Hip Christmas

Welcome To Hip Christmas! I think you'll enjoy my dysfunctionally vast web archive dedicated to holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, and twangs. If you do, please support me by shopping at Amazon, Apple Music, and Sheet Music Plus! Regardless, the best of the season to you - no matter what month it is! [about me]

What Was New In 2024? Last year's new Christmas albums included lots of vinyl reissues, big names like Jennifer Hudson and Little Big Town, indie darlings like Dean & Britta and Phantom Planet, a full-length Tower Of Power album, a new collection from the Carpenters, and yet another Bear Family compilation. I've completed my annual obsessive, quixotic attempt to keep up with it all, including my Top 10 Albums and Top 25 Singles. [gimme gimme]

The Christmas Jukebox. My online Christmas music player is bulging with over 1000 hip tunes - and counting! You can listen to the music I write about - the coolest, weirdest, and loudest holiday songs ever, all while enjoying my inimitable prose - or not! [press play]

My Face, Your Book. There's a lot of holiday hilarity going on over at Facebook, in case you can't get enough on my website - or vice versa. Check out the Hip Christmas page, and follow me for maximum holiday fun all year long. No Russian trolls, please. I also post cool cover art on Instagram and Pinterest. [follow me]

Come On Get Happy! You have to be of a certain (advanced) age to like - or even remember - the Partridge Family. As a person of that age (with a boy-crush on David Cassidy), I think their music is just fine - bubblegum pop of the highest order. And, their Christmas album follows suit. Great? Nope. Enjoyable? Absolutely. [read more]

The Band With All The Toys. The Beach Boys' 1964 Christmas album boils down to just five original songs running less than 20 minutes. And yet, it's permanently ensconced in my Top 20 Albums. Briefly stated, those are five great songs, and all of them stand up to the best that Brian Wilson ever wrote. [read more]

Too Much Of A Good Thing. Adding up to four compact discs and nearly 100 songs, Ho Ho Ho Spice (2002) and Holiday Heart (2005) gave us a lot of music at a bargain price while serving a good cause - supporting hospice care. But, a lot of that music wasn't very good, and I've spent a lot of time finding the jewels amidst the dross. [read more]

Sucking In The 70's. Christmas music went into hibernation during the 1970's. Less was made, and less was sold. Still, plenty of wonderful, often kooky holiday records were released, you just had to look harder to find them. To prove my point, I've compiled two lists of 100 great songs and 20 great albums recorded during "The Me Decade." [read more]

Santa Is Real. The Louvin Brothers are the most important brother act in the history of country music, and they were the direct antecedents of the Everly Brothers, the most important brother act in the history of rock 'n' roll. Not a bad pedigree, but their Christmas album is, sad to say, less impressive. [read more]

Rowdy and Violent Young Men. As I started my journey into hip Christmas music, the Yobs (aka UK punk band the Boys) were a key influence on me. Their 1980 Christmas Album is raucous, weird, sacrilegious, and scatological. More music would follow, but it never got better - or more disgusting - than this. [read more]

A Quiet Christmas Village. Vibraphonist Arthur Lyman was a giant of what we now call "exotica," and Mele Kalikimaka (1963) is a good example of what he did best: set a mood with music drenched in the romance of the South Pacific. The only difference is the presence of Santa and Rudolph, who seem to be enjoying their Hawaiian vacation! [read more]

Christmas Gumbo. It's taken me a while to take a close look at Rhino Records' Alligator Stomp: Cajun Christmas. Why? I don't really like Cajun music that much. But, that's my problem. On its own terms, it's a great way to spice up your holidays. But, compared to Rhino's other compilations, it's got some problems. [read more]

Cool Yule. In the 1980's, IRS Records was a paragon of indie virtue, and their holiday sampler, Just In Time For Christmas (1990), reflects that aesthetic. Comprised of both catalog tracks and new recordings, it strikes a lighthearted, if frequently acerbic, tone and includes songs by Dread Zeppelin, Squeeze, the dB's, and Wall of Voodoo. [read more]

Horny Holidays. Some people love to bask in the warm glow of friends and family during the holiday season. Others feel like starting a family (or something to that effect) at Christmas time. Read about the 20 naughtiest songs in the history of the holiday. You'll never look at a candy cane quite the same. [read more]

A Little Bright Star. The 1965 Diana Ross & The Supremes record Merry Christmas is one of the weaker Motown Christmas albums - but that's a pretty competitive field. It certainly yields rewards, though, particularly in its 2017 ultimate edition. Simply put, most Motown fans will adore the crap out of it. [read more]

Giddy Up, Jingle Horse. As the guy who first sang the iconic "Jingle Bell Rock" in 1957, Bobby Helms earned his place in the Christmas pantheon. But, you'll see dozens of Bobby Helms Christmas albums as you go diggin' through the crates. So what's the deal? Less than you'd think. [read more]

The Red-Hatted Stranger. Who doesn't like Willie Nelson? He deserves a spot in the holiday pantheon if only for writing "Pretty Paper." But, I'm not as enthusiastic about the rest of his Christmas music. There are some wonderful moments, but it ranges from breathtaking to puzzling to offhand - and sometimes all three. [read more]

Exactly How Is This Stuff "Hip"? The music on Nickelodeon's Classic Cartoon Christmas series isn't very hip, but it's, um, hip adjacent. Every generation since the Boomers grew up watching Rudolph, Frosty, and Charlie Brown, and those cartoons - and their soundtracks - influenced the art they would make. [read more]

The Usual Rubbish. Not too surprisingly, the Beatles never recorded any formal Christmas music. But, they had a ball every year recording a Christmas message for their fan club. Collecting those little things is not an easy, inexpensive - or even legal - task, but it's worth the effort. Merry Krimble! [read more]

A Christmas Gift For You. Every year, I offer free MP3's from my voluminous collection - all unavailable easily or legitimately in the music marketplace. In 2024, I revisited the legendary, exceedingly rare Flagpole Christmas albums, filling in some gaping holes and sprucing up the sound quality. [listen or download]