17 Christmas Songs For When You're Tired of Christmas Songs

I love Christmas music, and I've been having the local Christmas radio station on for much of December. However, I think the station is experiencing the same thing I am: Christmas Song Burnout. On the way to a party, Ashley and I heard Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" come on the radio. Not really a Christmas song, but hey, it's a classic. On the way back, only four hours later, "Linus and Lucy" came on again, after the third variation of "Let it Snow" that we heard that night. 

The warm, logs-by-the-fire novelty of Christmas songs mixed with overproduced Christmas carols is beginning to itch on me like an ugly sweater. Radios and mall background music can hit you with the same holly-jolly ring and Michael Buble sentiment, jading you from enjoying the holiday spirit. If you listen to only 60-70 songs, each with only a few variations (which often sound the same), for an entire month, you may end up a Scrooge. And no one wants that. 

There's three days until Christmas. The home stretch. To help you get through these last days of Christmas cheer, here's a short list of songs which don't get played enough during the season. These may includes songs you know but I think are just that good, or versions of songs that really bring you out of the Christmas slog. They also include indie kingpins and pop artists from yesteryear. If a 25-year-old Christmas song can be #1 on the billboards (All I Want For Christmas is You), then I know that people are up for recycling songs to endure the holiday.

I put the links underneath the list in case you want to listen to them write away.

Organized in a loose manner, here's the list.

17. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen

16. Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses

15. Merry Christmas Baby - Otis Redding

14. Just Like Christmas - Low

13. Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry

12. Christmastime is Here - Mark Kozelek  

11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies/Sheryl Crow

10. What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder

9. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

8. I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun - Beach House

7/6. Happy Birthday Guadalupe!, Don't Shoot Me Santa Claus - The Killers

5. Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis - Tom Waits

4. Frosty the Snowman - Cocteau Twins

3. NSYNC - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

2/1. Did I Make you Cry on Christmas? (well, you deserved it), Joy to the World - Sufjan Stevens

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Bruce Springsteen

If you can play a Christmas song live, in July, with the crowd going wild, I'd say you've got a winner. This gets airtime, but it definitely doesn't get enough attention amidst all the other jingles that smother the radio.

Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses

A freaking fun song. This is what an affordable shopping spree sounds like--lots of dancing, celebratory solos. And the song plows through the year to get to Christmas. Just like us. I promise there will be less saxophones as the list continues.

Otis Redding - Merry Christmas Baby

The soul-side of the holiday season. It's an Otis Redding song about Christmas. You can use it as another excuse to get into your Motown mood. Please excuse the third consecutive song in a row featuring a saxophone

Just Like Christmas - Low

It's the Christmas ditty about Scandinavia you never realized you wanted. Probably one of the most honest, homely songs in this list, it's a refresher that people make artistic songs about Christmas, and that sometimes the holiday revolves around your life instead of vice versa.

Run Rudolph Run - Chuck Berry

This is probably the most mainstream song on the list, but just jam out, Go for it. One of the funnest songs you'll hear any time of the year.

Christmastime is Here - Mark Kozelek

Leave to the human embodiment of Charlie Brown to turn the Peanuts classic into a somber, pensive experience. There's some self-demurring humor and a beautiful guitar riff, and you can't deny that you connect with his melancholy.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies feat. Sheryl Crow

Did you ever think you'd be tapping your toe to this mashup of carols? Thanks to a jazzy bass and fluttery vocals, this is just what you need to step away from the traditional production and enjoy a lovely song.

10. What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder

This is built upon the same foundation as Otis Redding's song: It's a Stevie Wonder song about Christmas. It's going to have a bunch of energy and make you dance in the car. And, it has the trademark harmonica solo. Listen to it more.

9. Wonderful Christmastime - 

Okay, Another mainstream Christmas song. But it sees Christmas time much differently than what we're used to in Christmas tunes. "Christmastime" ornaments are disco balls and brings out the silly sentimentality of traditions. Paul + Synthesizer = Fun!

8. I Do Not Care For the Winter Sun - Beach House

"Happy Holidays, we wrote a song for you, thanks for the great year!
Love,
Beach House" - December 16, 2010, on their Facebook page
...I could give you a lot of reasons to listen to this song, but that suffices.
7/6. Don't Shoot Me Santa, Happy Birthday Guadalupe - The Killers




"Don't Shoot me Santa" is a great song, coupled with a hilarious video, but "Happy Birthday Guadalupe" really shines as a song. It also completely breaks through the normal instrumentation of Christmas songs, taking you through the Arizona desert with a Mariachi band. Both songs incredibly fun.






















5. Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis - Tom Waits

Very Tom Waits-ian. Adds "Hooker" in the title but ends up writing a warm, tender song. Tom Waits utilizes the universality of Christmas to look a piece of humanity that so often gets overlooked, even by themselves.

4. Frosty the Snowman - Cocteau Twins

"Frosty the Snowman" has to be one of the most annoying songs ever made, in my perspective. Why the Cocteau Twins decided to make this into a dream-pop throw down is beyond my understanding, but I'm very grateful

3. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays - NSYNC

This video is an American treasure. Young JT joins up with the other dudes of NSYNC and Gary Coleman (Gary Coleman sighting!!) to make a kind-of politically correct Christmas song! Will this ever get old?

2/1. Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day (well, you deserved it), Joy to the World - Sufjan Stevens

Picking two songs from an artist who has made almost five hours of Christmas music is daunting, but these are two songs stand out. "Did I Make You Cry" completely reverses what we understand about a Christmas Song, and Steven's version of "Joy to the World" is the most praising and heartfelt that I've ever heard. Perfect to jolt you out of the non-stop Christmas music world.