Every year since 2005 I’ve done a Christmas compilation called “Happy Birthday Baby Jesus” (see our blog to check out years’ past). Dave was kind enough to let me surface from the code mines for a few hours to bring you a collection of some of my favorites from across the years. It wasn’t easy to cull for a “best of,” but here we go and I won’t tell the Advent police if you start listening to these now. Enjoy!
Now Sound of Christmas - The Free Design White Christmas - He5 Baby Jesus - Matthew Sweet Jesus Christ - Big Star Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto - Belle & Sebastian Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year, Pts. 1 & 2 - James Brown Merry Christmas, Baby - Otis Redding God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Jimmy Smith Purple Snowflakes - Marvin Gaye Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas? - The Staple Singers Little Drummer Boy - Lenox Avenue Please Come Home for Christmas - The Uniques Christmas for the Free - Argent Cold White Christmas - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone Things Fall Apart - Cristina I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You - Claudine Longet A Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade One Christmas Catalogue - Captain Sensible A Merry Jingle - The Greedies Twistin' Bells - Santo & Johnny We Wish You A Merry Christmas - The Ventures We Four King (Little Drummer Boy) - The Blue Hawaiians In the Bleak Mid Winter - Bert Jansch Suddenly It's Christmas - Loudon Wainwright III Exotic Night - Martin Denny
Read more on and from 
10 comments
Joshua says:
Dec 6, 2011
Yes! Big Star song is a must, like to listen to that each Christmas!
Ethan says:
Dec 7, 2011
Thanks James, this has been playing on my speakers since it went up!
John Zahl says:
Dec 7, 2011
Awesome set! Thanks James for it (and for all the awesome behind-the-scenes code work; the site is so great because of you!).
David Browder says:
Dec 7, 2011
The Little Drummer Boy is one of two songs that make me cry.
John Zahl says:
Dec 7, 2011
Is the other one by Steely Dan?
James says:
Dec 9, 2011
David,
Do check out Low’s version of Little Drummer Boy if you haven’t heard it. Their whole mini-album “Christmas” turns on the waterworks for me…
David Browder says:
Dec 8, 2011
No. The other one is The Rose by Bette Midler.
Stephanie says:
Dec 9, 2011
Pitch-perfect, as usual!
Tricia says:
Dec 18, 2011
Thank you. Consider it as the gift that keeps on giving since I’ve gone and made my own CD to give based on some of your recommendations! BTW, Willie singing Silent Night is one of my favs. Just because you know he doesn’t have that many.
Pingbacks/Trackbacks
The Hill and Wood Is Driving Us Mad | Mockingbird says:
Dec 13, 2011
[...] been serving as the soundtrack of the Mockingbird office. We even had to call in a sub to compile this month’s playlist; otherwise, it would have simply been a bunch of Hill and Wood tracks. The record is simply that [...]