Cheer Up--It's Christmas - The 2011 Christmas Compilation

And I thought LAST year was tough.  

Outside of the michegas you might already know about, which needs no repeating, I’ve been fighting the sneezes and either an early attack of the Februaries (when the cold makes me curl up into a ball next to a picture of Diana Rigg) or a late attack of the Augusts (when the humidity makes me curl up into a ball next to an open refrigerator).

Plus there was the usual anxiety about actually having anything worth putting into a compilation. It’s the same thing every year. I turn around twice after Thanksgiving and it’s the middle of December, and I have a deadline with nothing but last year’s cast-off tunes to meet it, like the musical version of The Island Of Misfit Toys.  And yet every year, with maybe one or two hours a night of online tune-trolling (it’s a Christmas miracle!), my holiday cup overfloweth with musical cheer.

For this year’s mix, I decided to say screw it to the prescribed 80-minute CD length and just throw in everything that tickled my holiday fancy.  The only other requirement was finding an Australian carol, for obvious reasons.  And one which wasn't their annoying version of "Jingle Bells."  I thought the search would be extremely time-consuming, but, like waiting for a liberal politician to compromise his principles, it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would (cf. Track 22). 

The set list is below.  In addition to the antipodean, this year’s mix includes the sad and the wistful, the upbeat and the lonely, the silly and the sweet, the sexy and the French (but I repeat myself), and two instant classics (tracks 12 and 13).  Plus a chorus verse that makes the writer in me jealous (track 30).  Plus plus a Bonus Track because (like Russian novels) there must always be a Bonus Track.  The download links to the two zip files with all the songs are below the list.  If you want me to burn you the double-CD version, get back to me offline and it's a done deal.

Haddy Grimble, Randoobs.  And (in the words of Ms Spektor)  a Happy New Year to all that is living--to all that is gentle, kind, and forgiving . . .

01 Cheer Up (It's Christmas) - People On Vacation

02 It's Christmas Day - Family Force 5

03 A Little More Time With You - Greg Sczebe

04 Holiday (What Do You Want) - Mike Doughty (with Rosanne Cash)

05 Baby It's Christmas - Bananarama

06 Party Hard - Zach Gill

07 Lollie Holiday - Craig Wedren

08 Candy Cane - Caspar Babypants

09 I Want A Casting Couch For Christmas -  Kay Martin and her Bodyguards

10 I'll Be Home for Christmas - Tift Merritt

11 Dear Mrs Claus - The Barr Brothers

12 (Don't Call Me) Mrs. Christmas - Emmy The Great and Tim Wheeler

13 Who Needs Mistletoe - Julie Roberts

14 Christmas When You Were Mine - Taylor Swift

15 Christmas in London - Krista Detor

16 Christmas On Ward 7 - Chris Flew

17 Cinnamon & Chocolate - Butterfly Boucher

18 Little Drummer Boy - Nicole Atkins

19 Lonely This Christmas - KT Tunstall

20 I Lose a Little Bit of You - Jessie Torrisi

21 Maybe This Christmas - Leigh Nash

22 The Three Drovers - Chris Sporton

23 Christmas at the Trailer Park - Antsy Mcclain

24 The Cowboys' Christmas Ball - The Killers

25 X-mas Song - Fireflies

26 It's Almost Christmas - Chris Garneau

27 Kill a Tree For Christ - Celtic Elvis

28 Douce Nuit - Calogero and Zazie

29 Boom Boom - Maryse Letart

30 Hallelujah (Christmas Is Here) - Sunturns

31 Reset Holiday - Set Your Goals

32 Danse des Mirlitons - Xavier Cugat

33 Happy Holidays (Beef Wellington Remix) - Bing Crosby

34 What Are You Doing New Year's Eve (Mangini Vs. Pallin Mix) - Ella Fitzgerald

35 My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year) - Regina Spektor

Cheer Up - It’s Christmas: The 2011 Xmas Compilation - Part 1

Cheer Up - It’s Christmas: The 2011 Xmas Compilation - Part 2