Maybe This Christmas Too? (various artists)
AllMusic; Amazon; Discogs; Wikipedia

This came out in 2003, but I didn't get it until 2024, despite wanting to get it for many years. It's the second in a series of albums, but it's the third one I've heard.

1. "Spotlight on Christmas", by Rufus Wainwright: This is a completely unfamiliar song, and it doesn't feel very Christmassy to me. It's got some interesting lyrics, though.

2. "The Winter Song", by Eisley: Another unfamiliar song, and as the title suggests, it's more wintry than Christmassy. But it's pretty.

3. "O Holy Night", by Avril Lavigne & Chantal Kreviazuk: I've always liked this song, and this is a nice rendition. Simple, clean, pretty.

4. "Silent Night", by Lisa Hannigan: This is less than two minutes long. It is not at all the song you expect, aside from the melody. It's a capella. And rather depressing.

5. "Xmas Cake", by Rilo Kiley: This is very depressing, and not Christmassy, for the most part.

6. "¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?", by Guster: This song is barely familiar to me, but I prefer the original. I feel like it should be sung by a child. This isn't bad, but it's over-produced, or something.

7. "Rudy", by The Be Good Tanyas: This is another depressing song, about a homeless man. But at least it's a little Christmassy, and it sounds good. It's sort of a '90s folk rock sound, which sort of puts me in mind of, like, Lilith Fair, or something.

8. "Christmas Song", by Dave Matthews Band: I wouldn't exactly call this Christmassy, but it's about the life of Jesus Christ. And it's kind of depressing, but also kind of hopeful, I guess.

9. "Go Tell It on the Mountain", by Oh Susanna: This is a song that's just a bit familiar to me. This is a country gospel version (which probably most versions are, I guess). It doesn't feel very Christmassy to me, but since it's largely about the birth of Christ, it's often considered a Christmas song. Anyway, it's fine, but not exactly my cup of tea.

10. "Green Christmas", by Barenaked Ladies: Yet another unfamiliar song, but at least this is fairly fun. Some of the lyrics might be a bit depressing, but it still sounds sort of upbeat.

11. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", by Martina Sorbara: I guess I first heard this rendition in 2005, on a Christmas episode of The Dead Zone, and I immediately fell in love with it. It just sounds very sweet and dreamy, to me. It's the song I was most looking forward to getting the album for.

12. "Donna & Blitzen", by Badly Drawn Boy: This is nice. I don't know what else to say, except I'd probably like to listen to it again sometime. And pay more attention to the lyrics.

13. "White Christmas", by The Flaming Lips: I usually like this band, but I don't really like this version of the song. It's too synth-y, or something. And too aurally cluttered and scratchy.

14. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", by Sixpence None the Richer: This is a relatively nice rendition. Sounds like it's got a Spanish guitar in the background. Otherwise it's kind of... typical. I dunno. I like it, though.

Well anyway... most of the songs on the album were unfamiliar to me, a lot of them were depressing, and I'm not sure how to feel about the album as a whole. I liked at least a few of the songs, and in particular "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", which as I said before, was the main reason I wanted to get the album. But a lot of the songs I feel no particular need to ever listen to again.