Aside from the occasional wandering into good parties, I don't have much of a use for this season. All the glad-handing and "good cheer" only stands out for me because so many folks -- nobody reading these words, of course -- seem to conveniently forget about it the rest of the year. I'm an arch cynical bastard, but at least I'm decent enough to be one consistently. So when the question, What's your favorite Xmas song? comes up, I always have the same answer: The Pogues + Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York." I love that it's a love story about two people who care about each other despite the downward turn their lives have taken. There's no gifts, no reindeers, no mythical (sorry, kids) Father Christmases breaking and entering and magically making everything alright. The protagonists come to terms with what's become of them, and still love each other. One exchange still makes me tear up, every time I hear it:
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I built my dreams around you
Comics fans might remember the final line serving as the title of an atypically romantic issue of Preacher. And, hey, if that means Garth Ennis liked this song too, then I feel better about skipping the holiday schmaltz. Enjoy.
EDIT: Okay, I have to admit: this is pretty cool, too.
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