Inspired by Dr. J’s 12 Days of Christmas Music, Confucius says: here’s twelve albums of Christmas music from the past dozen or so years that are worth your while (and money). Of course, this will only bring us to the twenty-fourth, so you’re on your own for the actual Twelve Days of Christmas unless we get any more bright ideas. That said, we figure you’ll probably want to be left alone to deal with all the treed fowl, leaping lords, etc., that tend to fill up that period.

Barenaked Ladies — Barenaked for the Holidays

And Holidays it is, given that the Ladies (all of whom are guys) not only do something like 17 Christmas tracks, they throw in “Auld Lang Syne” and, even better, two Hanukkah songs (their “I Have a Little Dreidel” is pretty hilarious).

Accompanied by fellow Canadican Sarah McLaughin on a couple tracks, they’re tuneful and sprightly throughout. Dr. J will doubtless enjoy their cover of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Their “O Holy Night” is an instrumental played on a hockey-rink organ, sounds like.

For Confucius’s part, the best track is the fairly-seldom recorded “I Saw Three Ships.” It’s barely a minute long, but they just kill it—utterly joyful.

Confucius, Œc. Vol.

Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu.