Fairy Lights and Falling Snow

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This is a tape for the evenings before Christmas: lights on the tree, snow (or at least rain) at the window, something warm in a mug. It was made for a cosy winter evening at home, with gentle Christmas and winter songs that are warm and heartfelt, and one song per artist. There's nothing loud or novelty here, just the songs that make a room feel like the season.

It starts with the great crooners. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the oldest song on the tape and still the softest, and Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song", with chestnuts roasting in its first line, is velvet-voiced warmth. Ella Fitzgerald's "Sleigh Ride" is playful and bright, and Dean Martin's "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" has the easy charm of a night you don't want to leave the sofa. The Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Christmas Time Is Here", from A Charlie Brown Christmas, is gentle jazz piano that feels like candlelight.

Then it turns softer and more modern. The Carpenters' "Merry Christmas Darling" is tender and nostalgic, Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong" is hushed and dreamy, and James Taylor's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is warm acoustic comfort. Michael Bublé's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" and Harry Connick Jr.'s "Winter Wonderland" bring a gentle swing, before Josh Groban's "O Holy Night" gives the evening one soaring moment and She & Him's "Christmas Day" ends it with sweet, vintage-sounding warmth.

The songs run from 1942 to 2011, from big-band crooning to acoustic pop, but the whole tape stays at fireside volume. Gentle enough for wrapping presents, warm enough for a quiet night in. Put it on as a YouTube playlist while you decorate the tree, and let it loop through the evening. If you want something livelier for a Christmas party, make your own tape with the energy turned up.