This holiday collection has a lot in common with many such releases. That’s partly because various artists collections in general share some characteristics. Among them is the fact that they are often un-even, that’s clearly true here. When you get into holiday collections, they generally have some other commonalities. One of those is that they generally feature a lot of tunes that are just quickly adapted for Christmas content along with some novelty music amidst their ranks. Both of those things are true here. This one comes from Bear Family Records, though, so that instills a certain level of quality, especially when it comes to packaging. I also like the fact that this doesn’t include the same old tracks that you find on compilation after compilation. Not everything here is great, but I found very little without merit and a lot of it to be a lot of fun.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2025  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2025.

There is a pretty basic rock and roll sound at the heart of this track. The cut is based on “Jingle Bells” in terms of the melody. It’s talking about driving around in a “souped-up Model A.” The saxophone solo is a great touch, and this is a tasty slab of holiday rock and roll. 

This is a classic Christmas rocker, although this is not the version everyone knows. That said, it’s not a big change of pace from that rendition of the track.

More of a doo wop tune, this is okay, but it doesn’t work as well for me as the previous two cuts did. All that said, I do like the piano work on this a lot.

Old school rock and roll and soul seem to merge on this number. The recording has some distortion, but this has a lot of energy and some cool vibes.

Starting with a little acapella rendition of “Jingle Bells” done by female singers, this drives out after that to more straightforward rock and roll.

Here is another classic vintage rock and roller. As with a lot of stuff here, the main holiday link is just the lyrics. This is solid stuff however you slice it, though.

With a bit more of a rockabilly sound at play, this is fun, but not really a standout at all.

This is rock and roll rendition of the classic holiday tune is a nice change from the original. It reminds me a little of Elvis Presley.

I dig the saxophone solo on this a lot. The guitar sound is great, too. The whole track works well. It’s fun from a lyrical point of view, too.

This is a variant, theme wise, on “I Saw Mama Kissin’ Santa Claus.” I dig the rocking guitar on this. The tune has a lot of rockabilly in the mix.

This instrumental cut has plenty of holiday melody amidst the guitar rocking sounds. It’s one of my favorite tunes here, too.

I dig this straight-ahead rock and roller a lot.

This is so much fun. This swinging rocking groove is catchy and really rocks. There are some hints of jazz in the mix, too. This is another highlight of the set.

A bouncy tune, this one doesn’t work all that well for me on either a lyrical or musical level.

This rocker has a lot of rockabilly in the mix. It’s got a good energy and vibe, but is another that doesn’t do it that well for me personally.

The music to this is like the Peter Gunn theme. The vocals are nearly spoken. This is classy and a nice change. I like this one a lot. In fact, it’s one of my favorites here.

Somehow this makes me think of The Waitresses. I’m not saying it sounds like that band, but it does have that sort of garage band vibe to it. This is another standout for me.

Another rock and roll groove, this is fun, but perhaps not a standout.

As you might guess this song includes some car sounds. A police siren is heard at the end, too. This is a fun rock and roller overall.

Here we get a rock and rolling instrumental version of the classic holiday tune. It’s another fun one.

I dig the echoey sound on this a lot. The lyrics are in French. The tune rocks and brings some variety.

Here we get a fun rocking version of the classic tune about our favorite ruby nosed Santa steed. This is a good time, but perhaps not a standout.

Country and bluegrass are merged on this rune that has some hints of rock music, too. I’m not all that crazy about this one.

Full on downhome country music is in the driver’s seat here. This is a stripped back number, and definitely one that I don’t really care for.

This variant on “The Monster Mash” starts with some Christmas music. The lyrics get plenty of holiday references. This is another highlight for me, but I’m all about the spooky season and bringing the spooky to Christmas.