A Very Sufjan Christmas is an advent-calendar-style blog dedicated to the work of indie folkstar Sufjan Stevens. While you may recognize him for his contributions to the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack or his recent stint on Broadway, Sufjan has been quietly putting out some of the best indie albums of the last two decades. His discography ranges from sparse meditations on death (Carrie & Lowell) to electronic bombast (The Age of Adz) and album-length odes to midwestern states (Michigan and Illinois). However, I’ve found that one of the most fascinating and consistently-charming corners of Sufjan’s output is his massive 100-song catalog of Christmas music. 

Setting out to write about all one hundred songs, I created A Very Sufjan Christmas in the summer of 2018, and the proposal was ambitious, but the pitch was simple. Each holiday season, I’d invite 25 friends to write about one of Sufjan’s Christmas tracks, and for 25 days straight, we’d publish one essay from December 1st to Christmas day, each written by a different person covering a different song. It wasn't just a blog; it was a musical advent calendar that was heartfelt, heart-warming, and harrowing. 

After four years, we have officially written about all 100 songs and are in the process of turning this collection into a printed book.