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Not Your Ordinary Christmas Music

Yes, it’s that time of year again — the time when we all have Christmas music shoved down our throats. We all like Christmas, but hearing the same songs every year for two weeks straight is just too much to bear for most people. So: How do you have a nice Christmas party, with holiday-appropriate music, and NOT play all the same stuff everyone’s heard before? Well, one way to do it is by following our guide to better holiday music.

Last month we profiled Sufjan Stevens’ Songs for Christmas. Stevens has released a Christmas EP every year since 2001, and this album collects them all. A lot of it is really quite pretty, without sounding old-fashioned and boring. Another good pick is They Might Be Giants’ Holidayland EP. For a mix of modern rock hits with a holiday theme, pick up Music From The O.C. Mix 3. For a bit of bad humor mixed in with the good cheer, check out the South Park Christmas album, Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics. For a hard-rocking Christmas party, check out Winter Wonderland by MU330.

Mahalia Jackson’s Mahalia Sings Songs of Christmas, Destiny’s Child’s 8 Days Of Christmas and Stevie Wonder’s Christmas give your Christmas party that soul kick. If you really want people to get down, pick up the James Brown Christmas Collection.

If you’re looking for that old-school sensibility, you can buy the music from the classic Peanuts Christmas Special. To be less whimsical but keep that classic feel, try Let’s Share Christmas by John Pizzarelli, Christmas Celebration by Mannheim Steamroller, or The Lost Christmas Eve by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Hip-hop with a Christmas theme isn’t too common, but you can try Christmas On Death Row, a comp of Death Row rappers with their own version of Christmas cheer to share. For a more festive feel, pick up Run-DMC’s Greatest Hits for “Christmas In Hollis.”