Nix the Nutcracker Suite after dinner and play DJ with this festive holiday playlist.

Barenaked Ladies:
"Do They Know It’s Christmas"
This ‘80s hit was recorded to bring attention to the famine crisis in Ethiopia, and Canada’s quirkiest group does a great job filling the musical boots of Bono, Sting, George Michael and Phil Collins.

Michael Bublé:
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
What else to expect from the smooth crooner than a positively bubbly Christmas ditty? (And we hear a few gals have bunked down in front of the fire with this Burnaby lothario.)

Sarah McLachlan:
"Happy Xmas (The War is Over)"
Mclaughlan lends her signature melodic and moody style to this John Lennon song, perfect for a wistful holiday moment.

Diana Krall:
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Jazz-up your next cocktail party with a soulful and romantic version of this longing tune.

Ron Sexsmith:
"Maybe This Christmas"
It’s not all about presents: This song about hope and forgiveness during the holidays is an indie gem.

And the guilty pleasure:

Maybe it’s the cheesy video or maybe it’s because it’s heavily featured in Love Actually (the best Christmas movie ever!), but no gal in the Vitamin Daily office can resist Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You. Just please don’t tell anyone.

All songs available on iTunes.

Say Hello Sailor! with this gorgeous Louis Vuitton America's Cup coffee table book. $85 at The Cross.

A beautifully designed Nespresso Le Cube cappuccino maker with Aeroccino milk frother will guarantee you coffee in bed! $429 for both at Provide Home.

ABC of Men's Fashion by Sir Hardy Amies is a reissue of the 1964 guide to classic dressing for the sartorial expert and fashion amateur alike. $17.48 at Amazon.ca.

A sterling silver paper clip money clip is an irreverent accessory for the working stiff. $50 at Bestow Boutique.

The business traveler will love you for these noise canceling headphones to help him survive the, "Sorry sir we are unable to upgrade you today." Just don't let him use them on you! $400 at Bose, Pacific Centre.

The manly (and airport-security approved) Malin + Goetz travel kit will keep his best face forward. $41 at Masc.

For the music lover snap up the Tivoli radio. The sound on this baby is amazing: Whether he's tuning into the CBC or rockin' out to the Beasties he'll be singing your praises. $219 at Vancouver Special and Design House.

For the eccentric and fashion-forward man, give him a stack of Paul Smith socks. From $30 at Holt Renfrew.

For the art hipster, snap up a Jeff Wall coffee table book from the Vancouver Art Gallery store (plus tickets to the current exhibit). $30 to $150 at Vancouver Art Gallery.

For the man who has everything (and LOVES playing games!) give a set of Hermès dominoes. USD$405 at Hermès.

For the budding Jamie Oliver give some culinary inspiration with Off Duty featuring recipes from top international chefs including Gordon Ramsay and Thomas Keller. $45 at Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks.

Keep his ear to the street with an Oracular Spectacular CD from Brooklyn breakout band MGMT. $9.99 at Amazon.ca.

The talented Mr. Leonard Cohen has made an indelible mark on music and literature. What’s one more canvas?

In a style reminiscent of Jean Cocteau (another artist who dabbled in multiple mediums), Cohen has turned his morning sketches and drawings made for album covers and poetry books into limited edition prints for the consummate fan to own. Many inscribed with lyrical and facetious phrases, the pieces show the artist to be more irreverent and observational than austere about his painterly pursuits. On exhibit at Linda Lando Fine Art, the collection has only had two previous public viewings—one in Manchester, England, the other in Toronto—before arriving in Vancouver just days ago.

For those not in the market for a pricey print ($2,600 to $7,800), you can still have your Cohen and see him too. According to Adam, Leonard’s son, his old man will be here early this Spring to perform his usual works.

Leonard Cohen Artworks on now at Linda Lando Fine Art, 2001 West 41st Ave., 604-266-6010, www.lindalandofineart.com

See pics from the exhibit's opening night on todays Editors' Diary.

If John Hughes made another Brat Pack movie today, M83 would undoubtedly be called upon to compose the soundtrack.

While the man behind M83, Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez, has always had a penchant for the decade of synth and shoulder pads and paid homage, his latest record Saturdays = Youth fully realizes its sound.

No surprise, seeing as he used analog instruments rather than computers, employed a songstress with a Kate Bush quality and partnered with a producer who also worked with the Cocteau Twins. Tracks like “Kim & Jessie” and “Skin of the Night” that we have on repeat capture the mood and the melody of being young and like totally hormonal.

But you’ll need more than an album download to warrant calling up your high school boyfriend and donning blue eyeliner again, which is why you should know that M83 performs in the flesh at Richard’s on Richards tonight.

That’s a new kind of nostalgia no old yearbook can supply.

Saturdays = Youth available at iTunes ($9.99), show at Richard’s starts at 9:30 p.m., advance tickets $20 at Zulu Records.

Two neoteric pop imports worth their ticket price take the stage this Tuesday. Not the same stage to our chagrin—one plays the Commodore, the other Richard’s on Richards—which means you’ll have to choose a chanteuse for the win.

In one corner, wearing neon and weighing in with her beat-heavy brand of French electro-pop, is Yelle. Her first album, Pop Up - De Luxe, released just weeks ago is fun, fast and lyrically irreverent. Download the Obsession Remix of her track “À cause des garçons”, which samples the ’80s Animotion song (and Fashion Television theme), to get in the mood. Prepare to jump up and down for most of the set.

In the other corner, wearing black and weighing in with her Swedish breed of paired-down pop is Lykke Li. In rotation since June, her debut album Youth Novels is full of sparse yet symphonic songs. Download “Little Bit” and “I’m Good, I’m Gone” to be get yourself ready for Li’s whimsical and sweetly melancholic sound. Expect to sway gently and bob your head.

Lykke to sway and also love to Yelle? It’s a toss up.

Yelle plays the Commodore and Lykke Li plays Richard’s on Richards, October 28, 2008, tickets for both available through Ticketmaster.

We’re not talking bananas. We’re talking multi-media.

If your pre-schoolers have already mastered CBC Kids’ cool animated on-line games, your budding Sir Mix-a-Lot will love their new Mash Up tool, The Outlet.

Kids can add sound effects and splice together video clips from CBC shows and the best ones are featured on the site or broadcast on TV.

Now lets just hope this little hobby turns into a hobby like Matt Groening’s….

www.cbc.ca/theoutlet

There’s music that makes you want to move, and then there’s music that makes you want to move to the woods and grow your hair long.

Fleet Foxes have us contemplating the latter. The five-man band from Seattle may not have grown up in the early Seventies, but they’ve sweetly synthesized its sound. Their self-titled debut album is an afternoon delight of five-part harmonies and guitar-driven melodies that conjure up country roads travelled in a VW van.

If that’s not nostalgic enough, the record is available on vinyl.

Fleet Foxes is also available in digital format at iTunes ($9.99). They bring their bearded selves to Vancouver, September 16, 2008 at Richard’s on Richards, tickets $15, available through Ticketmaster.

www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes

As the summer winds to a close, anxiety sets in.

Will our Chloé T-bar sandals be au courant next year? Is it wrong to wear bronzer after the leaves change? How easy is it to emigrate to Belize?

Lately the antidote to our frazzled state of mind has been the soothing sounds of Divine Brown. The Canadian R&B singer has just released her second album, The Love Chronicles, full of retro-style soul songs that make us feel warm all over.

Six months of winter? Bring it on.

The Love Chronicles is available on Amazon.ca ($11.99).

Ever since Maria belted it out in the Alps, we’ve had a soft spot for mountainside music.

And what better backdrop to Elvis Costello, Thievery Corporation and Broken Social Scene than the panorama of Blackcomb Mountain.

Staged in a specially built amphitheatre at the top of the gondola, the inaugural Whistler Music Festival this weekend is sure to bring the hills alive.

Just be glad you’re all grown up now and you don’t have to wear green curtains.

Day passes for the Whistler Music Festival from $67.50. For more info and to buy tickets, click here.

Video may have killed the radio star, but when the daily dose team is working for the weekend, we tune into the free international internet radio from our iMacs.

Here are our faves:

Sarah’s pick: Radio Netherlands International

This all-English station plays great documentaries, good Euro beats and offers a fresh perspective on North American news.

Miho’s pick: Play Classical UK

Where Bach meets Brits. Besides the whimsical music, the British accent is so pleasing to the ear we even enjoy listening to the advertising.

Maria’s pick: Comedy104
Straight from Topeka, Kansas (seriously!), this talk and stand-up comedy station features sets from legends like Bill Cosby and Dave Chappelle, occasionally breaking for CNN Radio news updates. Listener beware: some segments are racy and may require headphones.

Julie’s pick: Play Top 40 UK
Lighten up a never-ending afternoon with Top 40 from North American and Brit pop artists like the annoyingly infectious Girls Aloud and the dreamy Mark Ronson.

All stations are available for free via www.itunes.com