Christmas Memories - Single

What makes Christmas so special and unlike any other holiday or family gathering, is nostalgia. The traditions of the season bind us to our former selves, allowing us to revisit our childhood once a year. It’s because of this, that as the years roll on, I view Christmas with more reflective eyes; the joy of celebration tinged with longing for the past. As with most feelings, I wanted to express them musically, creating two pieces which, to me, encapsulate Christmas.

‘Hot Chocolate Snowmen’ is the sweetness of the celebrations, the fun of the holiday and the coziness of Christmas. Because of this I used recognisable Christmas musical ‘language’. My main references were of cool jazz, specifically Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown album and tracks like ‘Mr. Sandman’ (Chordettes 1954) and ‘Misty’ (Garner 1955). In accordance with this, I used rich harmony and similar instrumentation. I as also inspired by Ambient ‘liminal’ music to use synth pads to evoke that cozy feeling.

Christmas Memories is nostalgia, the reflective experience of the holiday. Because of this, I wanted to evoke the classic Christmas tv films watched on VHS and CRT TVs. The track is exclusively synth based, each sound chosen for its nostalgic quality. I also focused on harmonic movement, taking a minimalist approach and observing dissonant interactions. To finish the piece I added a clip of narration from Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) by Paul Wing.