I’ve written before at length here about how much I hate the mercenary use of Christmas music in public spaces through the shopping season in the weeks-to-months preceding the Great Unwrapping. That said, I don’t hate all Christmas music, especially when it’s deployed sensibly and with sensitivity in the privacy of one’s own home, getting jiggy with the spirit of the season, independent of the need to acquire for acquisition’s sake. So as the big day draws nigh, I return to my periodic series here to present another Five Songs You Need To Hear, all of these with a festive (?) seasonal feel. This is the 21st article in this series, so if these songs hit your sweet spot, you can click here to get all of the previous “Five Songs” installments (scroll down after you click that link to move past this current article). Happy listening, as always!

#1. COIL, “Christmas Is Now Drawing Nigh”

#2. Half Man Half Biscuit, “All I Want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit”

#3. Hljómsveitin Myrká, “Jólakötturinn (The Christmas Cat)”

#4. The Residents, “Christmas Morning Foto”

#5. The Fall, “(We Wish You) A Protein Christmas”