Best Christmas Alumns!

Christmas music is rad, man. And so is making lists. Like the best Listservs on the planet! So let's make a Christmas list. But with a couple of stips: One, no Bing, Dean and Peggy Lee. Great Christmas warblers, sure, but they have so many albums that it's unpossible to pick one. And two, no comps, even though there are some sweet Christmas tunes from Starflyer, Pedro and JJ on Happy Christmas or Maybe this Christmas or Christmas for Goyims. Alright, enough small talk. Hit it!

15. Amy Grant - A Christmas Album
So many great synths and keytar solos. But this was Amy Grant back in tha day, before the drama, before Baby Baby, when all she wanted was a Tender Tennesse Christmas. Cheesy? Yes. Feels like home? Absolutely.

14. Enya - And Winter Came
Yes, Enya is on my list. Deal with it. These guys were Sigur Ros back when Sigur Ros was Sigur Who? Ceewatididthr? THERE ARE NO MUSIC RULES AT CHRISTMAS!!!

13. The Blind Boys of Alabama - Go Tell It on the Mountain
These guys are blind and they sing the blues and the gospel. That's hot.

12. The Beach Boys - Christmas Album
A little old, but Brian Wilson is the sweetest man since ever. That means he's sweeter than Moses. MOSES MAIMONIDES!!! Vocal cords from God herself. I'm such a feminazi.

11. Leonard Bernstein - The Joy of Christmas
Lame alert! Jonny likes the Nutcracker. Taylor Townsend, I love you. Leonard Bernstein, you're a close second.

10. Tim Dinkins - Christmas on the Moon
I found this little gem on TPB. I have no idea who Tim Dinkins is/was/is yet to be, but he's amazing. Kind of twangy, lo-fi, x-mas joy. On the moon.

9. Low - Christmas
Quite quiet tunes from everybody's favorite Mormons. What? Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker aren't your favorite Mormons?!? You're a sick human being. Go drive your Hummer and destroy another rain forest sick human being!!! Exclamation!

8. Christmas in Russia
Russians singing Christmas carols? Yes, like angels! Like angels on the head of a pin! A beautiful choral pin topped with gorgeous choral voices! On a pin!

7. A Christmas Gift to You from Phil Spector
Cheater! No, really I'm not. Sort of a compliation, I know, which breaks the rules. But it's from/produced by Phil Spector, man! That hair, man! And good rock music, man! Making the kids dance like demons, man! It's bad in Bomont, I hear.

6. Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas
Vince Guaraldi, basically you're a peach. Thanks for the best Christmas special ever.

5. Rosie Thomas - A Very Rosie Christmas
Oh Rosie, I saw you once at a house show in Seattle. You were beautiful. Basically, you should have my Christmas babies. kthnxbi!

4. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas
Yeah, possibly my favorite Sufjan song of all time is Sister Winter. All the volumes are streets ahead. Don't be streets behind, Listen!!!

3. John Denver and the Muppets - A Christmas Together
Goodness from my childhood! John Denver melts my six-year-old heart. And my current one, too. Also, did you hear they're making a new Muppets movie? And it's supposed to be not just for kids? Like the old days!!! Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!

2. Michael W. Smith - Christmas
Best Christmas album of the 80s. Best album of W's career. Circa some time around 1988 he birthed this beautiful thing full of carols and choirs and pop songcraft. His duet with Amy G? Fabulous! That sounded gay. Tis the season!

1. Over the Rhine - The Darkest Night of the Year
Number one with a bullet. Linford and Karen own my music liver along with Jesus. B/c my heart is full with possiblity. Don't worry, it's cool. This is literally the saddest, most beautiful Christmas album of all time. It kills me. In my bones. It's like death marrow. But in a good way.

Top Five Mood Ring Comments of 2008

Erica's list about red dresses and the ladies who wear them inspired me to do some additional research on the topic of the color known both formally and informally as "red." Over the course of my research, I came across a website from the HeartCore Corporation, which totally sounds like a dummy front for secret geniuses who can figure out how to do anything real easy like in that show The Pretender. Does anybody else remember Jarod? Man, that show was sweet.

In an article titled "Information About Mood Ring Colors," I was able to ascertain the many meanings of the color red as they pertain to mood rings as a measure of body temperature. Good stuff. But following the article, there were a number of insightful questions and comments left by users of healthynewage.com, comments which spurred me on to creating this, the newest Saniel Bonders list, top comments about mood rings in 2008:

5. Jessica asks a question we've all wondered at one time or another: "I am wearing a mood ring right now, and I am very sad right now, but it shows no color of sadness? Is my mood ring a fake?"

4. Lily fell into the old Dollar Store Mood Ring Trap: "I just got a mood ring and it is a love me or not mood ring, and I don't have a color chart for it just because I got it for 1 dollar do you know where I can get a color chart for it?"

3. Brizette's question is so far beyond me, I'm hoping one of you can help: "Hey, I noticed that when I was talking to this guy that has been my friend for a long time, my mood ring became pink. I read on the chart above that pink is usually fear. I like this guy, but I don't know why I would be afraid. Can someone explain this to me?"

2. Scott gets very, very reflective with his comment. And I think he has a great point about mood rings reflecting our soul feelings, rather than just body temperatures: "I got a mood ring when I went to six flags. When I'm with the girl I'm going out with it is always a mixture of vivid red and vivid greed. When I'm alone it is always completely black. It's red and green when I am with her because of how she makes me feel. But the color black, I believe reflects the pain i feel physically. I take more notice of the pain when alone and no one is there to distract me. It's more than temperature, even in the cold the color is always the same with me, only changes when I'm with her that proves it's more than just temperature."

1. Linda has quite a problem with the utter complexity of her mood ring. She obviously did NOT get it at the dollar store: "I have a mood ring with five dolphins that look as though they are moving around the ring. The dolphins are inside the ring. The dolphins change colors as well as the ring. Right now the ring is a teal color with whitish and gold dolphins. Most of the time the ring is blue with gold dolphins. Occasionally, the ring is a pea green color with the dolphins being pinkish or gold. I appreciate any information you can give me on this."

I bring this list to your attention because these are incredibly powerful comments that beg for reflection, careful thought, and tender responses. If you can answer any of these questions, please do so in the comments area below. Thank you.