The Midnight Clear - Sufjan Stevens

This song was foregrounded in my attention because of its inclusion on  (recommended if you like the songs I've been sending out) but Sufjan Stevens in general is a part of my Christmas music canon. The screed he wrote , the collection of his annual xmas EPs from 2006-2010, is the best thing I've ever read about xmas music: And yet, he finds something redeemable about Christmas and its music, both later in his essay and in this song. Its chorus articulates a sentiment I've often identified with:  - Tessa

Gee Whiz, It's Christmas - Carla Thomas

From Soul Christmas (1968), arguably one of the Best Christmas Albums. Carla Thomas was best known for her 1961 hit, , which she wrote as a teen. Here she riffs off that song, rambling to someone estranged, a lover, maybe- - and then pulls herself together, remembering that this is supposed to be a holiday song- - lazily referencing her hit and the season as a way to escape . I like Christmas songs that are a sideways acknowledgement of the ridiculousness of recording songs specifically for December, "come on, I have  these experiences you want me to sing about, and you're making me write a Christmas song?" - Tessa

All I Want is Truth (for Christmas) - The Mynabirds

Included mainly for the shimmery, almost irritating decrescendos, which remind me of , and the first few lines: - Tessa