I’m a sucker for a melancholy Christmas song. Somewhere between the eggnog and coconut-covered snowballs I always manage to find a piece of something sad and, more often than not, it’s something akin to loneliness.

There are always people I’d like to see, but won’t, and places I’d like to go, but can’t… and let’s face it, in 2020, pretty much everywhere falls under the heading ‘places I’d like to go but can’t.’

Really, there’s nothing like being told it’s supposed to be 'the most wonderful time of the year', to make you keenly aware of all the ways it hurts. Sometimes, I just feel like sitting with that feeling, and there’s no better way to indulge it than with a sad Christmas song.

In that vein, I have Newfoundland folk duo Quote The Raven’s new song Lonely Christmas Eve pegged as being a key part of Christmas Catharsis 2020.

It's is a laid back, lament for a lost relationship at Christmas. Written with Mallory Johnson, Chris Ryan and Andrew Rodgers with production by Chris Kirby, the song is moving, beautiful and timeless. It might have been recorded yesterday or, just as easily, 40 years ago. In a nutshell, it’s got all it needs to become a holiday classic.

Check it out because, if we’re going to be lonely, we might as well turn on a great song and be lonely together.

You can check out this, and other contemporary songs from Newfoundland, on the Mixtapes.