmas Means Nothing Without You" - Shonagh Murray
9. "Hurry Home" - Good Lovelies
10. "Honky Tonk Christmas" - Greg Garing
11. "Cape Cod Winter Blues" - G. Love & Special Sauce
12. "Merry Christmas Wherever You Are" - Meiko
13. "Giftcard" - Kay Proudlove
14. "Cold Cold Christmas" - Army Navy
15. "Miss You This Christmas" - Letters To Cleo
16. "Christmas Time Is Here (Uh Oh)" - Telekinesis
17. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - Rob Halford
18. "Oh Hanukkah" - Jack Black
19. "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" - Connie Francis
20. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - Joel Paterson
21. "Baby It's Cold Outside" - Act of Congress
22. "White Christmas" - The Drifters
23. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" - Elvis Presley
24. "Jesus Is Lord" - Kanye West
25. "Silent Night, Holy Night" - Johnny Mathis
27. Surprise!

Grab it here.

You're a part of the streaming music revolution? Then have I got a Spotify playlist for you!



Taking a principled stand and not shelling out $10 a month for a premium account? Well, I guess you could mosey on over to YouTube and peep the mix there for free.



Want a visit from the Ghost of A Very Micah Christmas Past? You can get my previous mixes by clicking on the Merry Mixmas tab at the top of the page. (Or just tap this.) The Spotify and YouTube links are still good, but I think the download ones are off for the time being. I'll try to get them up again, so keep checking back.

BTW that's my uncle circa 1957 in the artwork, walking on a skating rink my grandpa made in their backyard. (And that's my mom's legs in the background.) Talk about vintage. This is legit.

So that's that. I hope you enjoy this heaping helping of AVMC. Pass it along to loved ones, if you wish. Merry Christmas!

Trading my privacy for some holiday convenience



My Christmas lights set up this year. Ain't technology grand?

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Bah humnog!

The current state of my Christmas spirit, represented in beverage form: trying a bit too hard, passable if squinted at from a distance, but ultimately a far, far cry from the real thing.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

'Tis the season for wonderful, unsustainable business concepts

I turned this into a Christmas ornament so that I could remember all of the good times. (It'll be hanging on the Halloween tree for all of the bad times.)

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Simpsons still roasting on an open fire

On behalf of Ginormous Chocolate Santa, I'd like to wish a very happy 30th birthday to the Simpsons, which premiered with a Christmas episode on this date in 1989. Seasons 3 to 9ish are the best, most cromulent things ever produced for the television medium.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Gay apparel.

In order to force myself and those around me into having some holiday spirit, I'm only wearing Yuletide t-shirts at work, starting on Black Friday and running until Christmas Eve. Humbug.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Eggplants dancing in my head

Jingle jangle, folks! Another Christmas season is upon us and, per usual, I'm toiling hard in Santa's workshop (read: my day job), so this year's mix is going to be late unfortunately. One way or another, though, I'll get it done. In the meantime, I'll be putting up the usual pictures, videos, memes, etc.

First up: this was the perfect photo op when I was at the Williamsburg Antique Mall a few weeks ago. Yup, I bought that glass eggplant. Because I have the sense of humor of a 14 year old.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

A Very Micah Christmas 2018

Hark! A Very Micah Christmas is *finally* here. Sorry for the delay. This year has been... a year. But I somehow found the time and energy to throw this thing together. YOU'RE WELCOME. :) So just what do I have in store for you? Well, here's what will be pumpin' through your headphones whilst you sled down that hill:

1. "Unwrap You at Christmas" - The Monkees
2. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" - Los Straitjackets
3. "Hey Skinny Santa!" - JD McPherson
4. "What Christmas Means to Me" - Quiet Company
5. "Angels We Have Heard on High" - Old 97's
6. "Rise Up Shepherd" - Twin Bandit
7. "Deck the Halls" - The Sweeplings
8. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Colin & Caroline
9. "Crush Some Egg Nogs" - Annelise Noronha
10. "Happier New Year" - Chris Farren
11. "Feliz Navidad" - shame
12. "Thank God It's Christmas" - Queen
13. "Last Christmas" - Carly Rae Jepsen
14. "You Bring the Snow" - The Crookes
15. "Nice Jewish Boy Band Chanukah Medley" - Six13
16. "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra
17. "Baby, It's Christmastime" - Praytell
18. "Holiday Parties" - Empty Atlas
19. "I'd Be Jolly Too" - Jim Brown
20. "Christmas Makes Me Sad" - Rodney Crowell
21. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" - Frank Sinatra
22. "It's Christmas Without You" - The Mavericks
23. "Next Year Will Be Mine" - Whyte Horses
24. "Christmas Eve at Kroger" - Traveller
25. "White Christmas" - Soft News
26. "Silent Night" - Beta Radio
27. Surprise!

You can snag it here.

This year I made it a point that each song I used (aside from the bonus track) is available on Spotify. Due to licensing issues, usually at least a third of the songs in my mix aren't streaming. Now that I've ditched the CD version I used to send to friends and family, I don't know how many of you actually go through the trouble to download the mix anymore and I don't want you to miss out. So here's where you can play the songs and give the artists a fraction of a penny!


And I know how you kids like your YouTubes and "stars" I've never heard of, so here's a video playlist. (It's missing the Los Straitjackets song, but it includes the bonus track, so I guess it's a wash.)


You can grab some of the previous editions of AVMC above in the "Merry Mixmas" tab. I believe there currently are some broken links up there, but I'll try to get them fixed in the coming days.

My favorite new discovery this year would have to be the Traveller song. Among the wistful looks back at Christmases past and name checking of Die Hard is a verse we should all take to heart:

"Well, please don't fight
No politics at dinner
We're all in this together
If only for the night
Oh holy night"

We're all so divided these days, yelling at each other, not bothering to listen, and retreating into the safety of our tribes. Let's put all that crap aside, pour each other a strong eggnog, and find some common ground. It'll probably have to do with food or the upcoming Avengers flick, but that's good enough.

Okay, rant over. So another AVMC is in the books. Time for me to turn on the HD fireplace and enjoy a cup of tea. I hope you enjoy this year's mix. Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

MILF on the Shelf: Day 6

You're safe from Charlie Brown and Frank Costanza while all up in that tinsel. Merry Christmas, MILF!

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Check out this sh*t.

Lately I've tried to limit myself to one new ornament a year, but screw it. This year has been a different one. So I bought two. And three were gifts related to my fun summer. How lovelier are thy branches now.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

This controversy is stupid.

Upon hearing which Wendy was triggered and retreated to her safe space, the hedge maze. (Or the topiaries if you're a fan of the book.)

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

I'm doing this holiday dating thing all wrong.

Ooooooh. The key is to always have an extra string of lights on hand. Noted... ladies.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Friday, December 7, 2018

MILF on the Shelf: Day 1

You're starting the season a little late this year, MILF, but I still support you.