A Christmas Caro

Issue 124, featuring Caro Miller

Today’s edition of The Girl’s Guide is my last newsletter of 2024! See you in 2025! As always, if you missed my most recent newsletter, you can find it here.

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The Best Christmas Songs Are Sad

Have you ever met someone who said they didn’t like Christmas music? How crazy is that? That’s like saying you don’t like food, or books, or pants. It’s a category so large that surely everyone can find something to like. (I’ll readily admit that there’s a lot of bad Christmas music — I was recently exposed to a cover of “River” by Joni Mitchell that was so awful I nearly ran out of the Home Goods where it was playing.)

Over the years, I’ve realized that my favorite Christmas songs are a little bit sad. My favorite Christmas hymn has always been “O Come, O Come Emanuel,” a song that can be quite somber but still shows the joy of Advent. Like this hymn, Christmas is joyful, but it can also be bittersweet. Christmas can remind you of happy times with family and friends who are no longer here. It can remind you of the childlike wonder you no longer possess. It can remind you that every Christmas season seems to pass too quickly. The Bing Crosby and Burl Ives classics are great, but “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” just doesn’t capture the complicated feelings that sometimes come with the holidays. That’s why I’m a sucker for a Christmas song that’s a little — or a lot — sad. Here are a few of the songs I always listen to when December rolls around.

“If We Make It Through December” by Merle Haggard

“If We Make It Through December” is classic country at its best. Haggard originally included it in his 1973 Christmas album A Christmas Present, but it was so good he made it the title track of his next album, which was not a Christmas album at all. “I don't mean to hate December/ It's meant to be the happy time of year/ But my little girl don't understand/ Why Daddy can't afford no Christmas gear,” sings a man who just lost his job. If that sounds sappy to you, I assure you it is no “The Christmas Shoes.” Give it a listen. (But you can skip the covers by Alan Jackson and Phoebe Bridgers on Spotify. Alan’s cover is too upbeat and Phoebe’s is too weepy.)

“Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton

Is it weird that one of my favorite Christmas songs is actually from a musical called “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?” Maybe. Let’s move on. Apparently the phrase “hard candy Christmas” means a Christmas where you can’t afford more than cheap penny candy as gifts. I can’t listen to “Hard Candy Christmas” without feeling a pang of nostalgia, even though I wasn’t even born when Parton recorded it. Although “Hard Candy Christmas” is a song about feeling sad, it’s also a song about pushing through the sadness. Plus, it’s the perfect song to belt in the car.

“Christmas Makes Me Cry” by Kacey Musgraves

The simplicity of Kacey Musgraves’ lyrics can be her greatest strength or her greatest weakness. In “Christmas Makes Me Cry,” it’s a strength. She sings about all the things that make her sad at Christmastime even though she sees tinsel and lights and smiling faces all around her. “It seems like everybody else is having fun/ I wonder if I'm the only one,” Musgraves says. I love the way she sings about family in so many of her songs, including this one. “It's always sad/ Seeing mom and dad/ Getting a little grayer” gets me every time.

“Merry Christmas, Darling” by The Carpenters

Nick’s been traveling a lot this month, and we’ve missed out on doing some of our favorite holiday traditions as a family, so the lyrics to “Merry Christmas, Darling” hit especially hard this year. This song has been a favorite of mine since I was a child and before I knew about Karen Carpenter’s untimely death, which adds an additional layer of sadness to the recording more than 40 years later. In a way, this song is her legacy. I don’t think there’s an American who hasn’t heard it. It’s like the musical version of a cozy blanket or warm hug — even though Carpenter’s singing about missing her “darling,” it’s like she’s comforting you, the listener, through the radio.

“Same Auld Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg

I’m fully aware that this song is pure ‘80s cheesiness. I don’t care. A man runs into an old flame at the grocery store, and they sit in the parking lot reminiscing before parting forever. The last line, “And as I turned to make my way back home/ The snow turned into rain,” is just too good. Also good is the saxophone solo of “Auld Lang Syne” that closes out the song. Coincidentally, the best Christmas movie of all time, It’s a Wonderful Life, also closes with “Auld Lang Syne.” Like George Bailey, the song’s narrator sees a different version of his life, but unlike Bailey, he doesn’t end up with the best version.

“Blue Christmas” by The Lumineers

Millennials, you can keep your “O-ophelias” and your “Hey hos,” but I’ll take The Lumineers’ cover of “Blue Christmas.” Maybe this is sacrilege, but Elvis Presley’s version (which isn’t the original, BTW!) just isn’t blue enough for me. Presley sounds more like an casanova trying to win back his ex so he can get an extra Christmas present (kinda like this meme). The Lumineers’ version is the true blue one. What can I say? I love an acoustic Christmas.

Interview with Caro Miller

Rising star alert — today’s interview is with singer Caro Miller! She just released her debut EP Is It Over (you can listen on Spotify or listen on Apple Music). Make sure to follow Caro on Instagram as well. Meanwhile, I’ll keep bopping to her breakup songs like I’m not a married mom with two kids.

What does your life look like right now?

The past six months have truly been some of the most exciting, busy, nerve-wracking and transformative months of my life. Post-graduating from NYU Tisch’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in 2021, I began my full-time career as a composer, producer, and singer for advertisements, film, and television. I’ve been so lucky to work in the music industry directly out of college, getting to learn from some of the best composers in the business (one being my own father, Robert Miller), practicing and honing my writing and production skills in a professional setting daily, and discovering what makes me unique as a musician.

“One thing that has been important to me as an artist is to always write from a place of truth.” - Caro Miller

However, largely in part due to the Covid pandemic majorly affecting my last two years of college, I lost sight of my first and biggest goal in life: to write, release and perform music as my own Pop/R&B artist. For the past few years, I’ve stayed working behind the scenes on so many incredible and important music projects for other people, but this year I decided to get back on track and release an artist project I had been sitting on for far too long. On Dec. 13, 2024, I released my debut EP titled Is It Over by Caro Miller! Needless to say, juggling a job as a composer while simultaneously preparing for my debut as an artist, which entails branding, self-promotion, photoshoots, networking, etc. on top of the actual music creation itself, has led to quite a hectic few months! But whereas the previous several years has felt like I’ve been a state of development and learning and bubbling under the surface, this year it feels great to show the world who I am.

How did your childhood influence your music?

My childhood quite literally could not have influenced my music more, as I was actually born into a family of musicians! As I mentioned earlier, my father is a world-renowned film composer, and my mother is a violinist in one of the top orchestras globally, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

“My childhood quite literally could not have influenced my music more.” - Caro Miller

While I am positive I would have naturally found my way to music one way or another, being surrounded by music constantly growing up definitely fast-tracked my way there. In fact, at the age of 3 I started attending the opera very frequently with my grandmother to watch my mom play, and I quickly fell in love with the music, the singing, the theater, the costumes — everything about it. So much so that when I turned 6 years old, I auditioned and got accepted into the Metropolitan Opera Children’s Chorus! This began my young career as a singer and a performer, and I’ve never looked back. I performed in the children’s chorus for about six years, and then after transitioned into other areas of music such as musical theater, studio singing on films and television, and learning to write my own music by shadowing my father and observing his work.

How would you describe your sound and your goals as an artist?

I primarily classify myself as a Pop/R&B artist, similar in style to Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, and Imogen Heap. Sonically, my music can be characterized by catchy melodies and hooks; rich, layered vocal arrangements with intricate harmonies; and polished contemporary production utilizing a blend of electronic elements and live instruments.

Lyrically, one thing that has been important to me as an artist is to always write from a place of truth, often using music making as an outlet to confront, process, and acknowledge life events that I have been through — almost like a diary. As a 25-year-old woman, much of my music the past few years has been based on the female experience while entering young adulthood. Is It Over features six tracks that exemplify how I have been navigating different kinds of love in my early 20s, including romantic love, self love, and friendship/familial love. As you listen to the project, the through line is all about discovering one’s self worth, building up your confidence and finding your power in the weak moments. It’s my goal as a female artist to join in the army of strong voices that uplift, inspire, and support women through their art day in and day out!

“The past six months have truly been some of the most exciting, busy, nerve-wracking and transformative months of my life.” - Caro Miller

What songs are on your Christmas playlist?

While I love Christmas music as a whole, my favorite kind of Christmas songs that put me in the holiday spirit are the traditional jazz Christmas classics. “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, “Merry Christmas Baby” by Etta James, “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” by Frank Sinatra, and honestly any of Ella Fitzgerald’s holiday tracks are at the top of my list. For this year specifically, I’ve also been loving the recent Christmas releases of some of my favorite current jazz/experimental artists: Jacob Collier’s “Three Christmas Songs” and Laufey’s “A Very Laufey Holiday” take the cake for me.

The Haps

Hello, Dolly!

Today’s Girl’s Guide contains not one but two Dolly Parton references! How’s that for being on brand? Apparently there’s a Dolly Parton Broadway musical in the works — but no leading lady has been cast! Dolly is looking for not one but FOUR amazing actresses to play her at various stages of her life. If you’re willing to wear a blonde wig six nights a week — it could be you! Read more about the talent search by clicking here.

No need to write new music for Dolly Parton: The Musical.

Here are more links to what I’m reading, writing, and listening to lately:

• Motherhood After Christianity (The American Conservative): I review Nadya Williams’ new book, Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity.

• When Suburbia Was Weird (The American Conservative): Just outside DC, you’ll find Hollin Hills and its unusual, modernist architecture.

• Chromophobia (Articles of Interest): A 50-minute podcast on the intersection of color, class politics, and fashion. H/t Harvest Prude

The Girl’s Guide Wrapped

You didn’t think I’d miss a chance to capitalize on the Spotify Wrapped trend, did you? I don’t have the technology to tell each one of you how many minutes you spent reading The Girl’s Guide (yet!), but I do have access to some pretty cool numbers. For example, there are now 767 of you compared to 613 at the beginning of the year! Thank you, 2024 subscribers!

Apparently, The Girl’s Guide has gone global! You readers not only live in 40 states but in 28 countries including the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, and Australia! Thank you to you all for reading this newsletter and sending your feedback — I always appreciate it!

Merry Christmas!

I hope each and every one of you has a merry Christmas and a truly happy start to the new year! Cheers to 2025, everybody!

Merry Christmas from our family to you!