Pain can turn sadness to anger on a dime. The loss of Xmas celebrations opens a void that shrieking can barely edge over. Where you’re mad as noel, and you can’t bake it any more.

Matt Kaye waxes coffee house poetical with harmonica club blues in “After Christmas.” It’s an ugly picture of the later-times. Close your eyes, children!

Hate metal might be the way to go here. “The Day After Christmas” by Call of the Sirens (with didgeridoo solo) takes the time of year to task with a passion.

White Guy rap from Random at Best also packs a bone to pick when “Christmas is Over.” Violence underlined with explosive sfx.

Sometimes the super sincerity of a song oversells the emotion. I mean, bring on the irony of merry Christmas heartbreak–i’ll cover that when we get to the ‘good stuff.’ But the saccharin swamp of wallowing in feels can deepsix a song of merit.

Recycled show tunes from Disney knockoffs sound a lot like The Sylvia Cotton Singers doing “I Can’t Wait for Christmas.” A couple cliches, a soaring vocal, an unhappy child… nope, not really a song.

Synth jazz with a sultry beat smacked against a spaghetti box doesn’t prompt an empathetic response for Michael Jeff’s smoky-throated “Why You Have to Wait ’til Christmas?” Soft pop does not equal hard feelings.

Much improved is Brandi Carlile’s searching, reaching, emotional heartache in “Heartache Can Wait.” The slow, grating folk-pop (now with extra cello) tugs at lonely, empty, fragile heartstrings. Yeah, it goes on and on–with talent and musicality. But, bum, son.

Watered down R+B can be listenable, given the stretch of vocals by the likes of Tommy DeCarlo. But his flirty come-on “I Can’t Wait ’til Christmas Day!” is menaced with more thumping back beat, not to mention bland backup singers.

Melodic rap might sneak one through urban troubles with a metaphor here and a simile there, but KVBA (feat. Con)’s “Wait for Me on Christmas” whinges us through the stumble love of domesticated mundaneness.

Santa’s lap (at the mall) is a metaphor for sex, at times. For the truly twisted.

Joey & Rory juggle the kiddies’ wantings with the adult flirtatiousness of “Come Sit on Santa Claus’s Lap.” It’s country barn pop.

Casdaluchi Ent & Luchi Toons get confusedly, ungrammatically not-quite-growed-up with “Sit on My Lap Like Santa Claus.” The broken music box beat distracts from the weak-sauce double entendres, but the rap is earnest.

You know it’s home for Christmas when the lights are up. It’s the best.

Old Dog Orchestra has some fun garage pop with “2010 Lights,” stirring up all those reminiscences and past loves and stuff back home.

Garage bluegrass (?) from Paul Baribeau hangs out in his childhood basement and gets weird, until he enjoys those “Christmas Lights.” They just might slow that racing rhythm down.

Cashiers ring, are you listenin’? To the charge, that is blisterin’? …bells remind some of us of debt.

The Progress bemoan the lack of change while they’re “Jingle Bell Broke.” (Caution: no actual bells were harmed during these lyrics.) Just solid folk/rock protest against the riches.

“Make It Jingle” equates the timpani with the dolla. Big Freedia queens up this dance number with all the right ringing: car keys, bracelets, you know–it’s not all bells.

Let’s take destitution down a notch and get racial wit’ y’all. Socio-economic conditions in the hood bein’ what they are, don’t get your Xmas hopes up.

Paco Gzz BLUE ALERT raps up a storm about the imbalance of his broken home. “No Christmas” may be too real for some, too angry for others. Get over it.

Big Mista adds a bit more party ‘cool’ to his “No Christmas” rap. It’s a journey from NO Xmas to Xmas evee day. Yo. He’s allowing his rapper fame to inform on his dichotomy. Unpack dat, bitch.

The unhappiest may not rejoice when the 25th rolls around. Get thee to the Ghetto and experience the lack of the black.

Harmonizing a lovely hymnal background The Realest YK rap out the message of the not-have in “Christmas Missed Us.” Spookily spiritual.

From the bad block Jae Tipps (BLUE ALERT) raps “Cancelled Christmas” as testimonial to the times. Poverty preach!

Wally Tusk has a cool Bandcamp folk stumble-growl about how no money means “No Christmas.” Brace yourself for the pain.