Friday Five: The Birthday Edit
a year older; a year bolder
Good morning angels,
The Friday Five is here one day early. It’s my birthday (and Festivus, to all who observe), or Christmas Eve Eve as I like to call it, and I’m in a surprise and delight mood. Birthdays are weird for me but pulling this together brought me smiles and joy — I hope it does the same for you.
I’m listening to a lot of holiday music this month and trying to rank my favorites, but I’m struggling. Here are my top five, in no particular order: Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” obviously Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and Destiny’s Child’s “Opera of the Bells.” I’m also enjoying Object of Sound’s Christmas Song Bracket where you can vote for the ultimate Christmas song, thanks to Hanif Abdurraqib and Hrishikesh Hirway.
Playlist: I’ve compiled all the individual songs I’ve shared in Friday Fives since launching Consumed in August in one playlist. Since I don’t always include a song in the newsletter, there are only twelve songs and it is definitely a weird but enjoyable musical mixed salad (cultural mosaic if you’re Canadian). If I can remember, I’ll just keep adding new songs onto here, and maybe by next year we’ll have a real vibe…or continued chaos.
Historical Moment: Elementary schoolers in Grants Pass, Oregon witnessed a Christmas miracle: a crow named Cosmo took up temporary residence in their classroom, and it turns out he can talk — and curse!! The Oregonian calls Cosmo “a friendly, if somewhat foul-mouthed, crow.” There are too many noteworthy parts of that article for me to summarize, but a few highlights for me include Cosmo landing on people’s heads, a dog named Tonka Truck, and Cosmo hanging out at Planet Fitness.
Poem: Ellen Bass’s “Getting into Bed on a December Night” is tender, sweet, and so warm in the December darkness. It feels timely given that this week marks the winter solstice. Each day onwards will get a tiny bit lighter and longer.
Video: Patti LaBelle’s rendition of “This Christmas” at the 1996 National Tree Lighting is the funniest thing to air on C-SPAN in the network’s 42-year history. Not one thing went according to plan (just like 2020 + 2021 lol) and Patti is still giving incredible vocals and professionalism. You need to watch this all the way through.
Joyful Internet Content:
Where are my background singers?
Roya