December 18, 2020
A semi-coherent collection of news, data, thoughts and opinions for your enjoyment, sharing or immediate deletion. Hopefully you find a few valuable nuggets inside that are worth your while...
HAPPY HOLIDAYS...
"There's no place like home for the holidays..."

The traditional holiday classic takes on dual meanings in this most non-traditional of years.

On the one hand, the concept of home has evolved and taken on more meaning for most of us in 2020, becoming our literal "safe spaces" during a pandemic.

On the other, the thought of traveling home for the holidays to gather en masse with our loved ones has morphed from sentimental anticipation to remorse & regret.

However you decide to celebrate your holidays this year, I wish you and yours all the very best for a safe and happy celebration!
I PROMISE YOU'LL ENJOY THIS...
If You Only Look at One Thing, Make It THIS!

Every once in a while, an ad agency and a brand hit upon the perfect mix of content, message and emotion to deliver a knockout punch with universal appeal.

This is one of those times...German agency Jung von Matt's holiday ad for the Doc Morris pharmacy chain absolutely nails it.

Take a moment to watch it and if you don't have a tear in your eye buy the time to ends, I will happily send you a t-shirt that is two sizes too small to match your Grinch-sized heart.
CHART OF THE DAY...
Follow the Money

While this list may not match-up perfectly against your holiday viewing traditions (for myself and the Murray Girls, It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas and Die Hard would all be in the Top 5), it does show which Christmas-themed films moviegoers spent the most to see.

Wondering what film is the highest-grossing Christmas-day release? That would be Catch Me If You Can with Tom Hanks & Leonardo DiCaprio at $352 million since release.
WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC???
You may hav noticed holiday decorations going up earlier this year as homebound families looked to the comfort of traditions and (perhaps) putting this year to bed as soon as possible.

That trend was echoed by what people were listening to online, with Spotify reporting that more people were streaming their Christmas Hits playlist in September & October than in previous years and that listeners had streamed more than 6.5 billion minutes of Christmas tracks before Thanksgiving!

The TODAY article linked below features Spotify's Top 25 most-streamed Christmas songs of all time, which doesn't contain too many surprises...
Here are the top 25 Christmas songs of all time

The holiday season brings many enduring traditions, but one that's pretty much impossible to ignore is the (depending on how you look at it) onslaught or blessing of constant Christmas and snow tunes!

Read more
www.today.com
If you're looking for a more eclectic collection of holiday songs, you might want to check out the playlist below from folks at Pitchfork.

I can't decide if my favorite thing about this list is that it features Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby alongside Sufjan Stevens & The Pogues, or that it is a Top 50 playlist with only 46 songs!
TODAY'S MEME...
Holiday Travel Plans in the Time of COVID
DISCLAIMER...
This concept is my way of sharing information and staying connected with my personal and professional network in these crazy times. Content is chosen based on what I think is interesting, entertaining and relevant. Occasionally, I may also include some blatantly promotional content that showcases the awesome work of my team and/or clients.

The last thing I want is to be an annoyance...so please click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email if you don't want to receive any more of these messages.

If you'd like to access past dispatches, they are archived HERE, along with a link to subscribe if you didn't receive this directly.

Have a great day!
John