December Will Be Magic Again (or "MG & T Watch the 1979 Kate Bush Christmas Special")

You're invited to trim the tree & watch the violins weep with us.

The streets are lined with strings of “Season’s Greetings” and I’m in ankle-breaking star-heels at Diamond Lil. I’m waiting for Tarra, warming my hands with my Hot Toddy, basking in the multi-colored tree across from me. It’s Christmas time in the city, and that only becomes more obvious when “Running Up That Hill” comes on. Because after all, what is Christmas without Kate Bush? 

Okay, maybe that’s confusing if you don’t consider the Kate Bush Christmas Special as essential holiday #content. Do you want me to slow down and back up? I know you do. So first, let’s do the Kate Bush primer. 

Kate Bush is an art rock icon who uses super-sensualist lyrics, a distinct soprano, and full-bodied movement to tell otherworldly stories riddled with esoteric allusions. In less pretentious terms, she does whatever she wants, and she had a major career before her Stranger Things renaissance. By 21 she was such an institution in the UK that the BBC gave her a Christmas Special. “Christmas” Special.

Formally billed as Kate, The Kate Bush Christmas Special is in a word, godless. Not nefariously godless! But it defies traditional definitions of “Christmas.” Within Kate, Kate Bush forgoes sing-alongs about one horse open sleighs for high octaves tales of sex and death. It is amazing, and watching it is one of my most beloved traditions.

But traditions are meant to be shared, right? 

Tarra Thiessen knows a thing or two about holiday specials. She’s been one of my best friends for 20+ years, but people generally know her as frontwoman of Tea Eater or the Bustelo Can-ist of Gustaf. She’s also MamaJoe, co-host of Twitch’s MamaJoeVramaJoe Holiday Special alongside VramaJoe (hi, Vram!). Everyday’s a holiday in their purple world, with carols sung by pig squeak toys, and Christmas celebrated on the 25th of each month.

BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT TARRA HASN’T ACTUALLY DECORATED A CHRISTMAS TREE IN YEARS????? [cough] Luckily I’m here to make magic happen.

After our hot toddies we head to my place to bake chocolate chip cookies, spin Bing Crosby and decorate my overpriced evergreen (80 goddamn dollars, are you kidding me?). I have neurotically set aside some special ornaments for her (“Barcelona, because we were in Barcelona together”) and we cheers our glasses of white Lambrusco (“To not-dressing like rock stars!”) 

But it’s all preamble to the Kate Bush Christmas Special, our feature presentation.

Won’t you join us?