It was exactly three decades ago that we learned all Mariah Carey wants for Christmas is us. Just more Christmas lore.

It’s ok if you want to hear the over-the-top nod to Christmas romance on a loop, but remember, there’s so much more out there to treat your ears to some festive magic.

There’s no denying the song’s success, both critically and with a Christmas-shopping public that can’t seem to get enough. But the song has taken on a Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” life of its own to the tune of a couple of million dollars a year for the talented singer.

I’m not a fan. Me not being a fan doesn’t mean its not a great song or that she’s not a talented artist. It’s just not my thing. We all have our holiday music tastes.

You could be a die-hard Carey fan (see what I did there interjecting a Christmas movie debate into my music blog to stir the pot?). Maybe you can’t wait for the first time you hear it on the radio in your car, even though the air conditioner in Texas is still struggling to keep you cool.

But maybe you’re a traditionalist and only Nat King Cole’s smooth, deep crooning over chestnuts and open fires sets the holiday mood for you.

You might be living trapped in your teen years – to this day second-guessing that ill-fated gift for the one you hoped would be your new flame – sulking contentedly to Wham’s “Last Christmas”.

Does Frosty, Rudolph or even the Miser Brothers do it for you? They are dangerous loops to let loose in your head, so use caution. 

Nothing gives life to the phrase “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” like holiday music. We love it when artists make a new classic out of an old one, like the way The Boss tuned up “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” More than 200 artists have tried their hand at the 1934 standard, but no one did it better than Bruce Springsteen.

Twisted Sister’s “A Twisted Christmas” album achieves something truly special when they put a rock and roll edge on 12 old-time classics. 

But holiday music has become so much more than the old favorites done over and over and over again.

There’s the sub-genre of tunes meant to make you feel awful for ever wanting anything and not being grateful enough. I mean, it’s the spirit of giving, its reminding us what the season is all about, but if I just mention “The Christmas Shoes” song you’re going to cry. Told you. 

Band Aid made famine a world holiday cause with “Do They Know it’s Christmas”. Dolly Parton taught us what a “Hard Candy Christmas” was.

Me, I could take or leave most of those. I enjoy a little bit of all of it along the way, but I was raised in the heyday of FM radio and Fay McKay’s “12 Daze of Christmas,” Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” and “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”. Talk about ear worms. I am sure the constant airplay left my parents wanting to bash their heads against the steering wheel multiple times a day through November and December. 

I want non-traditional, and honestly, I kind of hope my list of favorite carols makes everyone a little queasy now and again as they mull over what is and what is not an acceptable holiday song.

The Alice Bag Band dropped a bomb on right-wing holiday snowflakes in 2019 with “No Gifts for Nazis”. Apparently it is timeless and remains topical.

That punk shunning of holiday tradition is its own vibe, found in “Mr. Frosty Man,” the story of a snow man who rescues people from zombies, and when we were blessed with the Bleached souped up version of “Jingle Bells”.

The Dropkick Murphy’s get a queasy chuckle out of all of us with “The Season’s Upon Us” even if we don’t want to admit there’s any of our own family in that tune. 

Songs like the Kinks’ “Father Christmas” and the Ramones’ “Merry Christmas” made it acceptable to speed it up, dress it down, and put an edge on it.

You can ask Santa for more of a techno, dance vibe like the Cocteau Twins’ “Winter Wonderland,” Confidence Man’s “Santa’s Coming Down the Chimney,” or Jax Jones’ retooling of “Ave Maria” for some club dancing in the twinkling lights of your tree.

Want something poignant without the intense holiday-themed guilt? Try “A Snowflake Fell” by Glasvega, or a pair of outstanding covers of a true Christmas classic in “Christmas Time is Here” by Khruangbin and Au Revoir Simone.

If you want to shake the needles off the traditional song tree, queue up “Puppy for Hanukkah” or “I’ll Be Stoned for Christmas,” the story of that awkward return home for the holidays. Field Medic offers a headscratcher called “Santa Made Me Do It” about an old-west gunslinger named Santa’s Little Helper. Odd, but it sticks with you. 

Now and then you need to bust Christmas carols with Run DMC and “Christmas in Hollis.”

Stephen Colbert stuffed a long list of holiday songs into the mix hoping to lighten the mood with tunes like “Just Another Christmas Song,” perfectly capturing the commercialization of the holiday season. There’s a duet with Willie Nelson called “Little Dealer Boy,” and the truly adult “Nutmeg” with John Legend. If you don’t recognize what it’s about by the 20 second mark I’m truly sorry that you were born without a sense of humor. Maybe add that to your Christmas wish list. 

So a few dozen fun, atypical holiday songs highlight my seasonal soundtrack, but there is one song – to the dismay of many loved ones – that I will play on repeat as if I’m trying to break you like a Soviet spy from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day.

This tune takes a little piece of nearly every style of holiday song I’ve mentioned above and ties them up in a bow. It is heartfelt, but gritty as can be. It has a punk edge, but likely to make you dance. No song is more irreverent and still give you the feels. “Fairy Tale of New York” is the Pogues’ masterpiece, and the greatest gift ever given to our holiday music catalog.

Enjoy this list alongside your traditional favorites, and let me know if these tunes bring you holiday cheer.