Tag / Throwback!

by Lexine

A Christmas Playlist

The weather outside is frightful (at least here in the Bay Area), as is having to be subjected to the same ol’ Christmas music. I’m one to get into the holiday spirit but I also don’t care for traditional Xmas music; working in retail eons ago rendered me this way. It’s worse now thanks to crappy Camp Rock remixes of the classics like “Silver Bells” and “Winter Wonderland”. That said, I have my exceptions…

I’ll always be down for 80s/90s rap and upbeat R&B with a Christmas twist!

One holiday tradition of mine is watching A Charlie Brown Christmas, so of course the soundtrack also gets some play. “Linus and Lucy” and “Skating” are two of the few Xmas classics that I enjoy, and “Christmas Time Is Here” is simply enchanting (I prefer the instrumental over the vocal version).

*That* one holiday song will keep Mariah a forever multi-millionaire, but this other holiday song of hers gets all the airplay in my house! I first heard this particular version of “Joy To The World” in one of those BBC Essential Mixes from the 90s (go to the 1:02:00 mark), coincidentally mixed by the same guy who made this remix. This song deserves more appreciation during the holidays; give it a listen if you need a break from hearing Mimi’s money-maker.

Speaking of BBC Essential Mixes, there are no holiday-themed songs in this one, but I always saw it as a “holiday” mix as it originally aired two days before Xmas (and it just turned 30 years old this year). Forget caroling–I’d rather rave around the Christmas tree with this mix!

by Lexine

Royal December

Princess Diana by Patrick Demarchelier for US Harper’s Bazaar, December 1995

One thing I noticed while doing these throwback cover entries is that almost every cover star I’ve talked about remains relevant to this day. Even if Britney and Christina never release another new album, they’re still icons and we still talk about them one way or another. Celebrity in the 90s/early 2000s remains top-tier, and Diana remains the most famous face of the 90s, IMO. It’s pure coincidence that she gave an exclusive cover story to Bazaar, which, thirty years later, would get an exclusive cover story from her future daughter-in-law, who herself is also globally famous and has faced her share of media scrutiny. (Side note: the Dec. 2025 issue of Bazaar was the only cover this month that was fine. All the others looked rough as hell. The same can be said for the comments about Meghan’s cover, but that’s another rant for another day.)