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Listen Up! Happy Holidays Edition

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This week, Listen Up!, our music column, is all about the holidays. Got a favorite holiday tune? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add your suggestion to our playlist.

By Alejandro Salinas   Published Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Shopping
→ Under $30 Gift Guide

→ Foodie Gift Guide

→ Eco-Friendly Gift Guide

→ Fashion Gift Guide

→ Gifts for Geeks: Holiday Wish Lists From Local Techies

→ Jingle Bell Shopping: Holiday Markets and Craft Bazaars

Entertaining/Activities
→ Send Us Your Holiday Light Photos

→ Create a Holiday Cocktail Party for $75

→ Handmade Holiday Classes

→ Timber!—A Guide to Local Christmas Tree Farms

What to Wear
→ What to Wear to Holiday Parties

→ Splurge Vs. Steal: Holiday Party Edition

Comments

Totally forgot the geographically appropriate:

Christmas in Washington - Steve Earle

Posted by: J. Tom, Dec 22, 2008 08:05:14 AM

Sufjan Stevens - "Get Behind Me Santa"

Posted by: D.M. , Dec 18, 2008 01:28:43 PM

John McCutheon’s Christmas In the Trenches is stunning...makes me tear up every time I hear it.

Posted by: Dona, Dec 18, 2008 11:32:41 AM

Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. It just reminds me of all of our service men and women who will be overseas this holiday and not home with their families. Makes me tear up every time...but I love the song.

Posted by: Megan, Dec 17, 2008 08:50:02 AM

I just thought of another really annoying Christmas song that makes my mother cringe every time she hears it:

"All I Want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus" by Gayla Peevey.

Posted by: Jesseka, Dec 17, 2008 08:18:51 AM

Donny Hathaway - This Christmas

Posted by: Demetria, Dec 17, 2008 06:55:44 AM

Donny Hathaway: This Christmas

i gotta rep for the soul heads.

Posted by: newolf, Dec 16, 2008 02:22:34 PM

Not sure if it is possible to get more depressing than River? I can’t even pick a favorite version, Joni, Sarah McLachlan, Robert Downey, Jr.’s surprisingly awesome very, Ben Jelen has a good one, too. And, despite the sadness, I could listen to a playlist of the above songs, plus McLachlan’s Wintersong, Song for a Winter’s Night, and Josh Groban’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas (complete with tear inducing voice overs by deployed service members) on constant repeat.

Posted by: Gwen, Dec 16, 2008 02:18:54 PM

The Felice Brothers - Christmas Song
The Pogues - Fairytale of New York
Okkervil River - Listening to Otis Redding during Christmas
My Morning Jacket - X-Mas Curtain
Adam Arcuragi - The Christmas Song
(the above is NOT the Mel Torme Song)
Mel Torme - The Christmas Song
The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight

Posted by: J. Tom, Dec 16, 2008 01:56:54 PM

Not that I don’t totally love 98 Degrees and all, but David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s version of "Little Drummer Boy" is the best.

Posted by: Catherine, Dec 16, 2008 01:51:08 PM

Seriously anything from John Denver & The Muppets A Christmas Together. I’m kind of dead on in saying that the less traditional Christmas songs on here are some of Denver’s best work. You’re definitely going to get some slide guitar and electric piano here and there, but who doesn’t like that?

Posted by: db, Dec 16, 2008 01:44:33 PM

Definitely the Pogues’ "Fairytale of New York."

Posted by: Catherine, Dec 16, 2008 01:39:16 PM

I made a playlist of some of my favorite holiday tunes over at Wired For Music:

http://wiredformusic.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-music-that-doesnt-suck.html

Posted by: Jordan Hirsch, Dec 16, 2008 01:15:41 PM

Every song on "A Colbert Christmas" is amazing, but Willie Nelson’s "Little Dealer Boy" is particularly hilarious.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s "Heat Miser" is an unknown classic.

And KT Tunstall’s version of "Sleigh Bells" rocks my Christmas stockings this year!

Posted by: Nicole, Dec 16, 2008 01:07:39 PM

also "2000 Miles" by Coldplay

Posted by: slurpeeman, Dec 16, 2008 01:04:42 PM

"Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney

Posted by: Berg, Dec 16, 2008 01:01:08 PM

I don’t know about six versions of it, but while I realize that Mariah’s "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is the universally recognized version of the song, there are two others I like even more ...

My favorite is one from "Let’s Get Christmas" by Mike Viola (who will be opening as a solo act for the upcoming acoustic Fountains of Wayne show at the Birchmere Feb. 19, a reunion of the two brains behind "That Thing You Do!") ... here he is performing it in 1997 channeling his inner Elvis Costello ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWgftTw4m9I

And this one from my favorite Christmas movie, "Love, Actually," as performed by Olivia Olson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pikz3DMhu54)

Posted by: Lisa, Dec 16, 2008 01:00:12 PM

How about Sixpence None The Richer’s version of "You’re A Mean One, Mister Grinch"?

upbeat, yet still haunting,

Posted by: slurpeeman, Dec 16, 2008 12:59:03 PM

"Candy Cane Children" - The White Stripes
"Christmas Rapping" - Kurtis Blow

Posted by: Tara, Dec 16, 2008 12:45:22 PM

Hilariously depressing Christmas songs, FTW!

The Long Winters - Sometimes You Have To Work on Christmas
David Ford - Bitter Little Christmas
The Long Blondes - Christmas Is Cancelled
They Might Be Giants - Santa’s Beard
Rosie Thomas - Alone At Christmastime
Tralala - Christmas Never Comes (When You’re Alone)
Ben Folds - Lonely Christmas Eve
No Kids - Another Winter In A Summer Town

Posted by: Jolly, Dec 16, 2008 12:30:17 PM

OK- One more... anything from "Merry, Merry Christmas" by New Kids on the Block.

Now I’m done.

Posted by: Jesseka, Dec 16, 2008 12:21:52 PM

•Barbara Streisand "Jingle Bells" (which I’m dedicating to my sister, Justi).
•Gatsby’s American Dream’s version of "Christmas Time is Here"
•Elvis "Blue Christmas"
•Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick"
•Jimmy Buffett "A Sailor’s Christmas" and "Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rhum"
•Any of Johnny Mathis’s christmas songs...
•The Chipmunk’s "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)" (I think that’s the hula-hoop one)
•Figurine "The Holidays Behind Us"
•Sally Shapiro "Anorak Christmas (Piano mix)"

Ok, I have to stop.

Posted by: Jesseka, Dec 16, 2008 12:19:16 PM

The *NSYNC Christmas album is amaaazing. Oh Holy Night and Noel are two favorites.

98 Degrees Little Drummer Boy is also wonderful.

So what if I’m a boy band lover!?

Posted by: Claudia, Dec 16, 2008 12:15:16 PM

"Christmas in Hollis" - Run DMC
"Merry Christmas Baby" - Bruce Springsteen
"Holly Jolly Christmas" - The Format

Posted by: Matt, Dec 16, 2008 12:08:28 PM

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