Music Lists Are Us: Favorite Christmas songs with brief comments

Alone on Christmas Day by Mike Love (my least favorite Beach Boy, but this song is great)

Christmas Day (I Wish I Was Surfing) by Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler (tangentially seasonal)

That Spirit of Christmas by Ray Charles (by Ray Charles; 'nuff said)

Baby Jesus by Matthew Sweet (strange lyrically, a little psychedelic musically, but beautiful)

Iesus Ahatonnia (The Huron Carol) by Bruce Cockburn  (the first Canadian Christmas hymn, written in the early 1600s)

2000 Miles by The Pretenders (one of my favorite Pretenders songs)

Christmas Time is Here (instrumental) by Vince Guaraldi (from A Charlie Brown Christmas)

Donna and Blitzen by Badly Drawn Boy

Bethlehem by Over the Rhine

Santa Will Find You by Mindy Smith (the only Santa focused title on this list)

Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson & Sara Bareilles

The Little Wiped-Out Drummer Boy by The Spongetones (one of the better takes on "Drummer Boy")

All My Bells Are Ringing by Lenka

River by Joni Mitchell (probably the greatest singer/songwriter of all time)

Shepherds by Bruce Cockburn (alludes to the Biblical narrative but not too theological or preachy)

What Christmas Means To Me by Stevie Wonder (earnest and upbeat)

Snowflakes by Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler (I don't know any of their other albums but this is a great Christmas collection for people burned out on on the mindless overplay of the same 19 songs every December)

Jesus Christ by Teenage Fanclub (the original by Big Star is great, but I prefer this cover version by maybe my fave non-Beatles group--there are other good versions, too; including the one on the Monkees' Christmas album)

My Holiday by Mindy Smith

Just Like Christmas by Low (neither overtly religious, nor commercially compromised)

Mistletoe by Colbie Caillat

Jesus, Born On This Day by Mariah Carey (from Carey's 1994 album)

Maybe This Christmas by Ron Sexsmith (title-track to a charity Christmas album for "Toys for Tots", but there are some other good versions of the song. Including one by Kerry Getz).

Skating by Vince Guaraldi (the whole A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is still worthwhile)

Let It Fall by Over the Rhine

This Time of the Year by Ray Charles (Brother Ray elevates an otherwise unremarkable song)

Home for the Holidays by Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler (about a Christmas visit to your hometown and seeing exes)

Song for a Winter's Night by Gordon Lightfoot (more Wintery rather than specifically Christmas-y)

Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson (the one instant classic on Kelly's 1st holiday album)

Goodbye Charles by Over The Rhine (They have 3 Christmas albums; the songs are mostly original)

Someday at Christmas by Stevie Wonder

Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) by The Smithereens (I'm sure that some prefer the original version by the Ramones, but I like this one just slightly more)

Down in Yon Forrest by Bruce Cockburn

Midnight Mass by Tom Chaplin (Chaplin is lead singer in the UK band, Keane; good holiday disc)

The Christmas Song by The Raveonettes (not the old "Chestnuts roasting..." song; I think they should have called it "The Other Christmas Song" in deference to the older classic)

Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) by Mariah Carey (her 1st Christmas album is her best album)

Christmas Time is Here (vocal version) by Vince Guaraldi (from A Charlie Brown Christmas)

Little Road to Bethlehem by Shawn Colvin

The Gift that Keeps Giving by Super Furry Animals

Christmas Moon by Emmy the Great and Tim Wheeler

Christmas Eve by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

Joy to the World by Whitney Houston (from The Preacher's Wife movie soundtrack)

A Fairytale of New York by The Pogues & Kristy MacColl (some strong language; a very different approach to a holiday song)