Christmas has happened, and the New Year is nearly here.
Thank you all for reading this silly thing for yet another year. I’m not saying I won’t pop back in here on occasion, but it sure feels different writing when you know there might be someone on the other end reading… and there is a season for folks checking out my little corner of the internet. I do love hearing from folks who share this very, very niche interest, so thank you especially to those who dropped me notes, comments, and Ko-Fi’s this year. Knowing that anyone cares… that is what keeps this little site going.
I’ve updated my Submissions page to try to be as explicit as possible as to what your expectations should be if you submit a song. I’m just one guy with a website and a few minutes to spare. I’m going to disappoint a lot of people, even people who put out music I’m into. I don’t mean to, but it is going to happen.
I have to remind myself that I really make these mixes for me. I know I force them on people, such as yourselves, but when it comes down to it, I and only I, have to love these songs. I have to recognize this and accept it, or I will have nonstop waffling back and forth as to whether a song is “cool” enough, or whether it will surprise a listener, or whether the whole damn thing will feel expected and boring. Half the fun of giving it away is surprising folks, and I’m in the business of letting you all know what I’m thinking. So… maybe there’s stuff on here you might not expect from me, a band you might think is too big, or a singer who is too pop, but this is for me. I wish I could have a more distanced view, really curate a mix that would kill with an audience – that is a skill I don’t have. What I do have is an official acceptance into my family’s holiday tradition… and even if you know the song already, maybe hearing it within another context might feel different. I you find a song or two that you love, that would be beautiful.
I’ve been sick for a bit over a week now, which has delayed my work on this. There were some days I just couldn’t lift my head from the couch. I’m up now, coughing, with an extra week of releases feeding this beast. I wonder what it might have looked like, had I finished it last weekend as planned? There sure wouldn’t be an anarchist Christmas song on here, nor would there be that amazing Billy Bragg tune. Funny how things work out.
Well, have at it, folks. I hope you enjoy it as I do. Let’s finish out this new year happy and healthy, and keep your neighbor in your heart, wherever they may be from.
To agonize over making a Christmas mix… is there anything one can do, that is truly less significant than this? I mean… I feel like I am sweating it out, unable to decide what cookie I want to eat, and wanting sympathy for my plight. These things never feel finished – you always hear something you could have done better… another song, a different sequence. But you have to just let it go. Then, you end up with songs you love just sitting there for years with no permanent home within your personal Christmas canon. The lead track this year was one of those songs… I’ve had it on my list for years, but it just felt right this year. There are plenty more I loved from this year and years past that just couldn’t fit, as I adhere to the 1:20 limit of the CD-R, and will maintain that rule for as long as I have the energy to do this. Without rules… there is chaos. This brings me back to the cover of Madonna’s “Holiday,” which made it on here because there are no rules. Light the fires, we’re burning down this town tonight. What did I say before?
One of the rarest things in our little scene of alternative Christmas music… is the birth of a new music blog. Hell, it was only a few years ago that Hip Christmas changed the description of this little site from being the “new kid in town.” Round these parts I think you’re a new kid for about 10 years… well, better start the clocks on this one. Better Watch Out! is the project of my buddy Jim (yes, we are both Jim’s), who I’ve chatted back and forth with about Christmas music for years now. Whether he truly wanted to or not, Jim has become as much a part of Christmas Underground as I am. I’m nothing without folks reading this thing, and those who care enough to say hi… well, dammit, that’s what keeps me going. Comments! Replies! DMs! Find like-minded folks in such a niche interest… well, you learn those folk’s names and check in with them when you haven’t heard from them in a while.
Thus, I’m extremely happy to introduce you all to Better Watch Out!, a new and wonderful resource for alternative Christmas music. Jim shot me a few sentences about how the site came to be.
For a long time, I used to send out yearly Christmas music mixes. I stopped for various reasons, but I’ve continued to build my collection of offbeat and vintage sounds of the season. Last year I came across an old Tumblr account I’d neglected. Being a cranky old Boomer, I decided Tumblr is the perfect venue to tell the story of my collection. It has turned out to be a fun project, and I’ll be sharing it between November 1 and Christmas.
I’ve framed it as a highly subjective history of alternative pop Christmas music, which I’ve traced back about a hundred years. The posts will appear in reverse chronological order to ease readers back into the more obscure eras of this super-niche phenomenon.
So the journey is just beginning, and you can follow Better Watch Out! this holiday season, alongside myself and hopefully many other adventurous listeners. I know I’ve already been surprised by some releases I missed a few years back, especially these stellar Oldfolks Home tracks Jim introduced me to. Can’t wait to see what else Jim has in store for us.
Nice to have a distraction. Even better to have that distraction provided by such a good guy.
Which means that I’ll have a number of posts. Hopefully next week I’ll get something up there for you all to get you thinking more about your own mix.
Boy, I really burned out last year. I always do, but it usually doesn’t last this long. Could really use your help this year… I think it’s going to be a slog to bring this year’s comp together, and it’s my 20th one, so no pressure Jim.
Going to be weird without Mitchell hanging around our digital spaces. Really miss that guy.
I suppose you’d think that experience makes things easier, yes? But you know – listening to MORE Christmas music… actually makes it quite hard. You become a tougher customer and find things that surprise you less. Sometimes you find your lane has narrowed, and everything is starting to sound the same. I tried to break out of that a bit this year, with a few sounds I’m not really known for. Whether that works or not, well, that is not for me to decide. I like them all, so I’m cool, but I do try to share with some folks with the hopes that it’ll hit with a few of them. There’s certainly a lot to like here with some songs I’ve already raved about, and a few I sure need to. Malcolm Gladwell has that whole thing about 10,000 hours is the magic number of greatness. Well, by that metric, this one should be fantastic. Ah, we’ll see.
If you subscribe to Christmas Underground via email… and I know there are some of you… you must think I am the biggest idiot. I don’t think I post anything without immediately recognizing a series of typos and stupid mistakes that make me look quite dumb.
This final bit of the year has been a challenge. My mix is more than a week later than usual, and I’m not going to get a single one in the mail in time for Christmas. But, that’s life. This year is the 18th year producing a mix… it can now vote, fight in a war, and buy lottery tickets. Oh, it can buy those CDs with the parental advisory stickers too… and R movies! Wow. My baby is all grown up. This year’s selection nearly became one of swears and synths, but I ended up toning down the swears and left the synths. I’d like to think I’m hardcore, but I’m still a dad who wants to play this in my house and not feel tooooo bad when my son gives me that “Daaaad” look. I’m going to miss the days when he calls us out on our swearing. He’s already picking up words like “bro!” from Youtube… ugh. You might imagine, there are a lot of tracks here you’re already familiar with if you read my blog. There will be a few new ones in there, as well as a few classics. There’s one song that nearly everyone will have on their mix, but it is quite good… so hopefully you won’t be bored by it. All that said, please enjoy Christmas Mix 2022: Jolly Chubby Elf.
1.
Hot Dad
A Christmas Shortcut
2.
Dent May
I’ll Be Stoned for Christmas
3.
Hans Pucket
I Don’t Know What to Get You for Christmas (Do I Really Love You?)
Christmas Underground 