Houstonist iMix: December (Holiday edition)

Since our first cool blast of December has rolled into town, we're even getting into the over-commercialized holiday mode. So, we thought we would share with you some of our favorite Christmas and holiday songs, both past and present, with you. Throw out the $5.99 CD compilation you bought at Wal-Mart -- this is all you need.

The standards (Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Elvis) and more modern-day standards (John Lennon) are here. The 80's are represented by punk-rock (The Ramones), rap (Run DMC) and a new wave classic (The Waitresses). More current acts are not left out, either: we included a cut from Sufjan Steven's massive 4-CD Christmas set, Fountains of Wayne, and Jimmy Eat World covering Wham!'s "Last Christmas." Of course, not all of the songs are specific to Christmas (Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Johnny Mercer), and one probably states the feelings of many that don't celebrate Christmas (South Park's Kyle Broflovski singing "The Lonely Jew on Christmas").

While this is a collection of all of our favorites, "Christmastime Is Here" has a special place in our heart: even though it can be a depressing tune, it reminds us of simpler times (and pathetic little Christmas trees).

If you have iTunes on your computer, you can now download our iMix, or, if you want to pick and choose, you can download the tracks individually.

We hope you find your favorite, too. Enjoy!