{"id":3732,"date":"2025-12-03T09:00:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=3732"},"modified":"2025-12-02T16:20:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T21:20:13","slug":"festive-favs-by-imaginary-gardens-your-holiday-season-soundtrack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/festive-favs-by-imaginary-gardens-your-holiday-season-soundtrack\/","title":{"rendered":"Festive Favs by Imaginary Gardens: Your Holiday Season Soundtrack"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Playlists<\/a><\/div>\n
By Imaginary Gardens Staff, Introduction by Anna Trevathan, Managing Editor<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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“Festive Favs” Playlist Cover | Anna Trevathan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re approaching the months where lights twinkle a little brighter, and every song feels like a cozy, nostalgic blanket. Imaginary Gardens<\/em> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unwrap our reasons for the season, and enjoy our Festive Favs<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna Trevathan – Managing Editor<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cbuy me presents\u201d by Sabrina Carpenter<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

This whole album is an absolute banger; I adore Sabrina\u2019s 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\u2019s kiss: \u201cHe’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.\u201d In two words: seasonal sultry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emma Harrison – Editor<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChristmas in Dixie\u201d by Alabama <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

For those of you who know me, it won\u2019t come as a surprise that I love <\/em>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. \u201cChristmas in Dixie\u201d 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, \u201cMerry Christmas from Dixie to everyone tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Em Powell – Graphic Design Intern<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cConfession Song\u201d by GOT7<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s a Christmas love song about building up the courage to confess to someone, saying things like \u201cMy hands hesitate in front of yours \/ My heartbeat sound getting louder\u201d and \u201dAll day long I wait for your reply \/ I keep writing and erasing to make sure.\u201d The sound of bells throughout the song adds that touch of winter magic within that not only brings me comfort, but nostalgia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draven Copeland – Editor-in-Chief<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll I Want for Christmas Is You\u201d by My Chemical Romance<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be completely honest with each other here: \u201cAll I Want for Christmas Is You\u201d is a well-written song. But, when I hear Mariah Carey\u2019s 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\u2019s the fact that I\u2019ve 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\u2019s classic Black Parade<\/em>-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\u2019s version like the plague for these holiday months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heather Lee Schroeder – Faculty Mentor<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201c2000 Miles\u201d by The Pretenders<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2026I love a good traditional Christmas song. But, if I\u2019m being honest, it\u2019s the quirky tunes that make me feel the season\u2019s cheer more reliably. The darker in tone and the more dichotomous in lyrical construction, the happier I am because, let\u2019s 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 \u201cgone, 2000 miles\u2026is very far through the snow\u201d while she evokes the magic of the season singing, \u201cI can hear people singing \/ It must be Christmastime.\u201d Think of it as the Die Hard<\/em> of the musical world. It\u2019s Christmas, but not quite as you expect it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addison Chrivia – Editor<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChristmas Kids\u201d by ROAR<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChristmas Kids\u201d 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\u2019t leave. The song’s lyrics explore the dark, obsessive, and controlling relationship between the two \u2013 Phil went so far as to have barbed wire fences and guard dogs around their home in order to isolate Ronnie. Knowing this, you\u2019ll never sing and dance along to this upbeat tune the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecka Jones – Staff Writer<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLittle Drummer Boy\u201d by For KING & COUNTRY<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

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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