My neighbor Swamp Rabbit looked puzzled when he checked out my Christmas playlist. “What’s up, Odd Man? I ain’t never heard most of them tunes.”

“That’s because you only get to hear the standards, and most of them suck, ” I said.

I told him I just got back from working an outdoor event where a dozen-or-so Christmas standards were wafting through the sound system, over and over. “Little Saint Nick” followed by “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” followed by “All I Want for Christmas Is You” followed by “Holly Jolly Christmas,” and so on. Stick a fork in them, they’re done. I left early.

“What you got against “Holly Jolly Christmas?” Swamp Rabbit said. “Burl Ives sounds like Santa Claus.”

I made a face. “He sounds like a serial killer. Mariah Carey and Andy Williams are worse, I’ll grant you that, but my point is why play the same crap every year when there are thousands of Christmas songs. Why can’t we just toss out the corny ones?”

He looked at me funny. “You should have that Mr. Grinch song on your list. You remind me of him sometimes.”

Footnote: Two favorites on my 2021 playlist — “Christmas in the Ghetto” by James Brown and “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry — were left off this list to make room for other oddities. Merry Christmas Week, and may peace be upon your head!