Holiday Blues? Teammate Can Help!

Are you kicking off December with fists clenched in balls of impotent Christmas rage, exasperated by the emptiness of vulgar consumerism, feeling trapped by encroaching tinsel ghettos of forced holiday cheerfulness? Or perhaps you are just experiencing a baseline malaise or anxiety that happens to many of us who are otherwise functional outside of this time-crunched, emotionally draining, financially worrisome time of year.

The holidays can be really rough. Sometimes you just need someone to write an awesome song that perfectly describes a melancholy holiday sentiment and then make a hilarious yet heart-shredding video for that song starring their pets (Maya the Dog and Cheddar the Cat), which shows us all how simple and profound our shared humanity is while simultaneously demonstrating that cat paws can't answer calls on an iPhone for shit.

Teammate, the bi-coastal musical lovechild of Scott Simons (Los Angeles) and Dani Buncher (Pittsburgh) is an excellent band year round, but this video for the song, "I Won't Be Home For Chanukah" places them them solidly in my pantheon of "Holiday Music That Almost Makes Me Look Forward to the Holidays.

You know. Like, Wham's "Last Christmas," Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas," RUN DMC's "Christmas In Hollis, Queens," The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping," or "O, Holy Night" by any number of older dudes.

I implore you to watch "I Won't Be Home For Chanukah" at least once a day for the rest of the year. If you're already happy, it will expand your sense that all is well in the world. And if your heart feels two sizes too small, Teammate provides some warm cider for your winter-weary soul.