A Christmas Playlist for People Who Hate Christmas
With Christmas music playing since November, I am sure many of us are feeling the Christmas fatigue already. Here is a list of songs to best celebrate being fed up with Christmas:
1. Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song) – Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters. For those perfectly happy with a green Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka is the Hawaiian way to say Merry Christmas. Write this on a postcard from your destination Christmas because you will not be home for the holidays.
2. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto James Brown. This hot track from James Brown asks the age-old question – why does Santa hate poor people? Growing up with stories of Santa Claus it never made sense that rich kids always got so much more from him than anyone else. In this song James Brown pleads with Santa to start at the ghetto. For all of us old enough to be in on the Santa secret this song carries a bitter sadness.
3. Just Call Me Scrooge – Fishbone. Being a Christmas Grinch never sounded so cool, but this jazzy tune celebrates the Scrooge that lives in all of our hearts and all of the grievances he has with the holiday.
4. Just a Lonely Christmas –The Supremes. Like Mariah, all Diana Ross wants for Christmas is her man. Unfortunately, where “All I Want For Christmas is You” is happy and hopeful, “Just a Lonely Christmas” is sad and hopeless, as it seems the Supremes will not be getting their Christmas wish.This is the perfect track for all of us spending the holidays alone.
5. Codependent Christmas – The Therapy Sisters. For all of us celebrating the holidays with our dysfunctional families, this track by The Therapy Sisters perfectly outlines the realities of the holidays; feelings of inadequacy and sneaking shots of whisky.
6. Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight) – Ramones. The Ramones moan this one Christmas plea that no one fights tonight. This bitter Christmas tune sings of the realities of how the holiday season centered on peace and goodwill often results in family fights at the Christmas table. The Ramones sing tidings of not doing that this year “‘Cause Christmas ain’t the time for breaking each other’s heart”.
7. Green Christmas – Barenaked Ladies. This gem from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas soundtrack is for all of the holiday Grinches less than impressed with all of the festivities going on; it’s a green Christmas for me.
8. Same Old Lang Syne – Dan Fogelberg. While everyone else is looking towards the future this New Year’s Eve, Dan Fogelberg is instead reflecting on the past. While others spend the night looking for their first kiss of the new year, Same Old Lang Syne will be singing into its drink, “we drank to reach beyond the emptiness/ but neither one knew how”