Now, how did I stumble on such a niche theme like love songs from the 1970s? It's relatively simple: Fondue parties. Oh yes, that wonderful, dinner party staple from the 1970s is back. Okay, maybe it's just back for my friends and myself, but I've been to a few fondue parties in 2018 so that's where I got this idea. It came to me because while enjoying melted delicacies with a long stick dipped into a hot pot, we frequently listen to music from the 1970s. Get where I'm going with this?

I think I should start this mixtape post with a bit of a disclaimer. Arizona has been in the mid to high 70s since like October or November. We have been incredibly short on long, cold winter nights. That said, there are days where we reach average winter temperatures so I guess that balances out.

The list is fulled with indie rock and some hip-hop albums that I really enjoyed over the past year. If you read this blog frequently or know me in real life, you wouldn't be surprised by that at all. This post contains three things: the album list (in no particular order), a sampler playlist featuring gems from the albums on the list, and a link to another (recently updated) playlist featuring plenty more songs from 2017 that were played in fairly heavy rotation. My hope is that you'll agree with at least some of my choices or that you'll find something new to listen to you'd hadn't considered or heard of before.

There's one thing that's very important to me when it comes to cooking & baking: music. I always have it playing. It's really helpful for tuning out distractions and keeping me focused. What makes this playlist different from a regular Christmas playlist is the types of songs. For baking or cooking I like playing more jazz or standards that don't really distract and just fill the room with sound (and set the mood). It's a win-win because if there are guests around, they will be content and happy. So it basically fits both baking and entertaining. I've made a few of these over the years. I think 2012's was the most popular of the bunch, but it was also the first.

Christmas is probably the easiest time to make a mix because there are literally thousands of songs to choose from. I mean how many renditions of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" are there out there? So I feel like it's really easy to just grab a bunch of classics and modern takes and toss them all together. It's apparently so easy between my Spotify and old 8Tracks account I was able to find playlists going back to my previous blog in 2012. Yeah...that's pretty far back there.

Well with the long periods of time I spend in the kitchen, I must have music to accompany me. A few years ago I created a mix for my Thanksgiving prep and just something to have playing while people hang out. These mixes differ from my usual mixes in that they include jazz music. There's something about this time of year, and when I cook in general, that just says jazz to me. This time I decided to mix some "on theme" songs about Thanksgiving related things (like being thankful and mashed potatoes), and some other mood fitting songs.

Ah, the fall mix has finally arrived. The time of year where I fully get to embrace the part of me that loves a good cozy sweater, drinking cup of coffee (or tea), and having indie folk music playing from my speakers. Over the years fall has been one of my favorite playlists to make. I think the only occasion that sees more playlist than fall is Christmas. When I first started college, what feels like a million years ago now, I would create these playlists to keep me company on my long walks to and from class. They each served their own little purpose given my mood or the weather. Pretty nerdy, right? Probably.

Don't worry, I even eye rolled myself while typing the title to this blog post. It's a special Music Friday here on my blog, and I have collected every Halloween playlist I have made since 2013. Shout out to Spotify for making this possible, and extra big shout out to me for apparently never cleaning out my list of playlists on Spotify. This is mainly the reason why I can't explain their being two mixes from 2015. Like I mentioned a couple of days ago (oh my god all she does is talk about this stuff), Halloween mixes are my favorite to make even if they are widely unappreciated.

A few days ago I stumbled upon an article in my social media feed pondering how Halloween became a months long celebration rather than just one solid day. I can't find the article now, but I never considered such an idea because Halloween has always been a gigantic deal in my family. It was always almost like my dad's second Christmas. I didn't pick up the nickname Wednesday Addams for just any ol' reason. I just love Halloween. There's a weird creepiness in the air and (usually) it's not 100 degrees out anymore so I can finally enjoy all my favorite chilly weather things. Like a cozy sweater & joggers while watching Halloween on AMC. It's a tradition, you know.