Christmas songs for non-Christmas people
December 23, 2008
So, as you could probably tell from yesterday’s post, I’m not a big Christmas person. My family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, never has. Jonathan Trigell puts it well: “I went to a Christian primary school. We all did back then; it was called “school”. At Christmas time, we prayed little-children prayers and sang jolly songs about Jesus. We were credulous children and we believed what the teachers told us.” But it didn’t take. (Nor did the other religions I was raised with.)
Perhaps as a result of this early attempt at indoctrination, my taste in Christmas songs definitely runs towards the twisted, cynical, funny or, really, anything that isn’t religious or heartwarming. “Fairytale of New York,” originally by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl, squeaks in because any Christmas song that includes “Happy Christmas, your ass/I pray God it’s our last” fits the bill. And Pansy Division – well, they’re Pansy Division, and they sing about what they always sing about, with a holiday veneer.
I’m going to post my very favourite holiday song on Christmas Day. But in the interim, I want to hear from you – what are your favourite examples of non-traditional holiday songs? Please post in the comments.
MP3: Pilate – Fairytale of New York
MP3: Pansy Division – Homo Christmas [very NSFW! Also not safe for straight men who are insecure about their sexuality.]
Image: Full story is here.
zed equals zee 
That picture reminds me of the Paul Bunyan statue in “Fargo.” Seems like a friendly figure, until it’s associated with a foot in the wood chipper …
Heh. Not that I think that Crucified Santa is going to be, well, doing much of anything, really…
Not done…Here’s a link to a bunch of good
christmas jazz albums
Uh, thanks – except that I think you might have missed the point. Unless jazz makes you suicidal, I don’t know if it really counts as ‘non-traditional’ holiday songs.