Does anybody really know what Christmas is anymore? It’s a mixed-up, muddled-up kind of world out there with uncertainty lurking around every corner. We might as well embrace the ambiguity. To aid that effort we offer up our annual assortment of festive tunes, with an accent on hooks of course. Just hit play to jangle all the way.

To put us into an appropriately other-worldly frame of mind, check out the aliens’ perspective on The Old 97’s contribution to the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special “I Don’t Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime is Here).” Maybe they’ve got it all wrong but clearly they are having some serious fun. And it just can’t be Christmas here at Poprock Record without a return to the best holiday song shop on the interweb, Make Like Monkeys. Their latest seasonal album This Way to Christmas would perfectly accompany any wrapping-ripping frenzy on Christmas morning. Opening cut “Christmastime Is Everywhere Tonight” has a Michael Penn/Aimee Mann sheen to its melodic arc.

To get our holiday bearings, we might stop in for some traditional-ish seasonal song fare. Freedom Fry’s “Who’s That Walking On My Rooftop?” sounds so familiar, its theme and choice of instrumentation hitting all the right holiday notes. Stylistically it really reminds me of The Rosebuds and, well, Freedom Fry. For something even more traditional let’s stroll down the carols aisle with super janglers The Grip Weeds. Their take on “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” starts all church choir but hang in there because 30 seconds along the guitars kick in and its definitely ‘jangle all the way’ after that. 3 and Half Minutes or Less put me on to Dreams So Real and their jangleful holiday song “Red Lights (Merry Christmas).” It’s a killer tune and the inspiration for our theme this year. BTW you can’t get more trad at Xmas-time than a country tune so to meet that need Deerheart suitably country things up with their delightful “Sweetest Season.”

Despite the relentless promotional cheer of the season, not everyone can afford to be festive. The James Clarke Institute tell a tale of madcap holiday shopping desperation on “Orange Christmas” with  a Fountains of Wayne-like combo of lyrical cleverness and poprock punch. By contrast, Justin Kline infuses “Merry Christmas Katie” with a spare melody very much in the spirit of Elliott Smith. Ken Simpson’s “The Night We Saw Santa Claus” is something else again, more of a stark portrait of Christmas poverty, played with a suitably shambolic, underwhelming charm. Bringing up the mood we have The Smith Brothers’ power-poppy “Every Day is Like Christmas” declaring they only want their true love’s arrival as a present. The previous three tunes are all nicked from a variety of seasonally-themed collections put together by the Japan-based Powerpop Academy.

Rivaling a lack of money in the lousy Xmas sweepstakes is a lack of love. Yes, some people are getting heartbreak this yuletide season, again. Indie rock veteran Jean Caffeine makes feeling bad sound good on “Another Crying Christmas.” There’s a Chrissie Hynde-like no-nonsense kick to this tune, with a few well placed ‘bah bah bah’s and 12 string lead guitar. On “Here’s to the Lonely” Jared Lekites launches in with an enticing rumbly electric guitar, then adds some pace-setting piano shots amid a swirl of captivating vocals. Who can be down listening to this? Norway’s Sunturns are on Christmas III, yes that’s holiday album number 3. Song topics here range from turtleneck sweaters, new snow, and holiday social drama. “Back in Town” is warning someone that somebody named Klara is back in town and wants them to come around. Sounds holiday ominous. No Wayne are coming off the road and say as much on “This Christmas, I’m Coming Home” but whether that’s a good or bad thing is less unclear.

On the other hand, holidays are seldom all bad. The perennial family band The Cowsills resurfaced in 1990 with a nostalgic seasonal message on “Some Good Years” and a Fairlight synth-enhanced chipper demeanor. I almost included Helen Love and Ricardo Autobahn just for latter name alone but “And the Salvation Army Band Plays” tries to find a light amidst their struggles. Another poignant moment or two of yuletide sentiment can be found all over Ben Folds fabulous new Christmas album Sleigher. You want hope? “We Could Have This” is a duet (featuring Lindsey Craft) where two people wonder if they’re edging toward something special. My gut says yes. All we need now is something classy. I mean, it can’t be holiday glass-clinking time without a ballad cast in the 1950s American songbook style, preferably a duet in the “Baby It’s Cold Outside” mode. Luckily Graham Gouldman tucked one into his recent long-player I Have Notes entitled “A Christmas Affair” with Beth Nielson Chapman. Delightfully sing-along-able and just this side of naughty.

We draw this jangle-fest to a close with a piano rumination (surprisingly) from Gregory Pepper and his Problems. “A Nice Thought” cuts through the myths and materialism to put it out there – there’s no god and we’re all gonna die. So you might as well have a merry happy whatever. That’s our seasonal wish for you.

Photo ‘A Christmas delivery from Santa on the Death Star’ courtesy Kristina Alexanderson Flikr collection.