I love the holiday season, but I have strict rules regarding the associated music and decorations. If you start too early or end too late you dilute the magic. The Christmas decorations lose their meaning to me if they’re up for a quarter of the year. Same goes for the music. For me the holiday season ends on January 1. I don’t want to see or hear anything about Christmas after December 31. It bums me out. It just reminds me that the holiday fun is over. The holiday season starts Thanksgiving week, and guess what? That’s right now. So, for my second Mix CD I’m bringing you all of the holiday cheer that I can burn on to one compact disc.
Avid mookiefantana fans might be thinking, “Haven’t you done this before?” Yes, I have. But, that was five years ago and the playlist was bloated. I’ve whittled it down to a tight 75 minutes this time. Here’s a fun fact: Christmas songs are short! Even with the time limit I was able to fit 24 songs. That’s a lot of holiday cheer. I’m done messing around with this intro. Let’s just get to the music. My gift to you just in time for the season is my Holiday Mix CD:
“What Christmas Means to Me” – Stevie Wonder
Tough to pick an opening track for a holiday playlist. One rule in all of music: Can’t go wrong with Stevie. It’s upbeat, hopeful, joyful…what more do you want from a holiday song?
“Run Rudolph Run” – CeeLo Green
The first of a handful of songs on this list that I don’t usually like, but kick ass in the hands of the right artist. This song is pretty much corny as hell, but CeeLo adds some funk to it. Props to whoever is killing it on the organ from start to finish.
“Jingle Bell Rock” – Hall & Oates
I know Bobby Helms is credited with writing this song, but I’d just rather hear Hall & Oates sing it.
“Silver Bells” – John Legend
This is neither my favorite version of “Silver Bells”, nor is it my favorite John Legend holiday song. However, for reasons I still can’t comprehend this has become the favorite holiday song of all three of my children. If I make a holiday playlist for riding around in the car or chilling in the house this holiday season and it doesn’t have this song on it I will have three angry teens on my hands. By, the way, I don’t mean to make it sound like this song doesn’t belong here. It is a damn good song. I geek out on the ride cymbal work happening late in this track.
“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – U2
Yeah, I know. This is Darlene Love’s jam. Sorry. I grew up on U2. Bono brings the same passion and intensity to this as he did to “Sunday Bloody Sunday”.
“Funky Little Drummer Boy” – Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings
Once again, I’m not a fan of “The Little Drummer Boy”. But, if you hand that dusty old hymn to one of the funkiest bands in the land, give it a bass line and bari sax, we’ve got a holiday classic.
“Wonderful Christmastime” – Paul McCartney
Man, this is a really weird song. Can’t think of too many holiday songs with time signatures that throw me off. I feel like McCartney got a synthesizer in 1978, got high one night and came out of an hour in the studio with this gem.
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” – Burl Ives
A Christmas standard to cleanse the palate after that McCartney strangeness. If you don’t have some Burl Ives on your holiday playlist I can’t even look you in your stupid face. The man’s name was Burl Ives, for God’s sake. Show some respect.
“Jingle Bells” – Lauren Daigle
Lauren Daigle takes a tired old classic to New Orleans and makes something completely fresh. I love the bass line and the harmonies on this one.
“Feliz Navidad” – José Feliciano
Six words in Spanish. Thirteen words in English. One holiday classic. A simple message that exudes joy and brings people together.
“Christmas in Hollis” – Run DMC
Damn near 40 years later and this is still the holiday hip hop standard.
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” – Amy Winehouse
I’m not kidding and I’m not ashamed to say it: I actually cried the first time I heard this song. I’m sure that wasn’t the intended response. Even on a silly Christmas song Amy Winehouse’s vocal brilliance stuns. What a phenomenal, generational talent. I’m still heartbroken.
“Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” – José James
In case you haven’t noticed, I prefer my holiday music mellow. Delivered by a piano, bass, and drums. The closer to the Charlie Brown Christmas record, the better. José James captures that vibe better than anyone I’ve ever heard.
“Home for Christmas” – Hall & Oates
That’s right. I’m bringing them back for an encore. Hearing Daryl Hall and John Oates’s voices is just like going home for me since I grew up on their music. They’ve always blended perfectly and hearing them together on a holiday song makes me happy.
“Blue Christmas” – Elvis Presley
I believe I wrote something similar five years ago, but I’m too lazy to look back. I’ll say it again anyway: Christmas songs are clearly made to be covered. As far as I’m concerned, nobody should attempt to sing this classic except for Elvis. Everyone else is just doing a poor imitation. End of argument.
“Joy to the World” – Sufjan Stevens
You would think a song called “Joy to the World” about the birth of a savior would be grandiose and triumphant, and that’s usually the way this song is performed. Instead, Sufjan delivers a stirring, beautiful rendition that is equally effective, if not more.
“The Birth of Christ” – Boyz II Men
Can you believe these cats wrote and performed this song when they were teenagers? This probably isn’t the place for this specific rant, but you’re getting it here anyway: Stop calling Boyz II Men a “boy band”. New Kids on the Block were a boy band. Backstreet Boys were a boy band. Boyz II Men are as talented a vocal group as I’ve heard in my lifetime. Lazily lumping them in with corny ass teeny bopper douchebags is offensive as hell. Stop it.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” – John Legend and Esperanza Spalding
Since I’m ranting, here’s another one: Stop trying to sound sexy when singing Christmas songs. I was at a holiday parade last weekend and the local pop station had a truck playing holiday music. They were playing a horrendous rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” performed by a pair of (I assume) awful people who were certainly auto tuned. The female vocalist made the regrettable decision to go with a sex kitten voice, which doesn’t really work when delivering lines like “make the yuletide gay”. It was despicable. I don’t know who to blame for that atrocity, but the world is now slightly worse because of you. May God have mercy on your soul. Leave the holiday classics to talented people like John Legend and Esperanza Spalding.
“The Christmas Waltz” – José James
Yet another blah Christmas song that becomes a masterpiece in the hands of the right people. I was never a fan of “The Christmas Waltz” but with James on vocals along with Aaron Parks (piano), Ben Williams (bass), and Jharis Yokley (drums) this song went from something I’d give thumbs down on Pandora to one of my all-time favorites. On my short list of perfect holiday songs.
“White Christmas” – Bing Crosby
Man, Bing’s voice was something. Dude sounds like he was gargling buttermilk before this recording, and then to up the ante he busted out one of the wildest vibratos on record.
“Silent Night” – Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men broke this song for me when I was in high school. Somehow a bunch of 20 year old dudes from Philly did something seemingly nobody else could do and delivered this song with the amount of gravitas it deserves. For 30 years now anyone else who attempts to perform this song just sounds to me like they’re playing around.
“The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” – Nat “King” Cole
Perfection.
“Christmas Time is Here (Instrumental)” – Vince Guaraldi Trio
For as wonderful a time as the holidays are, I find myself drawn to the melancholy of “Christmas Time is Here” as my favorite Christmas song of all. Let me start by saying this: Christmas Eve is where it’s at. I always prefer the eve to the actual day. The anticipation. The moment before the actual moment. In recent years I’ve started a little tradition. Sometime after our family Christmas Eve gathering when we get home – usually sometime in the 11:00 hour. Chels and the kids will be in their rooms. I’ll have the living room dark with only the Christmas tree lit. I’ll pour myself a scotch or something similar. Then I drop the needle on “Christmas Time is Here” and savor the moment for nine minutes. In the midst of all the holiday chaos it’s a time to reflect. Say Merry Christmas to dad and my grandparents. Give thanks. Just chill. One of the best moments of the year and only one song could be the soundtrack for it.
“Christmas Time is Here (Vocal Version)” – Vince Guaraldi Trio
You can’t have one without the other. It should just be one song.
That’s it. My regular holiday playlist that I shuffle for the next six weeks lasts over ten hours and has a couple hundred songs. But, these are the best of the best. For those of you who are Apple Music subscribers like I am and want to listen to this playlist, here’s a link. Apple and WordPress don’t play nice, so I can’t make a nice looking playlist widget with Apple Music like I can with Spotify.
I hope this playlist brings a smile to your face at some point this holiday season. I didn’t bring in a guest writer for this one as I wrote it on a whim after watching a very enjoyable Christmas movie (starring Ludacris!) with my daughter. However, if you’re feeling ambitious make your own holiday playlist, send it my way with some thoughts, and I’ll add it to the post. I’ll go back to my intended format of making mix CDs with a guest writer on my next one. The artist and the guest writer are already picked out and I promise you, this music has very little to do with Christmas.
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