The only time I ran Christmas songs on this blog was the excitement that was AFoR Advent back in 2006, the very first year of this place. I didn’t run it again in 2007 because posting the same songs again seemed a bit crap and I didn’t run it in 2008 because, well, I didn’t post anything for six months and that included Christmas. I’ve got a whole bunch of new Christmas songs to work with this year though, so I’m going for it once again. I should point out that I don’t actually have enough though but hope to find more as we go along. So if you’d like to recommend something (which is available as a free mp3) or are in a band and have a Christmas song of your own you’d like to contribute, please get in touch.

I should also point out that I can’t actually stand Christmas all that much. As such, I’m not much of a fan of the traditional Christmas ditties, unless something interesting has been done with them. I like the slightest odd songs, and fairly often the rather miserable ones. Assuming all of this is okay with you, pop back each day for a new festive treat.

Behind our first door is the wonderfully apt Countdown to Christmas by . For those not keeping score at home, is Eddie Argos’ band that isn’t Art Brut, The Art Goblins, The English Travelling Wilburys, Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now and probably several hundred others. If the name wasn’t a clue, the band go for an all-out glam sound. Not really my cup of tea on the most part, but this is rather fun.

It’s full of sage advice (“Just don’t worry about the economy, until the middle of January”), some amusing call and response vocals and celebrating those typically British Christmas institutions like double-issues of the Radio Times. The only thing it’s really missing is a shout-out to the Christmas Top of the Pops.

Oh, wait a minute, that’s the wrong band.

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