Nothing sets a festive vibe for a holiday get together like a good playlist. Unfortunately, Christmas music can sometimes feel — how should we put this — grating after six weeks of repetition?
There’s only so many times you can hear Dean Martin deliver an unctuous “silver bells” without getting the willies. And, excuse me, just because it’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year doesn’t mean all of us have suddenly become Michael Bublé fans.
Let’s be real, Mariah Carey has been carrying the load for far too long. And yes, every year, some big budget pop star or other — usually Ariana Grande — comes out with a sugar-coated tune about Santa Claus. But, if you’re frankly sick of the classics after weeks of hearing them on repeat at CVS, or if your musical diet in months other than December isn’t exclusively old timey or aggressively pop-y, where to turn?
People, you have options. Here are playlists and albums — selected with the bias of an aged-millennial — to play at your holiday gatherings. Hopefully, they’ll have you hitting the eggnog in a GOOD way.
1. Let public radio be your guide
NPR and local public radio stations have the job of entertaining the culturally discerning masses, which is an even harder task on Christmas Eve and Christmas. The national outlet and local stations have playlists meant to get you in the spirit with unconventional tunes. Check out NPR’s Christmas edition of its weekly Viking’s Choice playlist. DJ Lars Gotrich warns listeners to “Expect the unexpected as holiday classics — your Gene Autrys and Darlene Loves — play alongside saccharine, silly, somber, saucy, and stunning originals and covers by artists across drone, indie rock, reggae, punk, R&B, hip-hop, pop, metal and whatever else makes for a jingle bell time. Let’s make the yuletide weird, y’all.”
I have to personally recommend my local NPR station, KCRW, for its holiday playlist. DJ Travis Holcomb hosted a Christmas edition of his show “Freaks Only,” which saw holiday songs from the likes of Bootsy Collins, Big Freedia, Norm MacDonald (RIP) and DMX (also RIP 😢). DMX’s “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” is the perfect Christmas song, after all.
2. A robot with good taste picked these
Pro-tip: If you search Spotify or Apple Music (whichever is your streaming platform of choice) for Christmas music + your favorite genre, the recommendation algorithms will hook you up! Personally, I’ll be spinning Spotify’s “Indie Christmas” playlist, which has covers and holiday-ish originals from artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Andrew Bird, and more. Am I ready to get in my feelings with Fleet Foxes’ “White Winter Hymnal”? You bet your pajama-covered butt I am!
3. Go full manic pixie dreamgirl
A Very She & Him Christmas was the twee Christmas album to crown them all when it originally came out in 2011. This week, the duo — comprised of indie darlings Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward — re-issued the album with a tenth anniversary edition. Zooey D gets a lot of hate but her honeyed voice is beautiful and the nostalgic takes on classics set the vibe without being too conventional.
4. Go off the rails
There are some extremely strange Christmas albums out there, people. Want a somewhat spooky, psychedelic-punk inspired soundtrack? Try the 2013 compilation album featuring Iggy Pop, Psychic Ills, and other weirdos called Psych-Out Christmas. Hankering for disco remixes of Christmas classics? Mirror Image’s Disco Noël has you covered. Or you could always hand over the reins to the king of camp, John Waters, and put on his compilation album A John Waters Christmas for something that’s both delightful and horrifying. Head to Flood Magazine for more freaktastic selections.
5. So you want to give in…
Maybe you do just want to hear Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande after all to get that warm and fuzzy feeling. If so, may we suggest… movie soundtracks! The Love, Actually soundtrack will deliver the Mariah classic, but it also has a lot of other songs on there that aren’t exactly Christmas songs, but we’ve come to associate with the holiday spirit just because Love, Actually’s vibe is so strong. Take the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”: It is not, in fact, a Christmas song! But Love, Actually basically turned it into one. So google soundtrack + your favorite holiday rom com, and let the good feelings flow.