In my previous post, I presented a list of 10 under-the-radar Christmas movies to enjoy for when you get sick of the same old things. Since the strains of Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey can become quite as tiresome as any festive flick, I wanted to share this list as well.
Here’s a collection of great NON-classic holiday tunes to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Album / Artist
Silver & Gold, by Sufjan Stevens
Song you don’t want to miss: Lumberjack Christmas
Sufjan Stevens has put out a literal treasure trove of holiday music over the years. I had to narrow it down for this list, but if you wanna just listen to nothing else but Sufjan ’til January, that wouldn’t be wrong.
A Christmas Cornucopia, by Annie Lennox
Song you don’t want to miss: See Amid The Winter’s Snow
At this point in life, Annie Lennox’s recording of that song is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Period. Old hymn-y type songs tend to pack a powerful punch, and the rich resonance of Lennox’s voice only multiplies the effect.
Sing Noel, by the Lower Lights
Song you don’t want to miss: Mary’s Lullaby
For when you’ve had enough of Mary Did You Know. There are other good songs with Mary, too!
Baby It’s Cold Outside, by Lydia Liza and Josiah Lemanski
This is just a single, but its awesomeness is full-album sized. I’m not one of those people who is obsessed with political correctness and all that, but as a female person the original lyrics to Baby It’s Cold Outside have always bothered me. Critics may call this updated version an unnecessary product of overly PC times. But who cares about critics? This version is a billion times cuter, and I love it.
A Christmas Together, by John Denver and the Muppets
Don’t miss: The Peace Carol
Who am I kidding? You don’t want to miss any of this album. It’s the quintessential Christmas music collection, in my book.
Songs for Christmastime, by Lowland Hum
Don’t miss: We Are The Shepherds
When the nauseating multilayered strains of Pop classics have gotten on your last nerve, a little acoustic folk is the prescription for you. Lowland Hum’s sweet li’l Christmas offering should get you feeling sane again.
Winter Moon, by Mindy Gledhill
Don’t Miss: Patapan / O Come O Come Emmanuel
On the other hand, if you’re still cool with a bit of a poppy sound, but you’re searching for some fresh songs, try Mindy Gledhill. I especially love her juxtaposition of these two minor-key classics.
Christmas!, by The Sing Team
Don’t Miss: Oh Holy Night
The Sing Team covers a lot of familiar songs. But they do it so jubilantly that it’s like listening to something brand new. Be ready to clap and throw your hands up a lot.
O Christmas, by The Eagle & Child
Don’t Miss: Once In Royal David’s City
Old songs with fresh beats. Bring it.
The Sounding Joy, by Elizabeth Mitchell
Don’t Miss: Cradle Hymn
As sweet and gentle as the album art makes it look:
Because there are so many great non-classic songs out there, way too many to squeeze into a manageable blog entry, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a Spotify playlist to share with my readers.
The songs listed above are all included, along with a dozen or so others. I hope you will listen, enjoy, and have a very Merry Christmas!
elizabeth kipps 