Jacke Wilson

I haven’t listened to Sufjan Stevens in a while, but there was a time when his Michigan album was just about all I listened to. Is he completely unlike anyone else, or do I just not listen to enough music?

In any case, I ran across his Christmas albums the other day. Here’s a taste:

So haunting. It’s my favorite Christmas song (well, tied for first) and I still have a soft spot for the Sinatra version, which makes me think of WWII GIs. This video makes me think of…I don’t know. Death? That might be too much for me for the holidays. A soldier bravely facing death and thinking of his loved ones…more my speed.

Here’s another one called “Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day (Well, You Deserved It).”

I love Sufjan when he sings duets. Simply gorgeous. But what a topic. I’m giving him credit for the best parenthetical in a song title since Spinal Tap’s “Tonight I’m Going to Rock You (Tonight).”

What can we end with? All doom and gloom? I’ll skip the one called “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!” and all the traditional songs. Sufjan singing “Silent Night” – I’m afraid to click on that one. My heart might just split and fall apart, like a karate-chopped apple.

This one is fun:

Well, okay, I have to admit. I’m the doom and gloom type. The melancholy, wistful, longing, heartbroken type. So not for me, Elf Dance! I’m going with the worst Christmas ever:

Simply gorgeous. And this one, with ends with a note of love, harmony, redemption. A bit of soaring after all that wallowing. I need it! I’ll take it, Sufjan! Thank you!