Holiday Music

Sometimes the right song is all you need to get through the holiday hustle. We've got you. (Credit: PXHere) The holidays herald, well, a lot of everything – a lot of activity, a lot of emotions, a lot of gatherings, a lot of expectations. Life doesn’t always understand this. Life frequently brings its own demands to the table, hectic yuletide season be damned. And sometimes... life makes the holidays sort of suck. Over the years, my "merry and bright" has been marred at times by gutting losses, and rifts with dear friends, and unanticipated financial blows, and injuries, and more. Some years, the mere idea of getting from one end of the holiday season to the other, to hold onto the festive spirit, has felt like a Herculean task. My guess is that, this year especially, many can relate. (Though my hope is that at least some of those reading this are in lighter places.) Regardless, good holiday music can meet you wherever you are. Below is a short list of songs by some stellar women performers that span a range of moods and genres, and stay (largely) secular. Play them while en route to meet loved ones, or wrapping gifts, or driving to the grocery store for the third time today because, you could have sworn you had enough unsalted butter but, alas. (This last example is, perhaps, based on personal experience.) Play it from start to finish, or skip to the songs that speak best to the sort of holiday season you’re having. Play it while being kind to yourselves and others, as we get to the end of another ridiculous year in the life. This post, originally published December 2023, has been updated for 2025.

Holiday Music

7 Songs by Women Artists to Meet Your Holiday Mood — Whatever it May Be

The Story Exchange

Holiday Music

7 Songs by Women Artists to Meet Your Holiday Mood — Whatever it May Be

The Story Exchange

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