A few years ago, I discovered Lo-fi Cat on YouTube while searching for something chill to play in the background as JaxKid had a math-homework meltdown. It proved to be a helpful addition, and we renamed the central character Study Kitty.
Study Kitty is one of many ambient video channels on YouTube; sort of a take on the ole televised yule log, featuring scenes with small movements and light sounds, i.e., a page turns every now and again, and often, relaxing lo-fi beats. (For those of us of a certain age: we used to call it smooth jazz).
They’re nice to have on in the house if you’re not feeling trash TV or your playlist, and like many things on YouTube, an avalanche of ambient options follows once you click on one. Seasons, holidays, places on earth, even decades are well represented in all sorts of art styles. Plus, most ambient videos have hilariously long, descriptive titles. I imagine this is SEO related, but it’s still fun to scroll through titles like “Vintage jazz on a rainy 1950s night with oldies playing in the other room,” even if you don’t settle on one.
In the spirit of Blogtober, here are a few of our favorite options for seasonal non-viewing:
