【Alanis (2017)】

An Ode to... is a weekly column where we share the stuff we're really into in hopes that you'll be Alanis (2017)really into it, too.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and, if you're like me, a time to bathe in the cascade of Christmas songs, Grinches and Scrooges be damned.

For a solid month between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, it is wall-to-wall Christmas music, flooding out of every speaker, radio, and PA system you come across. This may sound like hell to some people but, reader, those people are wrong.

Making things even more fun, streaming platforms have revolutionized the way we can consume Christmas music: no ads, access to just about every possible version of every possible Christmas song, and, most importantly, the curated playlist.

Spotify Christmas playlists are a wonderful rabbit hole to get lost down, a never-ending stream that's available to listeners of both free accounts and paid subscribers. And, of course, many are created by real listeners, which adds a nice human element to our algorithm-driven existence.

What's so great about these playlists is that not only can you find plenty of the classics in easy to shuffle portions, but you get to dig in to the deep cuts, the forgotten or overlooked Christmas songs.

You want some trap Christmas tunes? Boom. Done.

There's a lot of value in changing things up, be it finding an interesting soundtrack for your holiday party or exposing yourself to something fresh and new.

Like this mix of heavy and hair metal Christmas tunes that's quite something to behold, something you feel like laughing at until you keep listening and... hey, it's not bad at all. In fact, it's downright fun.

There's also room for the offbeat. There's plenty to hear, be it the "weird songs" or even something more practical, like, say, an upbeat workout playlist.

And this, Charlie Brown, is what Spotify Christmas playlists are all about.

You won't love everything you hear, of course, but that's besides the point. It's about making the experience something worth having. No wonder so many people are turned off by the barrage of Christmas music: It's the same stuff, year after year, and you're gonna get burned out quick.

But by diving into all of these playlists, you have the opportunity to make a rote, once-a-year listening experience into something new and exciting. One of my favorite examples is a mariachi playlist I've been listening to because the style makes the holiday feel festiveand joyfulagain.

Maybe for you it'll be this reggae playlist or this rockabilly one or even this emo one. Or perhaps you need to go waaaay deep and take a Krampus-inspired playlist for a spin.

Whatever your music of choice is, give these playlists a chance. There's a never-ending stream of them so odds are you'll find one that hits you in that holiday sweet spot and makes the season seem a bit brighter, a bit cheerier, and bit more lit again.