Fibre Optic Lights

They don’t make holiday music like they used to.1

Or maybe it’s that they’re making too much of it. Hundreds of artists recording the same twenty or so songs, trying (and usually failing) to find a new twist. And Maria Carey ad nauseam.

I suppose that’s my way of saying it has been harder than usual this year to find holiday music that’s both unique and good to add to my collection. But here it is, my annual list of new-to-me strange and wonderful seasonal songs that I can tolerate in heavy rotation.

You can find all the tracks on your favorite streaming service and, if you have Apple Music, the full playlist is here.

Hope you enjoy at least some of the pieces on the list. And that you find some happiness and peace during this season of way too much commercialism and turmoil.

  1. December – Tatiana Eva-Marie & Avalon Jazz Band
  2. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Highline Vocal Jazz
  3. A Mad Russian’s Christmas – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
  4. Zat You Santa Claus – Hot Club du Nax
  5. December, Darling – Meg & Dia
  6. I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here) – Old 97’s
  7. The Christmas Waltz – Dave Damiani & Renee Olstead
  8. This Time of Year – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  9. Christmas Never Gets Old – Jamie Cullum
  10. I’d Like You for Christmas – Hot Club du Nax
  11. Bringin’ Back Christmas – Ryan Reynolds & The Spirited Ensemble
  12. Lights Blown Out – Meg & Dia
  13. All I Want For Christmas – Herb Alpert
  14. Christmas Tree Farm – Taylor Swift
  15. That Christmas Morning Feelin’ – Will Ferrell, Patrick Page, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan & The Spirited Ensemble
  16. Text Me Merry Christmas – Straight No Chaser (feat. Kristen Bell)
  17. Oi to the World – No Doubt
  18. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – Frank Sinatra & Cyndi Lauper
  19. Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  20. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? – Herb Alpert
  21. A Reason to Toast – The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  22. A Winter’s Tale – Queen

The picture is not specifically Christmas related but is holiday-looking enough for these purposes. This is from an exhibit at the Smithsonian’s FUTURES exhibit last spring.

1. However, this year Post columnist Alexandra Petri provides The 9 best Thanksgiving songs I definitely didn’t just make up. The music is a little late for the current holiday season, but listen anyway and keep the page linked for enjoying next time around.