Christmas Playlists.

Yvette asked what some of the playlists on my Christmas mixes have been and I looked around but only found a few. For the first year of two I made a different mix for each person, but that got old real fast. And, as you will see by these examples, I do go in for the most traditional of Christmas songs. Also, a few are classics that tend to get used over and over. It’s just not Christmas without my beloved Shane McGowan (of the Pogues) singing “Fairytale of New York”. Oh and that thing where the dogs bark “Jingle Bells” that’s a favorite too.

This is a the playlist for a cd I made myself a few years ago:

• December Twenty 5- The Flashcats (this is an amazingly bad song. It’s a take off on “Mambo Number 5” by Lou Bega. But damn it’s got a catchy tune.
• 2000 Miles-The Pretenders (Such a pretty, sad song.)
• Fairytale of New York-The Pogues feat. Kirsty Mac Coll (Probably my favorite non-tratitional Christmas song. How can you NOT love a Christmas song featuring verse “You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot”?)
• Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight)-The Ramones (I miss you, Joey Ramone!)
• Another Rock 'n' Roll Christmas-Garry Glitter (Um, this was before all that creepy stuff came out about him…)
• Space Christmas-Shonen Knife (Rock!)
• Santa's Beard-They Might Be Giants (Another classic of the non-traditional variety.)
• Careless Santa-Mono Puff (I don’t think I have ever heard another Mono Puff song…)
• You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch-Whirling Dervishes (I love the Grinch, this ALMOST does justice to the original song as recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft, not Boris Karloff, who did the narration.)
• Christmas Scat-The Muppets (OK, the truth is that I do not love puppets, but I do love Muppets. And I only recently found out that a friend of mine worked on A Muppet Christmas Carol (which this song is from) and I got all giddy.)
• Christmas Day-Mxpx
• I Wish It Would Be Christmas Everyday-All Star United (This one is happy and poppy. Not at all my style.)
• You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch-Cast (The original recording. Brilliant.)
• Blue Christmas-Bright Eyes (I have since decided that I am not that big a fan of Bright Eyes. But this one song is ok.)
• Happy Christmas-John & Yoko (My second favorite non-traditional Christmas song.)
• Do They Know It's Christmas? -Band Aid (Did you know they recorded a follow up to this last year?)
• The First Noel-Billy Pilgrim (I like Billy Pilgrim. That Andrew Hyra has a good voice.)
• 25th December-Everything But The Girl (Aw, Tracey Thorn can make me cry.)
• Santa Baby-Madonna (I like her cover well enough but you haven’t really heard this song until you have heard it sung by Eartha Kitt. There is actually a follow up to it called “This Year’s Santa Baby” that is quite funny.)
• Jingle Bells-Bing Crosby (A most excellent version. I think it also includes…the Lennon Sisters singing back-up… maybe? I’m not sure.)
• Cool Yule-Louis Armstrong (I’ve always liked his rusty voice. It’s so cheering.)
• All I Want For Christmas Is You- Olivia Olson (From “Love, Actually” which is kind of a depressing film in some ways but has a character with my name so I got to hear Liam Neeson say my name several times. The character is married to Alan Rickman in the film but I don’t think he says her name even once. Believe me, if he did it would totally be my ring tone.)
• The Rebel Jesus- Jackson Browne (This is a really beautiful song that really says more about Christmas than almost any other song I know. It’s told from the point of a “heathen and a pagan” and points out that Jesus was a rebel in his own time and would not be thrilled with some of the modern aspects of a holiday entwined with his life.)
• Christmas Is All Around-Billy Mack (Bill Nighey sings this in “Love, Actually” and damn if it doesn’t make me laugh every time I hear it.)
• Sled Get Trunk- The Prisoners (Recorded by some friends of mine. One of the best Christmas songs of the past ten years.)

Last year there were two mixes. The “Peace On Earth” Mix:

• Little Drummer Boy (Up the Khyber)-Hoodoo Gurus (Man, I love me some Hoodoo Gurus!)
• Christmas Love-Luann Olson & Pigs on Corn
• O Christmas Tree-Russell Malone
• O, Little Town of Bethlehem-Young Fresh Fellows
• What Will Santa Claus Say When He Finds Everybody Swinging?- Louis Prima
• Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer-Billy May & His Orchestra
• Baby, It's Cold Outside- Doris Day & Bing Crosby (I feel kind of ashamed that I love this song. It’s totally about a date rape in progress. It’s sounds cute but it’s incredibly sinister.)
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town-Dave Brubeck Quartet
• Here Comes Santa Claus-The Skip-Jacks With Esquivel & His Orchestra
• It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas-Bing Crosby
• Feels Like Christmas-Cyndi Lauper
• It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas-Pet Shop Boys (Have I ever mentioned that I have a crush on Neil?)
• Sleigh Ride-The Brian Setzer Orchestra (OK, have I mentioned that I have a crush on Brian Setzer?)
• Here Comes Santa Claus-Clockhammer
• All I Want For Christmas Is You-Olivia Olson
• Santa Baby)-Kylie Minogue
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! -Sufjan Stevens
• Everything's Gonna be Cool This Christmas-Eels
• Kings of Orient-Odds
• O Holy Night-The Brian Setzer Orchestra
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-James Taylor (Yeah, I’ve got one on James Taylor too. Obviously I am easily crushed.)
• Jingle Bells-The Singing Dogs

And the “Bah Humbug” mix:

• You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch-Cast (So you can see the repeats starting)
• Please Come Home For Christmas-Holly Cole Trio (If I could sing, I would totally want to record this song with The Prisoners.)
• Fairytale Of New York-The Pogues (Still my favorite.)
• Forget December-Something Corporate
• I Hate Christmas Parties-Matthew Thiessen And The Earthquakes (Ah, this one is a fairly recent discovery. Really good and really depressing.)
• Santa's Beard-They Might Be Giants
• I Won't Be Home for Christmas-Blink 182
• Christmas Blues-Holly Cole Trio
• Christmas Is Going to the Dogs-Eels
• Father Christmas-The Kinks (I may have once had a crush on Ray Davies, but that was along time ago.)
• That was the Worst Christmas Ever! -Sufjan Stevens
• Last Christmas-Fonda
• Blue Christmas-Elvis Presley
• The Winter Song-Eisley
• 2000 Miles-The Pretenders
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) -Death Cab for Cutie
• Yellin' At The Christmas Tree-Billy Idol
• Sled get Trunk-The Prisoners
• Christmas Sucks-Tom Waits & Peter Murphy (I still have a crush on Tom Waits though…his voice…sigh.)
• t'was the Night Before Christmas-Henry Rollins

There you go. Nothing too traditional but I try to keep it entertaining.