Recently in Christmas Songs Category

Since it's Christmas Day, we wrap up the Christmas countdown - this year with the Magnetic Fields song Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree. As a band who's been in the business for more than 20 years and has only ever gotten due credit in the last five years, I feel a great affinity for them. Like Stephin Merritt, I'm still waiting for people to 'get' what it is that I do - though I guess it'll probably help that I find out first what I'm actually trying to do. So here's to next Christmas - may it be a better and more fruitful one next year.

Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree

No Better Time by Natalie Prass

Nashville artist Natalie Prass is the newest addtion to your holiday soundtrack this year. The song's got that old-timey vibe, which is perfect background music for my gift-wrapping session tonight with some hot chocolate waiting by my side. It also works well if you want to feel a bit Christmas-sy while shooting cazadores and raiders in Fallout New Vegas. Whatever you're doing,  hopefully it's not last-minute Christmas shopping. In any case, have a relaxing night-before-Christmas Eve with this song :)

No Better Time

A Favorite Christmas Gag Gift by Half-Handed Cloud

This song comes from Sounds Familyre's yearly Christmas tradition - A Familyre Christmas, which is now on its third volume. It's available as a free download here, where you can also check out previous albums from the past years

Among the roster of artists in the Familyre Christmas album is one of my favorites - Half-Handed Cloud. Half of the time I don't know what he means in his song,  but since his songs are especially catchy, you can't help but love them. In true eccentric Sounds Familyre fashion, Half-Handed Cloud brings out the Christmas cheer with A Favorite Christmas Gag.

A Favorite Christmas Gag

Feels Like Christmas by The Jooles

To counter any effects that the last post may have in contributing to winter depression... and since I have a reason to celebrate as I turn a year older today - December 21st's Christmas Song of the Day is a sunshiney tune from Berlin retro-band The Jooles. Nothing feels more like Christmas than a song that reminds you of all those wholesome family shows you watched growing up (if you were a child of the 70's). Makes you think though, with all the dysfunctional families that you see on TV nowadays, does the normal family exist on TV anymore considering that the only thing that comes close is Gene Simmons' Family Jewels?

In any case, let's celebrate Christmas with summer in our hearts ;)

Feels Like Christmas

The Snow Angel and the Icicle Sword by Ian McGlynn

I'm retro-posting since I wasn't able to get this out yesterday. Nonetheless, this late post is still special since marks the 15th song in the Christmas countdown as well as my little boy Paolo's birthday :) 

Another thing that's special about this is that it comes from one of my favorite artists who makes such beautiful songs - especially during Christmas. Last year, Ian McGlynn shared with us his magically nostalgic song  'Listen to the Choir Sing' . This year, he comes with an equally moving offering called The Snow Angel and the Icicle Sword. 

The song is one that he describes as - a prayer of sorts, a plea for protection over the ones you love. It is dedicated to Ian's songwriting partner's baby niece, Jacquelynn who's been facing relentless health issues. As Christmas is a season for giving - the song is available for purchase online with 100% of the profits going to Baby Jacq's healthcare costs. 

The Snow Angel and the Icicle Sword

It's Christmas by Coconut Records

Because I'm a firm believer of the power of the Schwartz(man) - here's Jason Schwartzman's holiday music offering via his indie music alter-ego Coconut Records. Of course, when I found out that Target was giving away free holiday music tunes from bands of the indie music persuasion, I knew I had to nab that Coconut Records song. And yes, for those who don't know -- i.e. people who live in countries that don't have Target like me (we do have Zeller's though, but I highly doubt that they would be cool enough to do something like this) -- the US retail store has a Christmas song compilation up on their site that can be downloaded for free. The compilation has my personal fave Coconut Records, Bishop Allen and Crystal Antlers contributing tracks to their holiday album.

So, thank you Target. I wish you were paying me to plug  this, but the free songs are remuneration enough...and also, thanks for Career Opportunities, I simply adore that film :)

It's Christmas

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by An Introduction to Sunshine. 

Despite what Florida band, An Introduction to Sunshine's name implies, this one's a mellow (and almost trippy) version of the Christmas classic. It comes from the wonderful compilation album of Christmas classics covered by various indie bands called Hey, It's Christmas! Vol. 1 .  What's great about the album is it's fresh take on your standard classic Christmas tunes such as Silent Night and First Noel. And, being true to the spirit of Christmas -- it's available for free at the album's Bandcamp page :)

Christmas Wrapping by Summer Camp

Continuing with our Christmas countdown, we've got tune from Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey also known as the indie pop duo, Summer Camp. This little helping comes off Moshi Moshi Records' 2010 Christmas EP called A Christmas Gift For You, which include tracks from other Moshi Moshi artists such as Slow Club and Hot Club de Paris.

Christmas Wrapping is Summer Camp's rendition of the original early eigthies song by The Waitresses.

To spread the cheer this season, the song, along with other tracks in the Moshi Moshi Christmas EP, is included free with every album purchase at the record label's store.

Christmas Wrapping

Just when you thought it was never going to happen, here we are a again (albeit one day late) -- it's the Christmas countdown! Since I had loads of fun last year doing the 25 Indie Songs of Christmas, here we are with my favorite Christmas  tradition, where we feature one indie Christmas tune a day to count down the days until Christmas.

To make up yesterday's absence of Christmas posts, we've got two tunes off WIAIWYA's album download of the month - Christmastime, Approximately. The first song is from Eux Autres with  "Teenage Christmas", which fills me with all sorts of nostalgia as I remember my own teenage Christmas to the tune of 90's inspired grungy guitars.

Teenage Christmas

The second song to wrap up today's Christmas song countdown is from Help Stamp Out Loneliness with their winter wonderland-lovely, sleigh bell-happy song "Just Like Xmas (In Cottonopolis)".

Just Like Xmas (In Cottonopolis)

Be sure to check out the album at WIAIWYA's site, that has tons more songs that could actually fill up a hug chunk of our Christmas countdown :)

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To give me an excuse to check my emails (which I haven't done for a few months now  -- oops!) -- if you have Christmas songs to share for our countdown, you know where to send them ;)

 *photo courtesy of my friend Boots and the folks at Carousel Theatre in Granville Island who made such a lovely snow elephant during last Thursday's snow day

All I Want for Christmas is a Hoverboard by Machu Picchu.

It's a song from this year's The Eggnog Experience compilation album featuring indie bands from the local Vancouver scene. If you've been following the internet series Mental Beast, you might already be familiar with this neat 29 song compilation.

What's great about this album is that it's the perfect solution for anyone out there this Christmas Eve morning who still hasn't done their Christmas shopping. Just download the album here, and place a donation to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. It's a perfect two-disc compilation gift which includes all new indie music recordings. Most of all, you're giving a donation on the behalf of the person you're sending the gift to, as well as helping out the less fortunate. How's that for bringing on the Christmas spirit? :)