What are some good Christmas songs that aren't being played to death on the radio or in public?

Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis

The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York

Dropkick Murphys - The Season's Upon Us

Corey Taylor - X-M@$

The Kinks - Father Christmas

Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping

Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

The Flaming Lips - Christmas At The Zoo

Fountains of Wayne - I want an alien for Christmas

The Futureheads - Christmas Was Better In The 80s

The Killers - Don't Shoot Me Santa

The night Santa went crazy

Finally a christmas thread where I can answer with passion: August Burns Red - Flurries

Volume: 11/10

It's an instrumental, but nobody in their right mind would claim that it's anything but a Christmas song.

Classic:

Gloucestershire Wassail

Modern Enough:

Weird Al's Christmas At Ground Zero

Fairytale of New York by The Pogues

Cashing in on Christmas by Bad News

Fuck Christmas by Fear

For the metalheads

Sonata Arctica - Christmas spirits

Nanowar of steel - Valhallejulah

Corey Taylor -X-M@$

Don't Let The Bells End by the Darkness?

Chiron Beta Prime - Jonathan Coulton

https://youtu.be/HPdHkHslFIU?t=57

Almost everything on Soma.FM's Christmas Lounge

Xmas has been X’ed by NoFX is always at the top of my holiday playlist. YouTube linkage

My two favorites:

Santa Claus Go(es) Straight To The Ghetto by James Brown

Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

I like The Yule Fiddler.

And Rush Coil's mega man-inspired album.

From the category COUNTRY, NON-SHITTY VERSION, I have some good ones:

• Merry Christmas from the Family, Robert Earl Keen
• The sequel, Happy Holidays Y'All
• Grateful for Christmas, Hayes Carll
• (Close enough to Christmasy) Snowin' on Raton, Townes Van Zandt
• Arbolito, Tish Hinojosa
• Literally any traditional carol sung by Willie Nelson or Emmylou Harris
• X-Mas on the Isthmus, Terry Allen and Guy Clark
• Christmas in Washington, Steve Earle

A fond favourite of mine https://youtu.be/ZE4shVkwqIk?si=RjYhXFC4Xk4jF77f

Christmas in L.A. Song by Vulfpeck ‧ 2015

Twelve Days of Christmas performed by Bob and Doug McKenzie

Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight tonight) by The Ramones

Christmas Everyday by The Frights

I've been listening to this Spotify playlist called Christmas Rave Music 2024

I dig bad religions cover of the kink's father Christmas.

But I also put together a pop punk Christmas playlist together for a friend. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2KDLktij5weEe8wjoVpI2z?si=r4mAHZSlQRuROLnF3Lg-vA&pi=luEP0SsOQY6Cn

Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis by Tom Waits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vbt8ReH0hI

Sarah McLachlan's album Wintersong is one of my go-tos

The film score from Die Hard.

I love (loooove) Nutmeg by John Legend and Stephen Colbert. The entire Colbert Christmas album is great imho but Nutmeg is the best by far. Also 12 Days of Pop Punk Christmas is pretty fun.

Patty Gurdy feat. Fiddler's Green - The Yule Fiddler (Christmas Time Is Coming 'Round Today) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqesZeoiE6I

She has a lot of great stuff with a rare instrument, she's also in a pirate-metal band playing it

It's only a Christmas song in context, but In Our World from Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas popped into my head a couple days ago.

I always like playing the Wexford Carol on my violin around this time of year.

Tarja Turunen Dark Christmas. It's not 100% spectacular but it's close.

https://youtu.be/85Dqs678AEI?si=_YTpu7TBJ-mqohMa

This Eastern Canada duo did a great Christmas album last year, very Celtic folk style. Here is Cassie and Maggie.

https://youtu.be/sJkUsEIHhQw?si=LQ_Yku69kn8KggZU

A Christmas Song by Jethro Tull

Elf’s Lament - Barenaked Ladies

Mi Burrito Sabanero

All I can give you by Jason Lancaster

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46kuUZAPxeQ

Merry Christmas, Baby by The Beach Boys.

https://youtu.be/vawjF1_QnV0?si=CFiZ8uP5zR6PJCT0

Half the album this song comes from is original songs, the other half is the old favorites that were already old favorites at the time.

Yelling at the Christmas tree by Billy Idol

I'll go with this classic from The Kinks.

Tony Anderson - Immanuel

"Altfel de colind"

“Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree” performed by Brenda Lee.

Paul Kelly - How to make Gravy

River - Joni Mitchell

Happy holidays, you bastard - Blink 182

Tankard - Fuck Christmas King Diamond - No Presents for Christmas

This whole album

https://youtu.be/EwzBjBHfDIs

J. Cole - middle child

Outkast - Player's Ball

Andrea Perry's "Fat Aunt Bette"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EuUM74m-cg

• Stan Rogers - First Christmas
• Tim Minchin - White Wine in the Sun
• Paul Kelly - How to Make Gravy
• Band Aid - Do They Know It’s Christmas

might add more later if i think of them

Look for wassailing music. It’s old caroling music that tends german, and can be a nice change of pace.

Not sure what’s overplayed where you are but the world never has enough:

https://youtu.be/vCzRkv6q4fQ

And all 45 seconds of this greatness:

https://youtu.be/F7E35anYnao

The Creator Has a Master Plan (edit: by Pharaoh Sanders)

• Leon Thomas' vocal excerpt (3:50): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ixv0kX3niA
• the full song (32:47): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViweO33oo2Y

Jars of Clay - Peace is Here

Jars of Clay - I Heard the Bells

Sufjan Stevens - Put the Lights on the Tree

Sufjan Stevens - Star of Wonder

https://rushad.bandcamp.com/album/snethyxmasparty

Barenaked For The Holidays has some great tracks but Elf's Lament is my favorite since it's a cynical take on the commercialism of Christmas. https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=M4dxqHmhLaE

I’ll be home for Christmas Elvis Presley

I never hear that in the stores and rarely on the radio

I have no idea whats played on the radio but I get nostalgia for the gene audrey christmass album and I like the irish lady singers stuff.

Illegals in my yard

https://youtu.be/Zoa0ehOrMrA?si=iwqUUDkEC73LzQMf