For some people, a solid month of Christmas songs isn't enough. No — some people would be content to listen to "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" and "Jingle Bell Rock" year round.

You would be right to call such people "crazy." You would also be right to call them my kids.

For most of 2009, my kids' favorite CDs to play over and over again were Christmas CDs. Not good ones. The top three were "Strawberry Shortcake Berry Merry Christmas"; "A Very Merry Kidz Bop"; and "DJ's Choice Kids Christmas Party." I have other family members to thank for my daughters' owning these holiday gems.

Christmas tunes NOT worth seeking out.

This trend mostly burned itself by the end of last Christmas, so luckily we've only had to hear "A Berry Merry Christmas" three or four times this year.

Meanwhile, all through December the girls have made a habit of playing a three-CD set called "Have a Fun Christmas" from Time-Life records. Someone bought it for us from Costco, I believe. It's includes some decent stuff, including Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry and some Beatles cover band called "The Fab Four" who do a great version of "Joy to the World." Sadly, it also includes three of the five songs I listed in Tuesday's top five worst Christmas songs ever, plus several of the terrible tunes that people mentioned in the comments.

Fortunately, I have a small selection of decent Christmas albums that I'm happy to hear again and again around the holidays. By mixing these discs in among the Time-Life selections, we are able to keep everyone happy.

If you are looking for something that sounds traditional without being stale, I recommend Loreena McKennitt's 2008 album "A Midwinter Night's Dream." I picked up my copy last year from Crazy Wisdom Bookstore downtown; they may still have it in stock, in case you're looking for last minute stocking stuffers. It features adaptations of less-well-known traditional carols and lyrics, done in McKennitt's usual lush, Celtic-inflected style. I've heard people characterize McKennitt's music as "cheesy" and "new-agey," but for Christmas music it really seems to work.

I'm sure there are other quite lovely traditional-sounding Christmas albums — I understand there's one by the Chieftains, for instance, though I've not heard it. I also know there are rock-obsessed listeners who need distorted guitars to make their carols palatable, who swear by their Trans-Siberian Orchestra or this or that "Various Artists" compilation of punk and metal Christmas goodness.

However, in my experience, the best adaptations of Christmas music are those that swing. With all due respect to Benny Goodman and Nat King Cole, here are the top three swingingest Christmas albums I've heard:

3. "Dig That Crazy Christmas" - The Brian Setzer Orchestra

I've never found the Brian Setzer Orchestra to be an adequate substitute for the Stray Cats, but the dude is still a great player and a decent arranger and manages to inject this set of Christmas standards with big band rockabilly flair.

2. "Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas" - Ella Fitzgerald

How many singers can make familiar fluff like "Jingle Bells" and "Winter Wonderland" sparkle with fresh life? I only know of one, and this is she. The wit and joy are palpable in Ella's voice, and she effortlessly adds snap to even the most routine lines.

1. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - Vince Guaraldi

Whether it's Christmas or not, this is just some well made jazz. It never slips into a rut; there's always something interesting to hear. And of course it features "Linus and Lucy," perhaps the most recognizable piano swing every recorded.

In the meantime, there are a handful of excellent Christmas songs that you'd be hard pressed to find on any holiday compilation. Here are three of my favorites. I could say a lot about each of them, but why don't you just see/hear for yourself:

3. "Christmas Time in Washington" - Steve Earle

2. "Thank You Very Much" - Scrooge (1970) soundtrack

1. "Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues

Happy holidays, everyone!

Scott Beal leads workshops for the Neutral Zone, Dzanc Books, and 826michigan, and is a stay-at-home dad.

image credit: Marta Garcia via Creative Commons license.