Dylan Seymour - 'Winter Song' by Sam Fender
One of the singles released before 2021's Seventeen Going Under, 'Winter Song' is, for me, one of the best displays of local boy Sam Fender's talents. The vocals are some of Fender's best in my opinion, and carry with them signature lefty political themes - "do you spare a thought for the traveller with no secure position". An excellent piano backing is reminiscent of some of the Geordie's later tracks such as 'The Dying Light' and 'Last To Make it Home'. Sure, 'Winter Song' carries with it some slight Christmas themes, but it's certainly not one you'll hear played in the student union Co-Op any time soon.
Charlotte Atkinson - 'Angel in the Snow' by Elliott Smith
As the sun sets earlier and earlier and I start waking up to snow blocking out the sun coming through the skylight, I find myself cycling back to this song. The song in question is 'Angel in the Snow' by Elliott Smith. This song comes from the 2007 posthumously released compilation New Moon, which contained 24 unreleased tracks recorded by Smith prior to his death in 2003.
While not the cheeriest of choices, I do love this song, and it never fails to remind me of Christmas. The title is obviously part of the reason (hence why I listened to the song during Christmas of 2021), but it’s also the image it invokes in the lyrics. Elliott Smith was a gorgeous lyricist, with great power to call forth strong emotion or conjure up a vivid image. The soft melancholy of Smith’s love for the subject of this song is heartbreaking. I feel that side of Christmas is often forgotten; while it is a joyous time, it’s also represents a time of endings, and of change. While that is a beautiful thing, there’s also nothing wrong with mourning what once was.
Becca Martin - 'Imagine' by John Lennon
Arguably anything off John Lennon’s 1971 ‘Imagine’ perfectly encapsulates the winter season, but it is the self-titled track that triumphs. While the most obvious John Lennon pick for the colder months would be ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’, but the combination of the piano and Lennon’s soft, unique voice in ‘Imagine’ act as the ultimate comfort as temperatures drop below 0 degrees and the Christmas festivities begin. The lyrics are a constant reminder of community, love and peace, all integral values around Christmas time, making it the perfect song to ease you into the Christmas spirit.
Luke Sproates - 'The Whole of the Moon' by The Waterboys
Although not a Christmas song, The Waterboys' renowned 1985 track is one I always turn to during the festive period. Its lyricism paints a vivid canvas of the night sky, with wondrous imagery such as “unicorns and cannonballs / trumpets and towers,” mirroring the awe Christmas used to inspire in you as a child. Accompanied by a magnificent trumpet solo, the arrangement blends classic ’80s musicianship with magical, inspiring vocals. This alternative rock song romanticizes and encapsulates wintertime introspection.