by Chris Bodenner
A reader writes:
This is a great list. Might I suggest a couple additions?
"She Won't Be Home" by Erasure
"Christmas Every Year" by Frazier Chorus
The first is a powerful lament from the perspective of an LGBT adult unable to go "home" for the holidays because of an unaccepting family. The second is a vicious skewering of the holiday, trashing the materialism of the modern celebration as only Frazier Chorus can.
Another writes:
What? No "Fairytale of New York"?
It was in our original post featuring the Pogues but the video was taken off YouTube. Another:
Some friends of mine and I keep what we call "The List." It's a list of depressing things, often shown to children. "My Girl," "The Velveteen Rabbit," "Where the Red Fern Grows," and "Old Yeller" are near the top of the list. ("The Christmas Shoes" is on it, too.) This year, "One Last Christmas" has been added to The List.
The music video, featuring home footage of a boy with cancer, is truly moving (as long as you can ignore the singer). Another sends the YouTube above:
"Christmas in the Trenches" is one of my father's favorite songs. I suppose it's a song about a depressing situation (WWI trench warfare) with an uplifting message. It still gives me chills.