A Holiday Playlist From Polite Provisions

Every bar owner knows there are only so many traditional Christmas songs one can put on a playlist without everyone quickly tiring of the rotation. That’s exactly what inspired Polite Provisions owner Erick Castro to think outside the box when assembling a seasonal playlist for the bar. “At the risk of sounding selfish, I created this playlist for myself, because I wanted a Christmas playlist of artists that I love,” says Castro. “But, more importantly, a playlist that I could listen to day after day without ever getting sick of it. So I did my best to purge it of all the overplayed holiday renditions that I’m already going to hear a million times over during December.” 

With holiday hits from artists like James Brown, Loretta Lynn and the Beach Boys, the playlist feels festive but not cliche. “I honestly feel like this is the perfect playlist for people who think they don’t like Christmas music, because it’s not that they don’t like Christmas music, it’s just that many of them haven’t been exposed to more soulful versions of these songs,” says Castro. “This playlist exists in many ways to prove that they actually love Christmas music.”

Castro adds that the approach is especially fitting for a bar like Polite Provisions, where they’ve always set out to celebrate what makes classic Americana classic Americana. “Nothing celebrates Americana more than great Christmas tracks from artists like Dolly Parton, Otis Redding and the Ventures,” he says. “These [tracks] will keep your toes tapping all through December. In fact, this playlist is so good that if you decide to listen to it in the middle of June, no one will judge you.”