Captain Sensible – “Holiday in my Heart”
The title says it all. A gushing and triumphant expression of joy from the underrated The Universe of Geoffrey Brown.
Punk Aid – “Ere’s Your Xmas”
Switching gears. Captain Sensible, Martin Newell and T.V. Smith remind us that not everyone gets three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. Sales of the Ere’s Your Xmas EP support children with Cerebral Palsy.
The Damned – “There Ain’t No Sanity Clause”
Certainly seems that way judging by much of what’s going on in the world today. This non-LP track appears on various out-of-print compilations.
Ramones – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”
Too bad Johnny and Joey couldn’t make peace for the other 364 days of the year. Found on the uneven Brain Drain.
Stew – “Xmas Again (Now I Have it All)”
A bouncy, celebratory song with great harmonies found on Muddy Sweetboot.
Dead Kennedys – “Holiday in Cambodia”
Hard to believe that Levi Strauss wanted to use this song in an ad for Dockers. Appears on Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.
Martin Newell – “Christmas in Suburbia”
“On the plastic and the chrome of the people going home they will jingle jangle by electric candlelight.” Found on the excellent Greatest Living Englishman.
Stiff Little Fingers – “White Christmas”
Where eggnog meets Guinness. Live version appears on the remastered version of the too hot to touch Hanx!.
Vince Guaraldi – A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy)
Still classic four decades later.
The Long Winters – When I Pretend to Fall (Barsuk)
Shorten winter with this stunner.
