10 Ingredients for a Festive Christmas Playlist

Years ago I made my first ever “A Very Ewan Christmas” burnt cd and handed them out to friends as an early Christmas gift. It was a wide ranging mix of songs across eras and styles. The perfect Christmas playlist is equal parts old-fashioned sentimentality and good-time party jams. It’s a methodology we took to heart when we crafted our latest foray into the Christmas canon (SHAMELESS PLUG: Listen to SANTA MAN and HOT CHRISTMAS now!).

You can find all these songs on a handy Spotify playlist right here.

Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikimaka

All the traditional Christmas fixings (Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters) but with a Hawaiian twist (slide guitar). It’s a fun, jaunty singalong that avoids being overly sweet, ensuring that I never fatigue of singing it all the way through December.

Donny Hathaway - This Christmas

The most underappreciated genius of 20th century music crafts the finest holiday classic this side of the 1950s. I feel like i hear versions of this in every grocery store and Shoppers Drug mart, but none will ever match Donny’s glorious version.

Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

The ultimate raise your glass singalong. This rowdy party starter is a must for any nog-soaked Christmas shindig.

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan - Baby, It’s Cold Outside

A cheeky little two-hander that elevates to a classic duet in the capable hands of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan. I know a few years ago there was a movement to interpret this song as malicious, but I truly believe it’s of a playful, benign nature.

Vince Guaraldi - Christmas Time Is Here

Whether it’s the sound of Charlie Brown, a dejected Michael Sera, or my Dad playing the family piano in December, all roads lead to pure, distilled nostalgia. Don’t care for the children’s choir? There’s an instrumental version that hits just as hard.

Clarence Carter - Backdoor Santa

Taking the naughty Christmas motif and driving it a little further. Naturally Clarence Carter, the ribald man who gave us Strokin’, is the man for the job.

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight

Not every song needs be a celebration. Sometimes the mood calls for sombre, earnest reflection on what it at all means. And sometimes you just want to listen to the Band.

Glenn Miller - Jingle Bells

Listening to this is like being transported to your very own black and white 1940s Christmas movie.

The Poets - Merry Christmas Baby

Like listening to a cross of the Beach Boys and the Delfonics (the harmony supergroup of my dreams) as they run down the months of the year, all the way to December bliss.

Chet Atkins - Jingle Bell Rock

This galloping, instrumental country rock was the go-to at my grandparents’ each Christmas. Chet’s sparkling guitar, despite featuring on approximately 95% of classic country records, has always meant Christmas to me.

AND ONE TO AVOID

Santa Baby

Granted, I have some suggestive tunes on my list, but the idea of seducing Santa Claus has always turned my stomach. That whole coquettish, Betty Boop thing always left me colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon. I recently Shazammed a particularly retched version of this song, assuming it was the weak offering of some 15 min of fame reality star looking to cash in, only to find it was the queen of pop herself, Madonna.

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So there you have it, a recipe for Christmas cheer for years to come.
Have a wonderful holiday and we’ll see you in 2025!

Love,
Ewan and The Sheepdogs