My office holiday party was last Friday, on the Spirit of Boston. When I tell people that we have our party on a boat, they’re usually like, “In December?” but since it’s enclosed and heated, it’s actually a lot more fun than it sounds. The first couple of years we were in this building, we had the party in the office, and I greatly prefer the boat!
When we did have the party in the office one year, a coworker asked me to help get together some seasonal music to play. While I do have a Christmas playlist that’s grown to nearly 500 songs, putting together songs for a work party is harder than it sounds. You can’t have any songs that refer to Jesus- and while people on Fox News are bitching and moaning about the “war on Christmas,” they can at least take comfort in knowing that religious carols like “Joy to the World” and “O Holy Night” are so mainstream that plenty of popular artists record those songs. You can’t have any songs that might be inappropriate- there aren’t quite as many of those, but I left off Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah song and Cartman’s “O Holy Night” from South Park and “Fairytale of New York.” You can’t have any choral music, which I love but which is definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. And you can’t have anything too boring or uncool when a large percentage of your coworkers are, well, cooler than you. (You guys know about my highly questionable taste in music!)
So here’s what I came up with, and if you ever have to choose music for your own office holiday party, use this as an inspiration!
1. Lisa Loeb – “Jingle Bells”
2. The Boston Pops – “Sleigh Ride”
3. Band Aid – “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
4. Emma Beaton, Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis – “Auld Lang Syne”
5. Dar Williams – “The Christians And The Pagans”
6. Eels – “Christmas Is Going to the Dogs”
7. James Taylor – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
8. Gene Autry – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
9. Sufjan Stevens – “Get Behind Me, Santa!”
10. Vince Vance And The Valiants – “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
11. Paul McCartney – “Wonderful Christmastime”
12. Sara Bareilles – “River”
13. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden – “The Nutcracker, Op. 71: No. 12 Divertissement: Dance of the flutes”
14. The Raveonettes – “The Christmas Song”
15. Sufjan Stevens – “Sister Winter”
16. Mariah Carey – “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
17. Harry Connick Jr. – “(It Must Have Been Ol’) Santa Claus”
18. Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song”
19. Tim Reynolds and Dave Matthews – “Christmas Song”
20. Jose Feliciano – “Feliz Navidad”
21. Meaghan Smith – “It Snowed”
22. Sarah McLachlan featuring Diana Krall – “Christmas Time Is Here”
23. Bruce Springsteen – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
24. Sarah McLachlan – “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
25. John Lennon and Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir – “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”
26. Kristin Chenoweth – “The Christmas Waltz”
27. Barry Manilow – “Carol of the Bells / Jingle Bells”
28. Imogen Heap – “Just For Now”
29. Weezer – “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
30. Burl Ives – “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
31. Leona Naess – “Christmas”
32. Sarah McLachlan – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
33. Bobby Helms – “Jingle Bell Rock”
34. Judy Garland – “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
35. Diana Krall – “Jingle Bells”
36. Brad Callow – “Christmas Is All Around”
37. Ron Sexsmith – “Maybe This Christmas”
38. Brenda Lee – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
39. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – “Christmas Eve/ Sarajevo”
40. Ottmar Liebert – “Deck the Halls”
41. Tony Bennett – “Winter Wonderland”
42. Ella Fitzgerald – “Sleigh Ride”
43. Sufjan Stevens – “Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)”
44. Johnny Mathis – “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
45. The Carpenters – “Merry Christmas Darling”
46. Vienna Teng – “The Atheist Christmas Carol”
47. Cast of Glee – “Last Christmas”
48. Mexicani Marimba Band – “Twelve Days of Christmas”
49. Jimmy Eat World – “Last Christmas”
50. Low – “Just Like Christmas”
51. The Long Winters – “Christmas With You Is The Best”
52. Sufjan Stevens – “Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time!”
53. The Polyphonic Spree – “Happy Xmas – War Is Over”
54. Royal Crown Revue – “Baby It’s Cold Outside”
55. The Goo Goo Dolls – “Better Days”