25 December 2025 - Emmanuelle Boucher - Noël chez moi

Why do I get all French Canadian at Christmas?  

I don't know.   

I DO know that "Noël" is a French word, and I want to wish all of you Joyeux Noël from the bottom of my heart.  

Now listen to some Quebec country music. 

24 December 2025 - Cœur de Pirate - Pour la première fois, Noël sera gris

In 2016, Cœur de Pirate released Chansons tristes pour Noël, an EP of three Christmas songs, including this song she wrote herself. 

And, since I already had the œ on my clipboard, I figured I'd share this sad but beautiful song with you.  I hope your Christmas is bright, if you celebrate, and not at all gray.

23 December 2025 - Laufey - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

I had to pivot to the holiday at some point.  This seems like the best time. 

On yesterday's list, you might recall that I ranked Laufey's 2025 album at #17 - because it's a great album of standards-sounding songs that sound modern and fresh. 

She didn't just release one album in 2025, though.  In November, she finally released a Christmas album, A Very Laufey Holiday, which compiled several Christmas standards she had recorded over the past few years and added a few new modern classics.  

This is one of those new modern classics, sure to become an enduring song for seasons to come.  

6 December 2012 - Colbie Caillat - Christmas in the Sand

This October, the always adorable Colbie Caillat released her Christmas in the Sand album. The record is a mix of original and classic Christmas songs performed in Colbie's California sunshine way. Here's the video for the title track. This is my kind of a Christmas party...the beach, Santa surfing, a bunch of elves, some cocktails and of course Colbie.

4 December 2012 - A Fine Frenzy - Wish You Well

OK, I know that this is a video blog site, but sadly I couldn't even find a live video of the lovely Alison Sudol (AKA A Fine Frenzy) playing Wish You Well. The song is simply too sweet not to post so just imagine someone walking in snow covered woods in quiet contemplation. Or monsters. BIG ASS SCARY FREAKIN' MONSTERS!!!

Whoa. Where did that come from? Anyway, A Fine Frenzy's Oh Blue Christmas is one of the finest Christmas cds I've bought in the past few years. So enjoy this song and then head on over to YouTube and watch some of her other videos -- Come On Come Out off her 2007 debut One Cell in the Sea is a personal favorite of mine.

29 November 2012 - Los Straitjackets - Here Comes Santa Claus

Nothing screams the holidays more than four dudes wearing lucha masks and playing some seriously righteous rockabilly. So of course I had to witness the Los Straitjackets Christmas Pageant with The World Famous Pontani Sisters in 2005. It was a rockin' good time daddy-o. I ended up buying two copies of their Tis The Season For Los Straitjackets Christmas CD. One for me and one to give away as a Christmas present.

26 November 2012 - The Sonics - Santa Claus

A little late? Yes.

But here is a garage band classic of a Christmas song that everyone should know - especially if you read Totally Covered - but hasn't gotten enough attention by anyone that isn't my 8 year old daughter.  Enjoy!

23 November 2012 - Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops - Sleigh Ride

Christmas begins now.

What better way to celebrate Black Friday than the song that defined the Christmas season for me as a kid, and still does today?  Arthur Fielder's interpretation of Leroy Anderson's 1940's classic - the two often worked together - is both delightful and bombastic, and remains the gold standard for orchestral holiday music to this day.


Even The Gap found this version cool enough to feature in holiday commercials.  Here it is, slightly remixed.