Reindeer Tracks

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I took a personal day today for my annual Christmas Cookie Baking Blowout. So far it’s twelve dozen down, about six dozen to go. So real quick, off the top of my flour-dusted head, here are the best Christmas songs to originate on non-Christmas albums:

1. "Fairytale of New York" – The Pogues (with Kirsty MacColl), from If I Should Fall From Grace With God

2. "Cry of a Tiny Babe" – Bruce Cockburn, from Nothing But a Burning Light

3. "River" – Joni Mitchell, from Blue

4. "Merry Christmas from the Family" – Robert Earl Keen, from Gringo Honeymoon

5. "Santa’s Beard" – They Might Be Giants, from Lincoln

6. "2000 Miles" – The Pretenders, from Learning To Crawl

Honorable Mention to the Waitresses’ "Christmas Wrapping", originally released on the I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts EP (which was little more than an excuse to put that song and the theme song to Square Pegs on vinyl).

Above picture is of the front door of St. Peter's Church in Society Hill.

Back to the kitchen.

Update (12.16.04): I cannot believe I forgot "Jesus Christ" by Big Star, from Third/Sister Lovers, only one of my all-time favorite albums. I would rank the song third on this list. I also forgot "Merry Christmas, Emily" by Cracker, from Forever. I can be forgiven for not remembering that, it's really not that memorable. Let's put that last on this list.