7 of the saddest Christmas carols for a melancholic holiday

Every year, people crank up Christmas carols to cheerfully celebrate the holiday season. The melodies touch on topics such as family, love, gifts and togetherness. However, many carols turn away from the warmth of the holidays. Here are seven songs for when you want to embrace the bluer hues of the season.

‘It was the worst Christmas ever!’ by Sufjan Stevens

Many of the songs in Sufjan Stevens’ extensive Songs For Christmas have a level of melancholy about them. Lyrically, “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever” leans into heartbreak. In the song, Stevens writes about memories of sledding, but the second verse brings out a completely different side of the holiday.

“Our father shouts, throws the presents in the stove, stove / My sister runs away, takes her books to the schoolyard, schoolyard,” he sings.

The song ends on a somber note.

“Silent night, holy …