Festive Favs by Imaginary Gardens: Your Holiday Season Soundtrack

By Imaginary Gardens Staff, Introduction by Anna Trevathan, Managing Editor

We’re approaching the months where lights twinkle a little brighter, and every song feels like a cozy, nostalgic blanket. Imaginary Gardens is ringing in the new season with some holiday favorites of our own! This playlist has a little something for everyone: from sultry pop anthems to emo cover classics to some nostalgic country hits. 

Unwrap our reasons for the season, and enjoy our Festive Favs:

Anna Trevathan – Managing Editor

“buy me presents” by Sabrina Carpenter

This whole album is an absolute banger; I adore Sabrina’s funny, witty way of writing and lyrically, this album is so major. This song is roughly about Sabrina dating Santa Claus, and the way she describes it is a chef’s kiss: “He’s a little bit older / Got a bit of a dad bod / From a city that’s colder / But damn it, he’s so hot.” In two words: seasonal sultry. 

Emma Harrison – Editor

“Christmas in Dixie” by Alabama 

For those of you who know me, it won’t come as a surprise that I love Christmas music. A close second to how much I love Christmas music is how much I love country music. I mean, I was raised on country music. “Christmas in Dixie” is such a nostalgic song for me during the holidays since, to me, it represents what Christmas in the South is all about and reminds me of winter nights when my mom’s side of the family would all gather in my grandparents’ tiny living room in Polk County, TN to listen while my Papaw would read the Christmas story. So, from me to you, “Merry Christmas from Dixie to everyone tonight.”

Em Powell – Graphic Design Intern

“Confession Song” by GOT7

GOT7 has always been one of my favorite K-pop groups since I was a teenager and when this song came out during the holidays in 2015, it filled me with joy. It’s a Christmas love song about building up the courage to confess to someone, saying things like “My hands hesitate in front of yours / My heartbeat sound getting louder” and ”All day long I wait for your reply / I keep writing and erasing to make sure.” The sound of bells throughout the song adds that touch of winter magic within that not only brings me comfort, but nostalgia.

Draven Copeland – Editor-in-Chief

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by My Chemical Romance

Let’s be completely honest with each other here: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a well-written song. But, when I hear Mariah Carey’s voice singing what seems to be the only Christmas song the entire corporate world thinks exists, I damn near get violent. Not because of the song, the lyrics, or even the performance: those are all great. It’s the fact that I’ve heard the same version so many times that it has now become a Winter Soldier sleeper code that activates frustration in my soul. However, when My Chemical Romance covered the song, they perfected it for those of us who still have a little emo in our hearts. Gerard Way’s classic Black Parade-era vocal delivery mixes perfectly with the hard rock guitars and drums, making the yearning of the lyrics into an emotional blast, the way that only MCR can. I find myself actually belting along to this version in the car, even while I avoid Carey’s version like the plague for these holiday months.

Heather Lee Schroeder – Faculty Mentor

“2000 Miles” by The Pretenders

Don’t get me wrong…I love a good traditional Christmas song. But, if I’m being honest, it’s the quirky tunes that make me feel the season’s cheer more reliably. The darker in tone and the more dichotomous in lyrical construction, the happier I am because, let’s face it, the winter holiday season is about entering the darkness and emerging triumphantly in light. This song is a reliable, tried-and-true Christmas song, evoking my misspent youth in the 80s and all the heartbreak of the holiday season. Chrissie Hynde laments a lost love who is “gone, 2000 miles…is very far through the snow” while she evokes the magic of the season singing, “I can hear people singing / It must be Christmastime.” Think of it as the Die Hard of the musical world. It’s Christmas, but not quite as you expect it.

Addison Chrivia – Editor

“Christmas Kids” by ROAR

“Christmas Kids” by ROAR is a catchy indie rock song with pop elements, with lyrics hinting at a disturbing story. It was inspired by the true story of an abusive relationship between Phil and Ronnie Specter, in which Phil gifted her twins on Christmas in order to trap her in their marriage so she couldn’t leave. The song’s lyrics explore the dark, obsessive, and controlling relationship between the two – Phil went so far as to have barbed wire fences and guard dogs around their home in order to isolate Ronnie. Knowing this, you’ll never sing and dance along to this upbeat tune the same way.

Rebecka Jones – Staff Writer

“Little Drummer Boy” by For KING & COUNTRY

For KING & COUNTRY turns this classic Christmas song into a concert, using a combination of common and foreign instruments (including drums, obviously) to bring to life the story of the drummer boy. The build-up to the beat drop is phenomenal as they bring the message out powerfully in a soft rock and modern pop genre. Their voices are beautiful, accompanied with harmonies that give you chills. Altogether, the song is emotional, upbeat, and festive.

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