I made you a Christmas playlist

Happy holidays from Follow Friday

Welcome to a very special (*cough* shorter *cough*) edition of the Follow Friday newsletter. Just for the holidays, we’re throwing out the usual format and cutting straight to an XL version of “help i’m addicted to…”

But first — a huge thank you to everyone who has read the newsletter this year, and especially to those of you who have recommended it to others. It has been super encouraging to see people signing up every week, and I’m glad you’re here.

help i’m addicted to christmas music mashups

I’ve been a fan of mashups for more than a decade, long enough to know that there are certain songs that are like universal donors: You can mix “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey or “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga with all kinds of different songs and it’ll probably sound pretty good! Or, of course, you could always mix “Don’t Stop Believin’” with “Just Dance,” which is maybe cheating, but whatever, it’s a banger.

Anyway, another universal donor is a song you’ve already heard too much of this year, and every year since 1994: “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. Here it is mixed up with …

Taylor Swift:

Rage Against the Machine:

Green Day:

Soulja Boy:

Twisted Sister:

Green Day again:

Radiohead:

And last but not least, my personal favorite, Queen:

Challenge: Work all of these into your Christmas playlist this year and see how long it takes your family to notice.

The best thing I’ve read this week

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The time when Drew Magary of Defector (previously Deadspin) offers up a “haters guide” to the Williams-Sonoma holiday catalog. This year’s edition does not disappoint, featuring reviews like this one of the Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro, which comes with a companion app for monitoring your food, and an “expanding library of video recipes and rich visual content.”

Finally, just what I always wanted with a toaster oven: content. […] If I put a fucking Toaster Strudel in here, I’m not driving off to Balducci’s while it heats up. I am standing right by that toaster oven, with my face pressed so hard against the window that I get third-degree burns. You see me hitting the movies while I’m microwaving a cup of noodles? I want my food NOW, not when Siri tells me that my bundt pudding has finally set. I’m my own man, thank you very much. My monogrammed penny loafers say so.

Pour yourself a cup of peppermint hot cocoa in a seasonally-appropriate mug and read the whole thing here.

Palate cleanser: This kitten just realized it has four paws

*ahem*

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH:

(Via Reddit)

… And the rest

“My Mom Has Two Sons: Me and a Squirrel”

A very good comic about technology

Can ChatGPT write a good column about AI and chatbots? (yes)

Lawns (and homeowners associations) suck

“Goats! Hey goats, are you seeing this???!!”

You are not prepared for the name of this YouTube channel

What happens when you try to order a nothingburger from McDonalds?

The Glass Onion is on Zillow

And finally, here is a washer and dryer made entirely out of LEGO