Your Christmas Song Picks (and a few cartoons)

2025 favorites from Joan Jett, the Staples, John Prine, Ry Cooder, and Los Lobos, among others--plus a John Lennon demo.

Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books including “The Tunnels” “Tricky Dick and the Pink Lady” and “The Campaign of the Century” and now writer/director of three award-winning films aired via PBS, including “Atomic Cover-up” and “Memorial Day Massacre” (up for an Emmy). You can still subscribe to this newsletter for free. Watch the trailer for his new film “The Atomic Bowl: Football at Ground Zero & The Forgotten Bomb.”

As expected, my annual call for rocking (often obscure) favorite holiday tunes did not received so many entrants this year as many had submitted last year, but here is a sampling. (Check out last year’s faves here.) First, a few of our usual political cartoons. If you have not subscribed, a reminder—it’s still free!

For Christmas/Holidays 2025

I will kick it off with Ry Cooder's message to “power hungry” Christians, "You Must Unload," one of best songs of past decade.

contributed by R. Bowman, the Staples, “Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?”

Old friend and Crawdaddy expatriate Tad Richards reminds us of the cool metal Joan Jett “Little Drummer Boy”

David Stone brings back the old Greg Lake favorite “I Believe in Father Christmas,” but here live with Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson.

Kevin Dunn cited the familiar Lennon/Ono classic “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” but maybe you have never heard John’s acoustic demo…..

Mike Lyman picks John Prine’s “Christmas in Prison”

Phil Melton chose “New Star Shining” with Ricky Skaggs and James Taylor

Victor Winograd selected a soulful “White Christmas” by the great Drifters

From Paul Metsa: I subscribe to your newsletter, and a long time reader of Crawdaddy. Here is an original Christmas song I wrote in 1990 w/ video.

Jack Stevenson: “Santa Claus is Getting Down” by great Native guitarist Jesse Ed Davis

And finally, from anonymous, it’s Los Lobos, “It’s Christmas Time in Texas”