Holiday Music and Comfort Items

Do you ever get really obsessed with something? To the point that it becomes a joke in your family?

I am currently in the throes of one such thing. The soundtrack of the Broadway musical "Hamilton" has been all I have listened to for at least a week. So far, it's just when I find myself alone. I don't want to force it on other people. 

I can't quite put my finger on why I have it on repeat. The music is great, you learn while you listen, and the performances by some of the actors are breathtaking. And in typical me fashion I decided I needed to look up my current compulsion. 

It turns out that people with anxiety or stress have a tendency to attach themselves to "comfort items". Whether it be watching the same movie over and over, or wearing the same sweatshirt almost every day. Turns out I have a few comfort items. I still sleep with the baby blanket I was given at birth. It has been recovered several times, and I use it in place of a pillow. But it is there. 

Given that every day lately brings another little or big piece of bad news I suppose I am not surprised that I have fallen into this pattern. I guess the one thing I am surprised by is that more people haven't. Or maybe no one has noticed that their routines have become more rigorous. Or maybe most people don't overthink every little thing that they do. Or this is another part of my coping mechanism. 

Who knows really. I am sure that almost everyone could point to something they find themselves doing more often than before, and it's not a bad thing. Whatever gets you through and doesn't cause harm. Fortunately, the soundtrack is digital so I won't be wearing out a CD. And of all the things I could be doing rocking out with George Washington is pretty harmless. 

The idea for today's edition of holiday music came to me while I wasn't sleeping. The problem is when the artist came to my mind, I couldn't pick just one song. Boney M released a masterpiece in 1984. Every song on Christmas with Boney M is worth a listen. I narrowed it down to my two favorites though. Feliz Navidad makes me think of many Christmas concerts that the kids were a part of. They both went to a Spanish Bilingual school and this song was always a part of every show. For the weeks leading up to the concerts, the kids would loudly practice the song in the back seat while we drove around. And it would inevitably wind up in my head for much longer. The second song I couldn't overlook is Mary's Boy Child. If you feel like some smooth disco era tunes this is a win.