Christmas music has a tendency to drive me insane. The cheery, upbeat nature and tacky lyrics penetrate my eardrums causing a painful migraine to set in and pound against my skull with every gleeful note.
Here my boyfriend and I have comprised a list of holiday songs that are not only bearable, but really quite superb.
#1 – This is the only song that will receive a number as the rest are pretty much equal. Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kristy McColl is worthy of the title of number one Christmas song EVER. My boyfriend actually reminded me of this recently and referred to the hopefulness for next year’s Christmas rather than the present Christmas (being stuck in the drunk tank). He compared it to our situation – him being deployed in Afghanistan and me being home, celebrating the holidays as best I can without the man I love.
After that, nothing compares; however, if I were to do a second choice it would be The Killers, Don’t Shoot Me Santa Claus. This video is absolutely hysterical.
Tom Waits, one of my favorite voices of all time, wrote a song entitled Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis. Gritty, rough, and hardcore lyrics. Daniel Durchholz once compared Waits’ voice as sounding “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car.”
Next is my boyfriend’s pick and a definite classic – James Brown’s Please Come Home for Christmas.
Simply hilarious, I Want an Alien for Christmas by New Jersey natives, Fountains of Wayne.
The Flaming Lips, Christmas at the Zoo.
Another fun one with a pretty crazy story of violence and drunken festivities (of sorts), Oi, To The World by The Vandals.
Christmas in Cape Town by Randy Newman. Dark sense of humor noted.
It isn’t Christmas without the classic Elvis – Blue Christmas.
Elvis’ Santa Claus is Back in Town is another essential, raunchy blues Christmas song.
Now I am going to propose something very classic, Frank Sinatra’s Christmas Song. This is a very traditional song, yet it makes it on my list because Frank is simply amazing.
I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and please feel free to add any favorites of yours to the comments. I would love to hear them.
Avventura 
Hey! First, Thanks for the comment on my blog.
Second, I like the music choices. : ) They are all cool, and some of them are downright classics in my mind- especially the Sinatra and Elvis ones. Some of them I’ve never heard- thank you for expanding my Christmas music horizons!
Fountains of Wayne! You rock to remember my Garden State natives!
really nice list!