… and I’m a bit over all the red holly/green conifer/snow imagery. Here’s two songs that have a more sunburnt country feel to them:
Eric Bogle’s Shelter gives tributes to our land “dressed in green and gold”:
And here’s Tim Minchin’s White Wine in the Sun, about how it’s possible to enjoy Christmas traditions even when you’re not religious, because in the end it’s all about family:
What do the rest of you like as Aussie summer/Xmas songs?
My little sis still knows the moves from her kindergarten xmas show. Largely because we still force her at prawn-point to do it every year.
Bear’s got an Aussie Santa book, replete with beer, kangaroos and dinkum didge language. It’s ok but I don’t like the myth confusion. It’s bad enough that the slovenly mythical bstard takes credit after I’ve sat up for 3 hours putting together the trike…
Not Australian, I know, but I’m rather partial to the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York.
This one.
Of course there’s also ‘Christmas Day’:
Where I learned that song, you could see every single one of those things just by looking out of the window.
At the moment it just seems to be the season to let go of long held beliefs that nothing pink, barbie or horse shaped,with glittery hair and plastic would ever enter my home.
Armagny, smart parent’s rule for Christmas:
The most expensive/impressive/wanted present is from you.
The rest of the junk is from Santa.
Paul Kelly’s “How to make gravy” is a beautiful Christmas song
Cooper, that’s the one I’ve linked to at #4 — he does a terrific duet with Dan Kelly, recorded by the ABC so a better than usual quality YouTube.
I like the Bad Santa movies.
I like this one by Chrissie Hynde. Coldplay, Sheryl Crow and K T Tunstall also give the song a go.
A while back I wrote some atheist Christmas carols – here. But I like the traditional Christmas carols and their imagery and symbolism, too.
This excellent paean to the season by Elton John is seldom remembered these days.
Although an atheist, I do like me Bob Seger’s version of The Little Drummer Boy.
Sung by a house (or at least that’s how it looks). Warning: lots of flashing lights.
Sorry Pavlov’s Cat – should have checked that first. Double vote for that beauty then…
A dear friend sends me a burnt CD of obscure Christmas tracks every year. My favourite is Wizard doing ‘I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Year’. If you can remember them doing ‘See My Baby Jive’, it sounds much the same.
I second Cooper @ 7 and add
Jolly Old Christmas Time – live with Weddings Party Anything (with comment from crowd at end)
Oops – thirded I see.
No presents for Christmas!
Sadly, my partner has been playing the old Twisted Sister Christmas album … shudder.
I don’t recall celebrating xmas until i was 9, the same year that a StVdP package arrived on the doorstep. Not sure why. But Gaudete was on an album that my dad liked, tho i think that he liked the Saucy Sailor song better.
While in Hawaii last week, I discovered the radio station that they play in hell (imagining for a moment that there is such a place). 24 hours a day of Christmas carols interspersed with some right wing dj announcing the news with an open attitude of climate change skepticism. So each news break was announced with open scorn and then back to the horrible non-stop Christmas music. Bad Christmas covers are one thing but they were constantly playing some suite (I think its from the Nutcracker, but not sure) that I find really creepy. And the worse part was half the shops I entered were tuned to this particular station. It was (almost) enough to turn me off shopping!
My daughter works at A&R and from the 1st Dec they had to play C’mas carols. so she borrwoed the sound track to Love Actually, for when the manager wasn’t there. Have to agree with Tim Minchin and the sentiment of that song, very nice.
Rayedish, was this it?
Never mind the glockenspiel, look at the 1940 fairies!
As a Christmas denialist, I often tell myself that I at least like the carols. Then I go to a Carol service and remember, again, that the ones that I like (the old and interesting ones, like, ‘It came upon a midnight clear’, or ‘Good King Wenseslaus’) are never sung, and we are left with the extreme banality of ‘Away in a manger’, or ‘Little town of Bethlehem’. Get me out of here!
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/local/sheriff-christmas-carols-in-jails-12-14-2009
Bastard!
I was rummaging through Youtube trying to find a ‘normal’ version of this (one of my favorite carols), but came across this unusual performance instead so I had to post it. I think she does it quite nicely, I was surprised.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6z8ih20C6s
Sorry it’s not Australian, but at least it’s one of those old-fashioned things that’s got a bit of seriousness and spine.
I can’t think of a good English-language version of this, always wondered why it isn’t done more often. Does anyone know of a translated version?
Second to PC re “the north wind is tossing the leaves”. As someone who has absolutely no memory for lyrics, I can still squwark this with gusto – learning it at primary school, it was memorably exotic; my first encounter with music distinctly Australian (apart from The Ball Bearing Bird… don’t ask…)
‘White Christmas’ and ‘Chestnuts roasting’ cause me to rant at PA systems and radios every year.
Has everyone but me forgotten the Delltones’ No Snow at Christmas? It’s not on Youtube.
Where Santa’s dress does not impress
And snowmen don’t survive;
The only ice is in the drinks —
It’s summertime, and good to be alive.
Deathless, I tell youse.
This is the Little One’s first Christmas where she has a grasp of what is going on. The good, Santa Claus is a wonderful behaviour modification tool. The bad, well none really, she is having a great time. Even asked me the other morning “Daddy, is it Christmas yet?”
Re carols, I love John Fahey’s The New Possibility album of solo guitar Christmas tunes. I usally learn and record a few each year.
Joy to the World – John Fahey
Pavlov’s cat @22 – Yes that’s the one, however it is (I’ll admit) rendered a lot less creepy when accompanied by 1940s fairies.
not aussie but….
Bob Dylan has a Christmas album this year. I think this is kinda fun:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVs6X9yIM_k
tigtog said:
I think you will find that sacred Christmas celebrations are also “all about family”, the Holy Family to be specific.
More generally, there is an insoluble problem with secularised rituals, although they may not be profane they do lack sanctity, which requires a sense of ineffable mystery. It might be possible to get around that by going New Age or pagan, as with outdoor marriages. But this always risks looking ridiculous or strained.
Minchin’s song was mostly whiny and unfunny although it did manage to squeeze in an ounce of wistful nostalgia.
I love Hoodoo Guru’s ‘Santa Never Made it to Darwin’.
Sioxsie singing a Christmas carol -great find jpz.
Shaun, as a child I used to love the Advent calendars which in those days were just made with cardboard and glitter, but opening the one door a day for some reason was worth it regardless.
I don’t buy them for my kids as I can’t find one now without chocolate in it – doubly unnecessary because chocolate will melt in the heat if it’s out on the wall. And I refuse to buy a bloody Bratz Advent calendar. What a grotesque concept!
If I was a good parent I’d make one myself… but I’m another secularist whose commitment to the whole Christmas shebang is kept within strict personal limits.
Our “must-have” is the real tree, for the scent.
I don’t really care for christmas music. But it’s been a bit of fun teaching my three year old some carols, such as “Hark the Herald Angels”, and explaining what a sinner is.
Paul Kelly’s Roll on Summer is a great one for january. Or bradman for the cricket.
And this one is as on-topic as it gets.
I live the idea of an advent calendar Helen. Thanks for the idea. A bit late for one know but we’ll keep it in mind for next year.
Heathens. There is only one Christmas song worthy of note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3354flS1KJs
Wow Kymbos – my fave too.
Last Christmas,
I permed up my hair
but the very next day
I sacked Andrew Ridg-ley
This year
it’s the police I fear
and tablets that make me feel special
Fine wrote “I love Hoodoo Guru’s ‘Santa Never Made it to Darwin’.”
Sorry but wasn’t the song titled “Tojo Never Made it to Darwin”?
” Santa never made it to Darwin ” was a charity fund raiser recorded after cyclone Tracey leveled Darwin in 1974.
The Hoodoo Gurus song was just called Tojo.
You are so right, murph the surf. Apologies.
pavlov’s cat & or
A materialist poem for Oz the 25th
if there’s a gentle breeze on the 25th
it’ll toss lifeless leaves listlessly &
hardly move the loathsome red dust
on yesterday’s house cleaned floors
the birds perch silently ‘neath
whatever wilted leaves found
meanwhile in the back yards
the grass crinkles underfoot.
The only problem with these two numbers is that they’re both deathly, deathly dull. Christ, that “White Wine in the Sun” guy looks like death warmed over right from the start.
I’m no fan of Christmas sentimentality, but I’ll happily take that over this blue-veined, chin-stroking boredom any day of the year. Christmas or otherwise.
Sorry.