Favorite Holiday songs and albums

What songs and/or albums�really get you in the holiday mood?

Traditionally for me it's been anything from the old christmas specials esp, Rudolph and Charlie Brown. Also my John Denver and the Muppets album is a must every year.� Recenly tho my husband has gotten me into a few British holiday hits like Slade, Bony M, and Do They Know It's Christmas.� They go well with my Big 80's Christmas album that I've had a few years.� Would anyone else agree that The Waitresses "X-mas Wrapping" song is the most catchy yet annoying song for the holidays :-)��� Oh yeah....also have to listen to Bob and Doug Macenzie's "12 Days of X-mas" at least once LOL

Definitely Bob and Doug!� I also have a fondness for Weird Al's "Christmas at Ground Zero."� If I'm in a more nostalgic mood, TMBG's version of "O�Tannenbaum"� always gives me a warm holiday feeling.�

"On the first day of christmas my true love gave to me....beer."

There's a couple of albums that get me in the holiday spirit.

First, of course, John Denver and the Muppets' "A Christmas Together" is a masterpiece.� We used to listen to it on vinyl as a family when I was a kid.� But that one's been mentioned.

Recently there's been two albums I like:� "Maybe This Christmas" is a great collection with BNL, Ben Folds, Jack Johnson, and, among others,�Coldplay doing what I consider a definitive verson of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."� Not as good as Rolf the Dog's, but great nonetheless.

And lately my boss has turned me on to "Christmas Remixed," which takes classic Christmas songs (Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, etc) and lays down some phat beats underneath it.

> "Maybe This
> Christmas" is a great collection with BNL, Ben Folds, Jack Johnson, and,
> among others,�Coldplay doing what I consider a definitive verson of "Have
> Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."�

They've actually since come out with "Maybe This Christmas Too" and "Maybe This Christmas Tree," both of which I'm seriously considering picking up.� I avoided that first installment because Vanessa Carlton singing Greensleeves?� World's.� Worst.� Idea.�

As Pauley mentions below, Bob Rivers's Twisted Christmas albums are good fun (my friend in college always used to loan me his for my holiday radio show, so now I can't imagine Christmas without "Toy Sack" or "It's Jesus's Birthday"), and the Signature Sounds "Wonderland" collection is beautiful.� SHeDAISY�also has a great Christmas CD (very glossy produced pop, even though they're supposedly in the country genre).� And I really like the "Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave X-mas" disc, b/c it's got a lot of 80's classics ("2000 Miles," "Thanks For Christmas," "Little Drummer Boy" with�Bing & Bowie,�etc)--just stay away from Root Boy Slim and the Rootettes' "X-mas at K-mart".� Yikes.

Oh, and I also endorse Mr. Hanky's Christmas Album.� :D

Ugh.� I second the Vanessa Carlton objection.� That's the track I skip over.� She sounds like someone punched her in the stomach.� Or a porn star.

Someone punched her in a porn star?

Square in the porn star.

Sounds singularly painful. *wince*

-- Pauley

Yup... the Muppets singing the 12 days of christmas has always marked the holidays for me. At the shop, that one soung would get all the designers going and singing along.

I really like Martha's Trouble and their christmas album.

BA-DUM-BUM-BUM!

My favorite holiday albums are tapes I made from the Radio of shows at the bottom line. There is the Downtown Messiah and The Roche's Christmas Show

nobody has mentioned the Chipmunks christmas album yet?!

Christmas on Acid

Nobody was asking how you liked to SPEND christmas... just what MUSIC you like.


*looks at others* She gets so confused.

That's why they call me Confuseda McGee.

Arrogant Worms - Christmas turkey
Wonderland
Darryl Purpose - The Gift of the Magi
Lisa Bastoni's underground x-mas album
Loreena McKennitt - A winter garden

there might be more :)

oO Santa's coming and he's gonna kick your ass! Oo

...4 Christmas CDs that I regularly listen to each year.

* Time-Life Treasury of Christmas Discs A & B (a reeeeeeeeeeeally old edition, in the grand scheme of CDs -- 1987. I burned copies of these from my parents)
* Twisted Christmas -- Bob Rivers Comedy Corp.
* Vince Guaraldi Trio -- Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack

-- Pauley

* Vince Guaraldi Trio -- Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack

My yoga instructor put it on during class yesterday, instead of the new age shit. It was awesome.

Heh. "The 12 Pains of Christmas" is *still* the parody I think of whenever I hear that song. :-)

I love the guy with the lights.

If you haven't heard it, the guy in the "two turtle doves" position in the parody starts out saying that he's "rigging up the lights," but things eventually go downhill...

"rigging up these lights!"
"one light goes out they all go out!"
"get a flashlight, I blew a fuse!"
"now why the hell are they blinking???"
"fine, you're so smart, you rig up the lights!"

-- Pauley

I have the Muppets Christmas Carol soundtrack on tape. I should go find it.

the obvious two are john denver and the muppets: a christmas together and wonderland. my new favorite this year is the american song-poem christmas cd. neuromusic at its finest.

also, tho i doubt anyone but folktraveler will care, tres femmes have just released a holiday sampler of a cappella renditions of christmas songs. yum.

Hee. exactly. But unfortunately there are only available at shows and I decided not to abuse Kel for this :)

So I have to wait for next year...

Two of my favorite holiday songs were written for the Roches' Christmas shows.

Loudon Wainwright's "Suddenly It's Christmas" aka "The Longest Holiday" is a satiric masterpiece. It doesn't exactly put you in the holiday mood but it is as funny as anything and so true.

David Massengill's "Jesus the Fugitive Prince" does put me in the holiday mood. It is the story of a mental patient who believes he's Jesus so Christmas is his birthday. It is funny, moving, touching, and the surprise ending is perfect. I tried to find the album it is on, "the Return" to no avail this year, it is out of print.

i didn't know those were written for the roches christmas shows! "suddenly it's christmas" is hysterical, and "jesus the fugitive prince" is one of the first contemporary folk songs i ever heard.

The Barry Manilow and Barbra Streisand Christmas Albums are my faves!

(Go ahead and laugh...someone has to be a traditionalist around here!)

Christmas albums by Jews are traditional? :-)

yeah, sorry, i don't see either of those as traditional. for traditional christmas music, i think choirs doing standard versions of typical christmas fare, preferably while wearing victorian caroling garb.

And swimming in plum pudding.

see, but "traditional" is something that changes over time.

thigns like oranges stuck all over with cloves, once traditional, now--definately more rare.

traditions are built.

i mean i get what you mean, and i agree to a point.

but traditional is very subjective, and frankly, as i haven't spent a christmas without seeing white christmas I would consider a good chunk of that period of christmas stuff "traditional"

haven't you ever heard of "white christmas?"

and these 2 look promising (clicky1 and clicky2 )

Oh emm gee Ring In Christmas is the best Christmas cd evar you should listen to it liek right now shift-one.

I love Al's other one, "The Night Santa Went Crazy". "Merry X-mas to all, now your all gonna die!" hilarious!

"All That I Want" by The Weepies

They were on the same bill as Peter Mulvey at Fez earlier this year, and I've played their album a whole lot since. listen now

*loves you*

Yeah this is just one wonderful little CD...

(I've been pimping Deb Talan for ages :)