Interview: Annie Zaleski

A Conversation About Her New Book 'This Is Christmas, Song By Song'

We all have our favorite Christmas songs, but do we know the stories behind them?

Music journalist and author Annie Zaleski has done the hard work for us with her entertaining new book, This Is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits (Running Press Adult, 2023).

Zaleski adds this informative collection to the impressive stack of books she previously published including 33 1/3’s Duran Duran's Rio, Lady Gaga: Applause, and Pink: Raise Your Glass. (She also contributed to the essay collection I co-edited, Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop; and wrote about The Beths for Remember The Lightning—A Guitar Pop Journal, Vol. 1.)

“I have always loved Christmas music, ever since I was a small child. I have fond memories of my dad playing Mannheim Steamroller once the season started rolling (which always annoyed my mom, ha!) and later enjoying Trans-Siberian Orchestra. But at the holidays, my family always had Christmas music playing in the background as we opened gifts, gathered to eat and mingle, and rested afterward,” Zaleski told me for the interview below.

“Later, when I became a professional journalist, I started writing about Christmas music whenever I could, both opinion pieces (defending ‘Wonderful Christmastime’) and research-based pieces (on the Kinks’ ‘Father Christmas’). These pieces showed me that many Christmas songs have fascinating back stories. And so when I came upon an editor in a Facebook group looking for someone to write a book on the best Christmas songs—I couldn’t send an email fast enough.”

I caught up with Zaleski the morning after her book signing event at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We discuss her favorite holiday music of all time, how she chose the 100 songs for this book (and which song would have been number 101…), her thoughts about Whamageddon, and why she loves “Wonderful Christmastime.”

Annie Zaleski Interview

This Is Christmas, Song by Song was a really fun read. Did you write each of the short, informative chapters as the mood struck, or did you sit down and power through all of them at once?

A little bit of both! When I first started writing, I dug in and started doing research and wrote a few of the blurbs that were more complicated. Later, as the deadline started looming (ha!) I sat down and powered through a lot all at once.

Is the repeated line "five golden rings" from "Twelve Days of Christmas" the most powerful holiday hook of all time?

To me, it’s the hook of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’: ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas / If only in my dreams.’ The melancholy of that song always gets me—and that one line transforms the entire tune, as it illustrates such powerful longing and sadness.

I like that you highlight how many holiday songs—"I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto," etc.—are products of their time. Is that something you understood going into this project?

I’m happy you noticed that! That wasn’t something I was necessarily aiming for going into the book—but when I started digging into the backstories, it became very clear how many Christmas songs doubled as social or political commentary, or were written in response to pivotal moments in history. (Stevie Wonder’s ‘Someday at Christmas’ also falls into this category.)

I think that’s important: People often see Christmas music as annoying or something light, but many songs have far more depth than we maybe realize. They reflect the evolution of popular music—and how world history unfolded.

I didn't recognize all of the songs on this list. What was your criteria?

I’ve also read a few reviews to this effect—and I’m honestly somewhat surprised! I tried not to go too obscure, since I know that can sometimes be frustrating when reading a book on a genre like Christmas music. But it’s showed me that everyone’s frame of Christmas music reference is different!

My criteria was first to nail down the most iconic and memorable songs—and determine the most iconic and memorable versions of these songs—and then from there try and make a balanced book. That meant including a diverse selection of songs encompassing many genres, many eras and many performers. I didn’t want it to lean too heavily on, say, the 1950s or the 1970s, and I wanted to acknowledge the songs released by more modern artists like Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift.

This was a really tough job, honestly. I hope the book is successful enough so I can do a second volume covering the songs I missed.

The question on the tip of every guitar pop fan's tongue: Which track do you prefer—"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" or "Wonderful Christmastime"?

‘Wonderful Christmastime’! I love Paul’s synthesizer experiments (I was thrilled when he played ‘Temporary Secretary’ on a recent tour) and this song is a perfect bridge between Wings and his solo work. I also love the sentiment of the song: It’s about hanging out with friends, enjoying some upbeat times and having a good holiday. That’s a sentiment we can all get behind.

Great to see guitar pop bands like The Beatles, The Kinks, Big Star, XTC, Tom Petty and Fountains of Wayne on the list. What's the jangliest holiday song of all time?

An impossible call! In the book, I do think it’s a tie between XTC (aka the Three Wise Men) and Tom Petty. However, overall, I’m also very partial to the dB’s and Friends Christmas record, Christmas Time. (I own multiple copies of it, because each one has a different track list!) There’s some serious jangle firepower on that album!

Have you ever played the seasonal holiday game "Whamageddon"?

I haven’t—and I actually dislike it greatly! First off, “Last Christmas” is a great song, one of George Michael’s best, and it’s one of my favorite holiday songs. I always want to listen to it. And I think life’s too short to try and avoid music you love.

Plus, Wham! and George are having a moment this year, between George’s Rock Hall induction and the great Wham! documentary. I’m so thrilled “Last Christmas” is having a resurgence yet again.

There's a cultural debate every year about when it's appropriate to start playing holiday music. What's your opinion?

In general, I’m not a big fan of policing how people listen to music—or when they listen to it. I say listen whenever makes you feel good. If that’s July, why not? As above, life’s too short to deprive yourself of things you enjoy. Personally, I typically start around Thanksgiving, as that’s when I get into the festive mood.

What is your personal favorite holiday song of all time?

I always say that it changes by the season (and day), but The Waitresses’ ‘Christmas Wrapping’ is my favorite this year. Chris Butler wrote a perfect song that’s more like a short story, covering two people who spend a year trying to catch up before miraculously meeting on a last-minute grocery run.

Musically, it’s unstoppable, thanks to horns from Dave Buck and the (sadly late) Mars Williams, post-disco bass from Tracy Wormworth, and drums from Billy Ficca. And Patty Donahue captures the frazzled nature of the holidays, especially holidays that arrive after a harried year. She’s sassy, irreverent, and nonchalant—a perfect tone to strike during a busy time of year.

What song would have been number 101 if you could have stretched the page count a little further?

Squeeze, ‘Christmas Day.’ It’s a wonderfully quirky song that fits in neatly next to songs like ‘Cool for Cats’ and ‘Slap and Tickle,’ and illustrates the band’s knack for erudite lyrics and pop genius. How this isn’t a holiday standard is beyond me!

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