Flavorwire

The holidays are that special time of year when old lovers re-emerge, flaring up like cold sores during a first date; it’s when we, shattered by the reality of having accomplished very little throughout the year, drown our anxieties in buckets of wine and platters of chocolate and prosciutto; it’s when we dwell on harsh, undeniable truths and ask ourselves poignant questions like, “Am I going to be alone forever?” and “Will everyone think ill of me if I cram one more custard tart into my eat-hole?” And amid this Titanic-esque mad dash to the end of the year, festive pop music that could mitigate all this stress too often only exacerbates it. So, below, we take a look at a few modern holiday confections that actually put us in the mood to celebrate. In an era of global warming and fiscal uncertainty, these are the kind of ditties that more accurately evoke the 21st-century holiday season than traditional tunes like “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” or even an old Bing Crosby standard.

The Waitresses – “Christmas Wrapping”

We live in an age when, despite being so ridiculously connected to one another — through social media, email, text messages — more of us are isolated than ever before, and chance brushes with brilliant people rarely ever blossom into fully realized relationships. This is why “Christmas Wrapping” is one of the most perfect holiday tunes for this era. At the end of a year, we don’t need shinier toys or another round of candy, but rather human connections that offer us some closure. Quote the Waitresses: “The perfect gift for me would be / Completions and connections left from / Last year.”