My Favorite Non-Traditional Christmas Tunes

Back in the early 1990s, an old college friend of mine named Terry Kean put together a mix tape for his company's Christmas party. The result was an eclectic compilation he called Just Say Ho (Ho Ho), and it wasn’t long before he was getting requests for multiple copies. For close to a decade, I had a cassette copy in my car, and spent many hundreds of miles listening to it on more than a few holiday trips.

Two Christmases ago, I convinced Terry it was time to move the collection to CD, and that’s when he began to share his peculiar Holiday obsession with me (not that he had a choice, since I owned the CD burner). We’ve since created a number of other collections that we've shared with friends, as the two of us have started piling up odd collections of Xmas tunes that don’t get much radio play. In any case, I’ve listed my favorites, sans a number of novelty tunes (barking dogs, Weird Al, Bob Rivers) and covers of familiar Holiday classics (Bing and Bowie being just one example).

Erasure -- She Won't Be Home: For a number of years in my 20s, I never made it home to Long Island for Christmas. Instead, hoping to cut down on the driving, I'd meet my family in New Jersey at my Aunt's house in Freehold -- a nice compromise that would save me about 200 miles roundtrip. Still, Christmas never seemed the same without a stop at home on Long Island, something that always came to mind when this one played on my car stereo somewhere between Baltimore, Maryland and Newark, Delaware.

The Pretenders -- 2000 Miles: Nice little ditty for those separated from the one's they love at the Holidays. Always reminds me of the late Pete Farnon and James "Honeyman" Scott in a way the rest of the band's back catalog never does.

They Might Be Giants -- Santa's Beard: There's always one guy in your circle of friends who's a little too friendly with everybody's girlfriend. Sure, he's your friend, but that doesn't mean you don't want to belt him sometimes, something the Brooklyn-based duo captured quite well in this tune.

XTC -- Thanks For Christmas: For a band that doesn't believe in God, they sure as Hell didn’t let that get in the way of putting together this catchy little ditty.

The Waitresses -- Christmas Rapping: Played so much, it can’t help but seem gimmicky at this point. Then again, I can’t help but feel Christmas wouldn't be complete without it. Clearly autobiographical, it comes part and parcel with a touch of sadness now that lead singer Patty Donahue is dead.

The Whirling Dervishes -- You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch: I guess it’s a cover of a sort, but I couldn’t help but include it. Why did it take almost 25 years for an indie-rock band to cover this Holiday favorite? Rollicking and fun, and filled with over the top mock menace, I’m at a loss to explain why it isn’t more popular.

The Ramones -- Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight): Back during my junior year in college, our Program Board managed to book The Ramones for Spring Fling – that was, until we got news that Joey had broken his hand in an accident and the band had to cancel. Missing that concert is one of the greatest regrets of my youth. This particular tune doesn’t sound terribly different than most of the band’s other songs, but wasn’t that part of the point in the first place?

Bruce Cockburn -- Mary Had A Baby: Is this really the same guy who brought us, If I Had A Rocket Launcher? Based on an old North Carolina call and response folk song, you can't help but sing along.

Greg Lake -- Humbug: Yes, I know that most folks might be moved to mention Lake's I Believe In Father Christmas, released as a single with Humbug on the flip side. And yes, I remember the video with Lake earnestly strumming his guitar in the midst of the desert with Arab nomads and a working oil well in the background. But I always found I Believe to be far too bitter for holiday consumption. Humbug, a silly and lighthearted tune, seemed to capture the feeling expressed in the title quite well. As for the message Lake was trying to convey in I Believe, I always preferred. . .

The Kinks -- Father Christmas: There are those less fortunate among us, and Ray Davies managed to remind us of this with his typical dry wit – and he did it without sounding preachy and cloying like his classic rock counterpart. It’s far too easy to see a group of English street urchins dragging down Davies dressed as Santa, and still manage to have a chuckle over it.

Any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them.

UPDATE: Jim Henley reminds me via e-mail that I neglected to include the Pogues', Fairytale of New York. He's right, though it was on my original list that I wanted to pare down to 10.

Eric 12:01 AM

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