Pithy Title Here

Last year, the annual holiday mix was solid, but, if you ask me, it was a bit pedestrian. Quality of song was pretty high, but there was something missing. Neither the mariachi horns from the Killers nor the fast-paced fun of Julian Casablancas really put the oomph into the holiday. And, as usual, finding Hanukkah songs was a freakin' challenge. One iffy Hanukkah song. I was concerned the supply of great modern holiday indie rock was gone. Friends, I am pleased to say this year's holiday mix is stellar. The dance beat is back in Christmas. You want Hanukkah? We have Hanukkah. Let's dive in! 1) The LeeVees - "How do You Spell Channukkahh?" - The guy with the rich low voice from Guster put this out with some friends a few years ago. And it's a damn fine way to start a holiday mix. An entertaining song (as all good Hanukkah songs should be) about a topic that even the best of Jews has to tackle. Add in driving guitars and clever lyrics and we're off to ...

Every year, as detailed last year , I put together a mix of holiday songs by rock bands. Let's face it, most holiday music lacks. If I'm going to have some holiday music in my home, I want it to be music I would invite in and offer a drink. But any scan of the usual holiday selections doesn't fit the bill. As a household that heartily celebrates Chrismukkah , I always try to mix it up. Christmas songs are easy to find. I try to supplement that with some general winter songs (not hard) and some Hanukkah songs. That is becoming a challenge. First of all, the idea here is to find bands people have heard of for the mix. There are plenty of Hanukkah rock songs, but many are by bands who no one knows. Also, and I'm allowed to say this because I'm Jewish... one would think with all the Levines and Schwartzs running around record label offices, we might have a decent new Hanukkah song every now and then. One would be wrong. But I digress... Anyhow, after trolling iTunes ...

Fall has long been my favorite time of year. I love all seasons, but there's something about fall... maybe the invigorating crisp air. Maybe the sound of the band playing in the background during college football games. Maybe it's just the leaves turning. I'm extra excited this year because, for the first time since departing New York City in 2005, I have a real fall to enjoy. After five years of wondering if I need to put shorts on for Thanksgiving dinner in North Carolina, the weather in Seattle is gloriously stereotypical fall. The leaves are turning, I can see my breath the moment the sun goes away. Fall isn't a group of decorations here. I've already worn several sweaters this fall. Amazing. I think one reason I love the season, though, is the smells. This happens outside with the cool air, the wet fallen leaves and the like. But inside, especially in our home, is where things go to another level. My wife is a fantastic cook and this time of year means soups an...

Happy new year all! How are we ringing it in? By sitting the hell out of our couch. No joke, yesterday, it was 4 p.m. before we made ourselves presentable and here we are today, nearly 3 p.m. and we're both sitting here wearing pajamas. And, I'm not going to lie: it's awesome. Both of our offices are on holiday time today and I'm sitting here realizing just how flipping busy we've been for the past several months. Not just work... it's honestly been the out-of-work stuff that's really been keeping us extra busy. Choir rehearsals and concerts, Sarah's freelance writing, my local board position... all of this is stuff we enjoy. And that takes time. We will head to the gym in a few... we've still been pretty good about that. Plus, I am in the throes of a cold, so being sedentary is, I think, really helping me out. But makes me think... almost every weekend is a sprint of getting chores and errands done and squeezing in some social time... and som...

My sister-in-law and I inadvertently started a holiday tradition three Christmases ago when we made a gingerbread house together. We both enjoy baking, so we have the skills, but we also seem to work well together on this sort of thing. We started simple that year: a basic house. It did have a pretzel-stick split-rail fence, mini marshmallow snowman and life-cereal thatch roof. It was an honest triumph. It went so well we spent a lot of 2007 thinking about what to do last Christmas and we made a gingerbread carousel. This was MUCH more complicated. We could have taken the easy route and just made two large gingerbread circles and gone from there, but we wanted a slanted roof. So we made to equal hexagons, made triangles to go on top as a roof and supported the whole damn thing with candy canes. It was not easy. But we pulled it off. This year, we did something technically easier, which gave us greater ability to experiment with some things. First off, Maggie read about how to...

If you live somewhere that gets any manner of radio reception, you have been exposed to the "Christmas 24/7" station. Turn it on and, yep, there's "Sleigh Ride." As fun as carols are, the ubiquity of Christmas songs almost spoils the fun. My old neighborhood in NYC (Astoria, Queens) had a PA system installed the length of Steinway St., blaring constant Christmas tunes. That's fun the first week it's up. After that it's more "Man, loud fire engines do not drive by often enough." This is a shame. Compounding this is that there are plenty of good bands out there that could be played on the radio that are not. And 24-hour Christmas stations mean there's one less place on the dial for good music. So, last year, I created a mix CD of songs by modern bands doing holiday songs... some humorous, some traditional. And I will say, it was a nice departure from the radio. The list was: 1) The Dandy Warhols - The Little Drummer Boy 2) Save F...

At some point in the next few hours I will gorge myself on fowl and drink more than a few people's shares of spirits. But that means I should take the time now to pay some heed to this holiday. Times is tough, you may have heard, yet this year, to date, has been very kind to Sarah & me. We've got all we need, we're both fortunate to be working in secure jobs... and with all the strife right now, there's a lot to be said for that. So, that's what I'm thankful for this year... and here's hoping that my friends and family that are varying degrees of up against it won't be this time next year.