Tears on the tinsel

Face it. Christmas isn't all falalalala and jingle-ing, ring-ting or tingle-ing. Heck, a lot of Christmas hits are about longing for better times, warmer homes, nicer persons and/or saving tears. This year, there are A LOT of songs that, if you look closer, it's easy to trace, the track of the tears.

I'm not recommending anything, but the other day I was suggesting the title 'It's December First And Everyone I Know Is Dying' for a Christmas mix. A referral to the first line of 'It's Not Like the Christmas Films' by Sunflower Thieves. That's a duo, Lexie Carroll and Laurie Illingworth (plus some little helpers). About the season and the song, they say: "It’s dark and cold and can feel incredibly lonely, unlike the picture perfect Christmas scene all the old songs and films show it to be. The bad news on the TV doesn’t go away for Christmas, and neither does any sadness you may be carrying with you."

Sunflower Thief Lexie Carroll has a reputation for writing beautiful unfestive Xmas songs. Take 'Christmas Day', from 2022: we all get older, but nothing ever changes on Christmas day; the small talk, the jumpers, the sifting through the old photo albums and making plans that fall through:
This year, Lexie came out with 'Winter's coat', that has a little more light on the edges, but isn't exactly a party starter: Was our tree always so small/God do I feel old/The same jokes we'll hear/Same time next year
If at this point there isn't a tear rolling down your punch, this might do the trick. Matilda Mann, what a voice, sings a true weeper: Darling tell me/You'll come get me/Say you'll make home/Christmas isn't Christmas alone. Love the strings:
A song 'about making mistakes, never learning and feeling everything very deeply', how's that for not feeling the Christmas spirit?
New year, and it's not getting better if you believe Dutch talent Faye Ven:
And this year, we already posted the tinseled tears of Anna Vaus, Lily Williams and Ala.ni....