Most holiday pop songs tend to be joyful, energetic, or heartwarming, summoning nostalgia for the season and evoking what top scientists have defined as “feeling that gingerbread feeling.” But the holiday music canon is also peppered with bizarre little tunes that play up the ridiculous traditions we largely take for granted, or mock the treacly emotionalism of Christmas. While we have covered many of the more serious songs in the Christmas canon, this year the Great Pop Culture Debate is turning its attention to the intentionally absurd, the deliberately offputting as it debates the Best Novelty or Parody Holiday Song.

Songs discussed: “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” “The Chipmunk Song,” “The Chanukah Song,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” “Dominick the Donkey,” “The 12 Pains of Christmas,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Nuttin’ for Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth,” “Christmas at Ground Zero,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” etc.

Join host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD panelists Andrea Guerrero, Derek Mekita, and Jonny Minogue as they discuss 16 of the silliest holiday songs of all time.

Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!

For more exclusive content, including the warm-up in which we discuss additional parody and novelty songs we were bummed didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.

Want to play along at home?

Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!

Sign up for our weekly newsletter!

Subscribe to find out what’s new in pop culture each week right in your inbox!

Vote in more pop culture polls!

Check out our Open Polls. Your votes determine our future debates!

Then, vote in our Future Topic Polls to have a say in what episodes we tackle next.

Episode Credits

Host: Eric Rezsnyak

Panel: Andrea Guerrero, Derek Mekita, Jonny Minogue

Producer: Curtis Creekmore

Editor: Eric Rezsnyak

Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices