Ross On Radio Listeners’ Holiday Music Recommendations

The Christmas star has a long tail. It’s been two decades since the Mainstream AC Christmas format became a holiday juggernaut with a tightly defined body of music. But the explosion of audio options over the last decade has also brought with it an infinite dial’s worth of musical holiday choice. 

Recently, I asked Ross On Radio readers about their recommendations for Christmas music beyond the safe list. A few of those led to separate “Fresh Listen” columns. WUEZ Carbondale, Ill., PD Paxton Guy suggested Nostalgie Noël, one of the French oldies station’s nearly 50 side channels. Keith Berman did the same on behalf of Heart’s Christmas side channel, which led me back to U.K. AC rival Magic Radio, which made its annual flip to all-Christmas on Nov. 25. I reviewed the trio in a separate article. 

I also reviewed AccuRadio’s Classic Hits Christmas in a separate article on (relatively) more contemporary ‘70s/’80s/’90s channels. AccuRadio’s holiday offerings are always extensive and range from “Non-Standard Christmas” (promising music “beyond the tried-and-true dozen songs everyone knows”) to “Smooth Hanukkah.”

Josh Holstead recommends hipster holiday North Pole Live, which promises “an awesome mix of holiday rock, indie,  indie, blues, nu-standards, jazz, and more” with “no cheese.” Here’s the station at 8:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving night:

• Shawn Phillips, “A Christmas Song”
• Amy Winehouse, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
• 3 Doors Down, “Where My Christmas Lives”
• Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”
• Sia, “Underneath the Mistletoe”
• Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Shrift Remix)”
• Jimmy Jules & Nuclear Soul System, “Xmas Done Got Funky”
• Keely Smith, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
• Leigh Nash, “Mistletoe and Holly”
• Papa Roach, “Not Coming Home”

Reader Mike Schaefer suggested SomaFM, a longtime ROR audience favorite, and its five Christmas streams, including Jolly Ol’ Soul. One of the others, Christmas Lounge got a nod from reader Chuck Ingersoll. I’m still planning to check out the Easy Listening SomaFM Specials, described as “a department store Christmas.” But since R&B is one of the things I’ve found most missing from AC Christmas, I gravitated first to Jolly Ol’ Soul on Nov. 24:

• Ohio Players, “Happy Holidays”
• Crystals, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
• Stevie Wonder, “Christmastime”
• Jackson 5, “Christmas Won’t Be the Same This Year”
• Isaac Hayes, “Winter Snow”
• Smokey Robinson & Miracles, “The Christmas Song”
• George Grant & Castilles, “At Christmas Time”
• Roscoe Robinson, “Tis Yuletide”
• Detroit Junior, “Christmas Day”
• O’Jays, “Merry Christmas Baby”
• Jimmy Smith, “The Christmas Song”
• Salsoul Orchestra, “Sleigh Ride”
• Otis Redding, “White Christmas”
• Etta James, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
• Vanessa Williams, “What Child Is This”
• Otis Redding & Carla Thomas, “New Year’s Resolution”

A number of readers have their own holiday music channels. Engineering veteran Mike Erickson’s Planet Oldies Radio has gone seasonal and intersperses classic radio jingles and sweepers among the holiday music. The music is largely the hits, but without the newer songs/covers you hear on the Mainstream ACs, and some depth from the MOR era. (I just heard Frank Sinatra, “We Wish You the Merriest” and the Ventures version of “Frosty the Snowman.”) And you can count on it to be a great sounding stream.

At Ken Cunningham’s ChristmasMusic.Com, “I’m playing the biggies, but some fun ‘oh wow’ songs that aren’t overplayed are in rotation every hour as well.” Cunningham also sprinkles in songs from all genres, from Garth Brooks’ “Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy” to AC/DC’s “Mistress for Christmas” to Destiny Child’s “8 Days of Christmas.”

Tom Lawler’s Oldies 103 goes all-Christmas, just as the station it pays tribute to, WODS Boston, did. Its more oldies-leaning take on the format means more classic R&B, as well as doo-wop Christmas, and some extra depth from the MOR era not found on the ACs. Here’s the station on Thanksgiving evening:

• Donny Hathaway, “This Christmas”
• Peggy Lee, “Winter Weather”
• Andy Williams, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
• Chicago, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
• Kay Starr, “The Man with The Bag”
• Jimmy Beaumont & Skyliners, “You’re My Christmas Present”
• Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, “Happy Holidays”
• Jon Bon Jovi, “Please Come Home for Christmas”
• Kenny Vance & Planotones, “Doo Wop Christmas”
• New Christy Minstrels, “We Need A Little Christmas”
• Perry Como, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
• Temptations, “White Christmas”’
• Gayla Peevy, “I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas”’
• Kurtis Blow, “Christmas Rappin’”

EMI Nashville’s John Trapane offered a variety of Spotify playlists, including The Yuletide Lounge and the one he developed while in radio for the former WDTW (The Drive) Detroit, The Drive’s Crazy Christmas. Here’s a stretch of the latter on shuffle:

• Charles Brown, “Please Come Home For Christmas”
• Adam Sandler, “The Chanukah Song (Pt. II)”
• Bruce Springsteen, “Merry Christmas Baby”
• Barenaked Ladies, “Green Christmas”
• Weezer, “O Come All Ye Faithful”
• Fuel, “We Three Kings”
• Hootie & the Blowfish, “The Christmas Song”
• Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio, “The Restroom Door Said ‘Gentlemen’”
• Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio, “Walkin’ Round in Women’s Underwear”
• Sonics, “Don’t Believe in Christmas”
• No Doubt, “Oi to The World”
• Albert King, “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’”
• Bowling For Soup, “Frosty The Snowman”

Reader Bob Bell’s Spotify playlists include Super December. On shuffle, I heard:

• Donny Hathaway, “This Christmas” 
• Jerry Vale, “Home for The Holidays”
• Wayne Newton, “Jingle Bell Rock”
• Nick Lowe, “Christmas At the Airport”
• Diana Ross, “Wonderful Christmastime”
• Big Star, “Jesus Christ”
• James Brown, “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto”
• Band, “Christmas Must Be Tonight”
• Bruce Springsteen, “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
• Fountains Of Wayne, “Valley Winter Song”
• Slade, “Merry Xmas Everybody”
• B.B. King, “Back Door Santa”
• Letters To Cleo, “(Wtfamp) The Christmas Song”
• Julian Casablancas, “I Wish It Was Christmas Today”
• Roger & Zapp, “Please Come Home for Christmas”

At WLGE (106.9 The Lodge) Sturgeon Bay, Wis., owner/GM/PD Mike Mesic invites you to “give an ear to our Christmas Music Weekends. We’re normally a Triple-A/Hot AC hybrid, but take our Christmas tunes seriously.” Here’s the station at 8:30 on the morning of Black Friday. (It usually starts at 3 p.m. Friday.)

• Mannheim Steamroller, “Greensleeves”
• U2, “I Believe In Father Christmas”
• Bing Crosby, “Happy Holidays”
• Snow, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
• Eagles, “Please Come Home for Christmas”
• Sheryl Crow, “The Christmas Song”
• Beach Boys, “Little Saint Nick”
• Paul McCartney, “Wonderful Christmastime”
• Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio, “Wreck the Malls”
• Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
• Los Lonely Boys, “I’ve Longed for Christmas”
• Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Dreams Of Fireflies”

Owner Marcus Jaeger wrote in on behalf of his WCWI (Wisconsin 106) Wisconsin Dells, a station that became an instant favorite of Ross On Radio readers. Beginning Nov. 30, he says, “We’ve got some unique stuff for Christmas.” On Thanksgiving morning, I heard them segue from Police, “Message In a Bottle” to Lynn Anderson, “Rose Garden.” Now they’re playing Wings, “Helen Wheels.” So it seems likely that their Christmas music will be unique as well.

Ben Reed recommended Christian AC KTSY/KTFY Boise, Idaho’s Christmas format, which he describes as “much more varied and deeper than the [Mainstream AC] outlet in my city. I have heard some Carpenters cuts that have not been on the air for more than 35 years.”

“Dash Radio has a couple of good ones, as well as mixing in Christmas songs on their decade channels,” writes Kurt Torster. Their Christmas Lane channel has just segued from Frank Sinatra’s “The First Noel” to the contemporary R&B of Mateo’s “Home For Christmas” as I write this. They also have Country, R&B, and Jazz holiday channels. 

Finally, if it is mainstream Christmas hits that you’re looking for, Community Broadcasting’s Jim Leven nominates his AC WTOJ (Magic 103.1) Watertown, N.Y., which is doing Mainstream AC Christmas but with a few spikes each hour under PD Ken Martin. The hits from the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials have become part of the holiday safe list, but Magic played “We Are Santa’s Elves” earlier today.

Veteran PD/GM/owner Michael O’Shea writes in on behalf of KDHT (K-Hits 104.9) Santa Rosa, Calif. “We’re using tried and true Top 40 disciplines of high rotations and just the hits with attitudinal imaging. We launched on Election Day with “are we too early? You bet! With smoke in the air, fire in the hills, and a pandemic everywhere, we’ve never needed Christmas K-Hits more.”