In middle age, one needs to be careful to not let Christmas become another chore. It's truly a sad thing to do by rote. This is difficult—family obligations, money worries, and the general performance anxiety of the season. Maybe, hopefully, your enjoyment of the season is uncomplicated! Either way, it's easiest just to drown in the month-long flood of peppermint schnapps. Music is the main way I try to find feeling in the season. There are many feelings though, and one can't dwell on God's Holy Saks Fifth Avenue display window from Thanksgiving on.Feel tired, feel corny, feel sad, feel joy. There's no hygge without the bleak midwinter, after all.

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Track-by-Track

Zat You Santa Claus - Buster Poindexter And His Banshees Of Blue David Johansen's tuxedo-wearing lounge persona covering Louis Armstrong's 1953 original. The former New York Dolls frontman was performing at New York's Tramps club with his Banshees of Blue, doing pop standards and jump blues under this semi-comic alter ego. No song more perfectly captures the anxiety of waiting for Santa Claus than this one.

Esta noche es Nochebuena - Los Chunguitos Three gitano brothers from Madrid's Vallecas neighborhood doing rumba flamenco arrangements of traditional Spanish Christmas songs. One of the famous rumba groups that helped popularize the genre in the '70s and '80s using modern instrumentation.

Santa's Gone Surfin' - The Malibooz The Malibooz reformed specifically in 1981 to release this surf album—the single came out on green vinyl shaped like a Christmas tree. John Zambetti and Walter Egan throwing it back to classic California surf rock.

Merry Merry Christmas Time (For My Baby) - Ronnie Martin 2025 Christmas release from the musician behind Joy Electric, a Christian electronic music project. Martin's been releasing Christmas songs under his own name recently.

Love-In (December) - Hal Blaine From the second album to ever feature the Moog modular synthesizer. "Psychedelic Percussion" was recorded in 1967 by the most recorded drummer in music history, backed by a massive array of percussion instruments, toys, and electronics including Paul Beaver on Moog.

Little Christmas Tree - Kadhja Bonet Lead single from her Charlie Brown-inspired "California Holiday" EP. Kadhja is the daughter of opera singer Allen Bonet and niece of actress Lisa Bonet—this original song highlights the dark side of Christmas when missing someone.

In the Bleak Midwinter - Marika Hackman British indie folk artist's take on the traditional carol from her 2016 Christmas EP "Wonderland." Emotionally raw and introspective as you'd expect from Hackman.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Galaxies From a 1965 Tacoma garage rock compilation that was withdrawn from stores due to copyright issues with "On Broadway" and is now one of the most rare and sought after Northwest record collectables. Relatively quiet tune for garage rock standards.

Uncomfortable Christmas - CMAT, Junior Brother Irish country-pop meets experimental folk on this duet about the annual awkwardness of returning to your small hometown every December. CMAT: "This song is written about the scene that happens every December—surrounded by people and bumping into the reason you left."

Joy to the World - R. Stevie Moore DIY recording pioneer known as "The Home Workshop Man" covering the traditional hymn on his 1978 album "Sheetrock." Moore's lo-fi aesthetic and extensive catalog made him an influential figure in home recording.

Christmas Vacation - Descendents Sonically warm and wistful punk-pop about a girlfriend struggling with alcohol, drugs, and possible suicidal thoughts. Found vocalist Milo Aukerman fresh out of college, drummer Bill Stevenson coming from Black Flag. From their 1985 album "I Don't Want to Grow Up"—Elvis Costello singled this one out as a favorite.

Hello Santa - Gail Angelos From Irwin Chusid's "Songs in the Key of Z" compilation of outsider music—"people who are honestly trying to make 'normal' music and failing gloriously, because of naivete or psychological problems or just being an old fashioned odd duck." Appears alongside Captain Beefheart, Tiny Tim, Jandek, the Shaggs, and Daniel Johnston.

Christmas Without Daddy - Loretta Lynn From Loretta Lynn's only Christmas album, recorded in 1966 for Decca Records and produced by Owen Bradley. The 1980 MCA reissue was retitled after this track and cut down from 12 songs to just 8.

Blue Christmas - Joel Paterson Guitar wizard from the Chicago roots scene playing this as a Ray Price shuffle on his "Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar" album. Multi-track guitar extravaganza in the tradition of Les Paul and Chet Atkins that made Rolling Stone's 2018 notable Christmas albums list.

LAST CHRISTMAS - cumbia - FACHOSO Chicago musician George Arthur Calendar's stoner-pop cumbia take on the Wham classic. Limited info available but the Latin/Mexican influenced vibe speaks for itself.

Ce monde en bonbon - Paolo Noël French Canadian Christmas song from his 2004 album "As-tu vu le Père Noël." Quebec Christmas tradition. The chipmunk vocals are a nice touch.

Christmas Vibes - Half Pint Roots reggae from the legendary Studio One label in Jamaica. Originally released on vinyl in 1993, reissued multiple times, finally hitting streaming in 2015.

Get Down Santa - The Jive Turkeys Killer private press Christmas funk from yesteryear, released on green vinyl in 2016 by Colemine Records. R&B/soul funk with the b-side "Funky Jesus."

Santa Claus Got Stuck (In My Chimney) - Ella Fitzgerald Recorded September 26, 1950 in New York with Charlie Shavers, Hank Jones, and Ray Brown. Features playful double entendre.Fitzgerald and her attorneys successfully blocked this song's reissue for years—it only started appearing on CD after her death in 1996.

Sock It to 'em Santa - Joe Shinall From Tramp Records' "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party Vol. 3" compilation of killer private press Christmas funk. Compilers Sean Delany and Jan Kohlmeyer spared no pains digging up the rarest of the rare.

Christmas Time - Sugar Minott Reggae anthology track featuring "the weird Christmas Time with its off-key children choir." One of the rarer tunes from Sugar Minott's late 70's to mid 80's career with VP Records.

Party for Santa Claus - Lord Nelson Trinidad calypsonian and soca pioneer from 1963/1973. Original, fabulous and rare early calypso about rewarding Santa Claus for his work.

Snow - Alternate Version - Harry Nilsson Rare alternate take from Nilsson's RCA sessions, included in "Sessions 1967-1975 - Rarities from The RCA Albums Collection."

Winter Song - 2004 Digital Remaster - Lindisfarne From the English folk-rock group's 1970 debut "Nicely Out of Tune." Alan Hull wrote it in a single inspired session—Elvis Costello singled out "Winter Song" as one of the greatest songs ever: "While not being that easy to absorb on first listen, has great lyrics and on repeated plays is for me one of the best Christmas songs for sure and perhaps the best song on the album"

Christmas Day - Jim White 7+ minute Southern Gothic lament from David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. About being stranded in a Greyhound station near Mobile on December 25, 1998 due to bus breakdown—"there's a sense of slush, not snow, as he recalls a saviour of sorts who maybe, actually, quite unsavoury."

Welcome Christmas - 2021 Remaster - Love Spirals Downwards Ethereal wave/darkwave band covering the Dr. Seuss Grinch song with Suzanne Perry's angelic vocals. "Very pretty, like the Cocteaus if the medication had ever worked"—a very fun shoegazer interpretation from Projekt's 1995 "Excelsis" holiday series.