Holiday songs that don’t suck…as much

by Erin Rice

Oh, the Christmas song. What a miserable machination of music and holiday consumerism. Few things suck more than holiday songs, one of which being articles about holiday songs. Ahhhh, now that the initial rant is out of the way, let's move on.

Knowing the horrific, generic past of the Christmas song, including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa songs, I wanted to put together a list of the ones that don't suck. There are of course the greats, including almost anything Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby, but you already know those songs. For this list, we at Pegasus News wanted to bring you some of the more obscure tunes that you may not hear on the radio this season, but of course we've included a few that you might hear that we still love.

This list was compiled via Pegasus News staffers, this website, and a couple other sources to be named. Disclaimer: I cannot promise that all of these songs don't suck, but I will say that they cannot possibly be worse than this one. Go ahead and get your holiday on.

Pegasus News Holiday Songs That Don't Suck List

Local Mentions:

• The Old 97's: "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "I'll be Home for Christmas"*
• Rhett Miller: "Here it is, Christmas"
• Prayer for Animals: "Best Christmas Ever"
• The Freek Out: "Mary Catharine Christmas", "Zombie Christmas," and several more here
• 41 Gorgeous Blocks: "Christmas (Without You)"
• The Reverend Horton Heat: We Three Kings
• P.P.T.: "It's Christmas Time"
• Black Tie Dynasty: "Christmas Time"
• Glenn Mitchell: "Saa-a-aa-anta, I Want a Goat for Christmas" (If anyone can find a recording of this please let me know!)
• Turtle Creek Chorale: "Jalapeno Chorus"
• Grain: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Weed"

Pegasus Staff Non-Local Picks

• Waitresses: "Christmas Wrapping"
• Blink 182: "I Won't be Home for Christmas"
• The Kinks: "Father Christmas"
• Doug and Bob McKenzie: "12 Days of Christmas"
• Adam Sandler: "The Hanukkah Song" (the original version... the other versions make the suck list)
• Bitch & Animal: "Ganja"
• Shonen Knife: "Space Christmas"
• Robert Earl Keene, Jr.: "Merry Christmas From the Family"
• Ella Fitzgerald: "Santa Clause Got Stuck in my Chimney"
• The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: "This Time of Year"
• Wham: "Last Christmas"
• Death Cab For Cutie: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
• Bob Rivers: "I Am Santa Claus" (to the tune of "Iron Man")
• Leon Redbone: "Christmas Island"
• Aimee Mann: "Christmastime"
• The Original Score from A Charlie Brown Christmas
• No Doubt: "Oi to the World"
• Wedding Present (not Elton): "Step Into Christmas"
• Slade: "Merry Christmas Everybody"
• Dale Watson: "Hot Texas Christmas Day"

By no means is this list comprehensive, and I'm sure I let in at least one or two that actually do suck. Feel free to add to this list or leave your comments about the songs already included.

Happy Holidays!

*these two are from the 1995 Big Iron Records release Honky-Tonk Holidays: Christmas in Deep Noellum. Consider yourself lucky if you have it, I can't find it anywhere. Find more information on this compilation here.