Dan's Papers - December 21, 2007

Black Friday is the official start of the Holiday season. And while it ushers in a month of frantic shopping, shoveling driveways and eggnog deliveries, it also marks the beginning of local DJs playing your Christmas favorites on the radio. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with getting excited about hearing Mariah's "All I Want for Christmas is You" or Kenny G's, I mean, uh, nevermind. The point is that the citizens of this great state have been force-fed the same regurgitated holiday music for years. Well not this year, not on my watch. Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Montauk, I hope this mix makes you jollier than old Saint Nick after he returns home to Mrs. Claus (If you know what I mean).

No better way to start a holiday mix than with this timeless piece of Christmas novelty. The melody is absolutely priceless.

Sufjan Stevens of Brooklyn is one helluva prolific songwriter. When he's not working on recording an album for all 50 states, he's writing symphonies and making Christmas songs. This comes from the 5-disc box set of Christmas tunes Stevens released last year, on which he takes on classics like "Oh Holy Night" and his orignial songs like "That was the Worst Christmas Ever!" and "Come On! Let's Boogie to the Elf Dance."

Can't forget about Channukah (Hell, it comes before Christmas) and The Leevee's want you to remember that. A collaboration between Guster's Adam Gardner and Dave Schneider of the Zamboni's, the Leevee's are out to claim that there is such a thing as Hannukah Pop. Watch out Adam Sandler.

This might be the best Christmas song in the entire world. After all, it's hard to beat lyrics like I want an alien for Christmas/ Bring me an alien this year/ I want a little green guy about three feet high with seventeen eyes who knows how to fly/ I want an alien for Christmas. Ironically, Adam Schlessinger of FOW wrote this song for a Hanson Christmas album and they rejected it!

This could have easily been replaced with his classic "Merry Christmas Baby." Either way it's hard to go wrong with the boss.

Nothing better than a member of Harlem's Dip Set crew sampling Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis." Okay, maybe the original is better but this one's pretty fun too.

Former Parliament wild child and fashionista Bootsy Collins is known for knocking the funk meter right off the charts, as well as his ridiculously outlandish fashion sense. Luckily for us, all of this comes together on Bootsy's album "Christmas is 4 Ever."

Okay so the paint huffing, bananas and blow-living fake brothers from Ween aren't exactly the first people you think of when you hear someone is going to cover "Silent Night." But that's why they're great. They can play anything from hard punk to Celtic folk to trippy psyche and even the holiest of Christmas songs.

It's always nice seeing indie rockers get into the Holiday spirit, a good way to try and change the stigma that all indie rockers are depressed skinny kids with black framed glasses. That's hardly what you get from the sylvan My Morning Jacket who blaze Christmas with their brand of Kentucky backwoods rock.

What can I say? The Material Girl's lyrical take on formulating a Christmas list is one of the funniest, most playful songs of her career. And a damn good way to end this mix.