10 Little-Known Songs That Your December Playlist Should Have

I have a massive December-Holiday-Christmas playlist.

Given that vocal music was interwoven in my genetic makeup from a very early age and the fact that as a church musician, I've been exposed to seasonal songs for decades, it's probably no surprise.

So the following recommendations are purely things that have stuck with me through the years, fare that goes well beyond what the radios are playing ad infinitum (I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Christmas Don't Be Late [ugh, those Chipmunks!]).

You may know and -- as I do -- love some of these.

You may have never heard of some of them -- or any of them.

In either case, if you're just discovering them or rediscovering them ... enjoy!

NB: I apologize up front for whatever ads you may need to endure. 

Also: I'm planning a follow-up post, listing 10 Well Known Christmas Songs and the Definitive Versions That Your December Playlists Should Have.

But here's the little-known gems, in no particular order:

Elohai N'tzor

This is a Hanukkah carol. And I understand exactly 0 percent of the words. But I find it calming and hauntingly beautiful. A great remedy for the hustle-bustle of December.

Through Your Eyes

Suzy Boguss is a country singer who was completely unknown to me before stumbling across this recording. Full confession here: Its theme -- how kids /get/ Christmas on a level that adults often forget -- is extremely evocative for me

 

Song of the Sleighbells

I heard this song in a store one long-ago shopping season, I was so taken with it, I tried as best I could to memorize them (I think I jotted as many as I could recall on a business card in my car immediately after). I had grabbed enough of the gist to find it online. I love the 50s-style close harmonies and the breezy orchestrations. The vocalist is long-since-forgotten Big Band singer June Hutton.

 

See Amid the Winter's Snow

I had never heard of this hymn until hearing Julie Andrews sing it. Since then, it's become a favorite.

It Wasn't His Child

A friend, instead of handing out Christmas cards each year, gave out CDs he made of seasonal songs he liked. This was included in one of his editions, and it quickly caught on with me

Happiest Christmas Tree

Nat King Cole, forever the "Chestnuts Roasting" guy, did this little ditty whose background chorus again evokes 1950s Christmases and their silver-tinsel trees, bourbon-heavy eggnog, and stacks of seasonal records on the hi-fi. 

Ev'rybody's Waitin' for the Man with the Bag

Kay Starr, jazz singer who conquered numerous music genres, feels quite comfortable with the big-band accompaniment she soars over here.

 

Christmas Tree

Like Nat, the Harry Simeone Chorale gets aired this time of year only for "The Little Drummer Boy." And as classic as that is, it's not the arranger's only standout work. This tune, which started out to be a countermelody to "O Christmas Tree," took on a pop sound all its own. It also features that rarity of rarities, a kids' choir that isn't annoyingly screechy.

Christmas Is a Birthday

Returning to Harry Simeone. I like this a lot because as a kid, it helped make my two-days-after-Christmas birthday feel special.

Cool Yule

Louis Armstrong's gruff-voice isn't exactly imbued with the holiday silkiness of a Bing Crosby or Julie Andrews, but it fits this song hand-in-glove. Tough to listen to this and not smile.