Holmes - "There'll Be No Christmas Without You"

To be perfectly honest, I loath most Christmas music. I will do the majority of my Christmas shopping online simply because going into stores playing Christmas music on a never-ending loop makes me want to buy everyone earplugs and vodka as gifts. For that reason, I am constantly on the lookout for "acceptable" Christmas tunes. For example, Leon Redbone's album Christmas Island? Fantastic. Julian Casablancas' jam "I Wish It Was Christmas Today"? Solidly listenable. Jessie Baylin's sexy "Mrs. Christmas"? Very nice. Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas From The Family"? Legend! Probably the best. I suppose we can now throw Holmes' "There'll Be No Christmas Without You" (mp3) in there. A little sappy, but it sure beats "Jingle Bells" on repeat. You almost forget that it is a Christmas song, which is the way Christmas songs should play out. Any other suggestions?

Yoni Gordon And The Goods - "Fairytale of New York"

Here's a spirited take on the Pogue's classic barroom singalong, "Fairytale of New York" (mp3), by Yoni Gordon and the Goods with Franz Nicolay and Emilyn Brodsky. Don't worry, even though this is a charity single, they keep the spicy lyrics. The B-side is also available for download on his website.

They are asking people who download the it off of their site to donate five dollars to Feeding America. Feeding America is an organization that partners up with local foodbanks across the country to help feed some of the millions of Americans who are spending the holidays without enough money to put food on their tables. Here is a link that will take you right to the donation page.

Jessie Baylin - "Mrs. Christmas"

Now that I am back home in the currently-arctic NW, I'm starting to get in the Christmas spirit, which generally means I crank up Robert Earl Keen's "Merry Christmas From The Family." It's my all time favorite Christmas song, but I'm always looking for new hits to add to the mix. Jessie Baylin's newly released "Mrs. Christmas" (mp3) offers a bit more tender approach. It's sweet and classy. Apparently, she wrote it for her Kings of Leon drumming husband. Cool.