Christmas vacation has begun. The girls had early dismissal yesterday and are now home for two-plus weeks of holiday bliss. Or hiding in their rooms staring at their devices. Christmas in 2018…<\/p>\n
As a self-anointed connoisseur of holiday music, I thought I would share some of my favorite songs that aren\u2019t jam-packed into every other Christmas playlist you may have been subjected to over the last month. Most of these are songs that never get played on the radio. I did squeeze in a few classics by artists that don\u2019t crack most Christmas music radio station playlists.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n
https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/user\/224aiwksicafjldlua6nnpo4y\/playlist\/2i5dKwUMLebuzdEbzZFlip?si=OoGGI8pdTBGRYH7RaR0T2w<\/p>\n
\u201cSanta Claus and His Old Lady\u201d – Cheech & Chong. Not a song, but still a holiday tradition in my house.<\/p>\n
\u201cChristmas Time\u201d – The dB\u2019s – There are approximately one million goofy, original Christmas songs out there. Most suck. This does not suck.<\/p>\n
\u201cRudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer\u201d – Jack Johnson. A refreshing break from tradition.<\/p>\n
\u201cNutmeg\u201d – John Legend and Stephen Colbert. A little winter warmer.<\/p>\n
\u201cChristmas with You Is the Best\u201d – Jonathan Coulton & John Roderick. Cranking up the early \u201800s classic from the Long Winters.<\/p>\n
\u201cFather Christmas\u201d – The Kinks. I probably heard this somewhere growing up. But I don\u2019t think I really heard<\/em> it, nor did it become part of my holiday playlists, until the 2000 holiday season. I heard it on KY-102 while driving home from work one evening and thought it was the greatest thing ever.<\/p>\n \u201c2000 Miles\u201d – KT Tunstall. The Pretenders original is an unforgettable classic. Yet I like KT\u2019s more.<\/p>\n \u201cJust Like Christmas\u201d – Low. Simple and beautiful.<\/p>\n \u201cHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas\u201d – Phoebe Bridgers. She might tap into that melancholy part of the season a little too much for some. But I just love her version.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe This Christmas\u201d – Ron Sexsmith. I think this should be on every radio station\u2019s high rotation list this time of year.<\/p>\n \u201cAll That I Want\u201d – The Weepies. Despite being part of a major jewelry chain\u2019s holiday campaign for a few years, this remains an overlooked classic.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Hankey the Christmas Poo\u201d – I\u2019ve started eating my fiber, have you?<\/p>\n \u201cChristmastime for the Jews\u201d – Darlene Love. I just read an oral history of this SNL cartoon and discovered NBC has put the song on Spotify. A Christmas miracle!<\/p>\n https:\/\/youtu.be\/2SzjDOk_u9I<\/p>\n \u201cChristmas Wrapping\u201d – The Waitresses. OK, this has become a classic that gets plenty of play. But it still feels like an underdog of a song because, oh, probably 10 years ago you never heard it. When C hears it she says, \u201cTurn it up, this is my favorite Christmas song!\u201d Coincidentally Michael Baumann wrote about why it is the best today.<\/p>\n