Holidays are all about music in this city. Most of the time I can't have any control of what I'm listening to but that's part of the fun memories, right? So here it comes
Top 5 ways music plays a part in my holiday celebrations
1. The-end-of-the-year's meditation: it's not really a meditation but between Christmas and New Year's Eve I take a moment (in some years the hole week) to kind of think about me and what's going on in my life. No plans, schedules or real meditation exercises, just me and songs that have something to do with my personal history, or that were important along the year, or that remind me of something/someone. And headphones. And cups of tea/coffee. Rain helps.
2. Pre-party songs: getting ready for Christmas dinner or NY's parties demands songs you can sing pretty loud or dance. Usually my sister provides this kind of songs. This is often the last moment of night with a very low chance of musical disappointment.
3. The-unpredictable-playlist: my relatives have the most wide taste for music and the party songs are mainly determined by the ones who are hosting the Christmas reunion each year. Brazilian music, Frank Sinatra, Julio Iglesias, Elvis, Brazilian country (aka sertanejo), fado... one thing is for sure: it's funny
4. The-endless-repetition-of-Christmas-tunes: every store and supermarket, some neighbors and random-crazy-people with mega power sound systems in their cars, these are the most common places/situations where I hear the traditional Christmas songs. To the point of exhaustion.
5. "Marchinhas de Carnaval": as soon as the sun goes up at the December 26, the whole world seems to gradually start playing these very old Carnaval songs which are very typical after midnight at New Year's Eve parties in Brasil. The thing is I've had enough of this songs for a lifetime right now. I don't understand how people can still dance the same old songs every year, from January 1 until the last day of Carnaval (which sometimes happens to be only in March!) That's why I'm very picky about where I spend the last night of the year. I do my best to be around people that don't like this kind of music too but, some years, is impossible to pass without one or two casualties, I mean "marchinhas"...
