Christmas With the Beach Boys Sure Feels Festive

I love close harmony, as anyone might guess from a glance at my favorite bands. Simon and Garfunkel, Peter Paul and Mary, the Beatles and Celtic Thunder are among the groups whose exquisite harmonizing has most impressed me. But perhaps no band is more synonymous with harmony than the Beach Boys. While they don’t boast the most contemplative lyrics in the biz, the attention to sonic detail is impeccable, and listening to them is generally a joyful experience for me.

I’ve heard four or five of their Christmas songs on the radio, so it didn’t come as a surprise to me that the Beach Boys had a Christmas album. However, my eyes popped a bit when I saw that there were 25 tracks. The album length wasn’t as unwieldy as one would think with so many songs, since so many of them come in at under two minutes. Still, it’s an impressive collection, and one in which almost every song bears the distinct Beach Boys stamp. Additionally, in the liner notes, Anthony DeCurtis includes a warm two-page introduction and comments on the individual tracks, giving lots of interesting history on how these songs came about. That’s the icing on this delectable Christmas cake, sure to fascinate anyone interested in this era of music. He even makes a convincing case for “Christmas comes this time each year” not being one of the dumbest lines in all of seasonal music.

I listened to this directly after the abhorrent Christmastime in Larryland by Larry the Cable Guy. While that album left me feeling cranky, the Beach Boys soon returned my good humor. I’m still smiling.

1. Little Saint Nick - This song from 1963 features the trademark Beach Boys harmony and fits in with their many tunes about super-snazzy cars. In this case, it just happens to be a sled instead. First heard this one by the Muppets; the peppy novelty nature of the song makes it a good fit for the Electric Mayhem. The most famous of the four versions found on this album. “Just a little bobsled, we call it ol' Saint Nick / But she'll walk a tobogan with a four speed stick / She's ol' candy apple red with a ski for a wheel / And when Santa hits the gas, man, just watch her peel.”

2. The Man With All the Toys - A follow-up to Little Saint Nick, this one is goofy, imagining someone stumbling on Santa’s humble workshop. I like the instrumental backing, which reminds me of Mrs. Crandall’s Boardinghouse from the Irish Rovers’ Tales to Warm Your Mind. The “Bop!”s that explode in the background like kernels of microwave popcorn are a tad off-putting, though. “Someone found a lighted house late one night / And he saw through the window a sight: / A big man in a chair / And little tiny men everywhere. / He's the man with all the toys.”

3. Santa's Beard - I had never heard this song before. It’s extremely peppy and full of fantastic harmonies that capture the nervous pre-Christmas excitement of a young child. It’s a sweet and funny song about a boy taking his little brother to see a department store Santa. To his consternation, Little Brother is savvy and knows a fake when he sees one, but Big Brother has an explanation... A really fun song, and probably my favorite on the album. “He said, ‘Is that (that Santa) really Santa Claus, / really really (the real Santa) Santa Claus? / Is that (that Santa) really Santa Claus, really really Santa? / (I hope he doesn't pull Santa's beard...)”

4. Merry Christmas, Baby - This one was also unfamiliar to me. A man who has ruined his relationship through infidelity begs to make amends (“if just for Christmas“). I couldn’t help thinking of Tiger Woods when I heard this one, which has a fifties-ish feel to it, reminding me particularly of Paul Simon‘s peppy Lone Teen Ranger (recorded as Jerry Landis). “I’ve made my mistake but I’m willing to wake up and never mess around anymore.”

5. Christmas Day - This one sounds rather familiar to me, but that might just be because the tune is similar to The Man With All the Toys, though the tone is mellower. A nice song, aside from some weird syntax and a really cheesy organ that gets a solo near the end. “The Christmas spirit grows with each new day / And it's so close but seems so far away / And yet it comes only once a year / And 'fore you know it, it's already here...”

6. Frosty the Snowman - This is one that pops up on the radio now and then, and it’s one of the more enjoyable renditions of the wintertime classic.

7. We Three Kings of Orient Are - The first six tracks are so bouncy, this one is a bit of a shock to the system, as it plods along like a funeral march. It’s lovely, especially the second verse, with its minor tone, close harmony and inclusion of bells; I just kept expecting them to suddenly speed things up. The third verse fluctuates the most in terms of tempo and is almost fast-paced at times, while the woodwinds in the background are reminiscent of birdsong. Much longer than most of the tracks on the album.

8. Blue Christmas - Another slower song, this melancholy number is sung entirely by Brian, which is an oddity for the group. It’s symbolically appropriate; in a group characterized by harmony, a whole song featuring only one vocalist sounds very lonely indeed.

9. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - I always cringe a little when this one comes on the radio, with its irritating little circus riff that comes in at the end of every other line. I get it; Santa’s yearly visit is the Greatest Show on Earth. But boy, does that get on my nerves. I don’t mind the brass band so much, but incorporating Pop! Goes the Weasel kinda grates on me too.

10. White Christmas - A fairly slow-paced song, this is a nice, nostalgic-sounding version, particularly with the harp and flutes in the background.

11. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Very much in keeping with the previous track in terms of tone, pace and instrumentation, to the point that the two might have worked as a medley.

12. Auld Lang Syne - A totally a cappella rendition of the Robert Burns New Year’s greeting. Dennis comes in with a cheery Christmas greeting, complete with a slight slip of the tongue. The singing is flawless, however.

13. Little Saint Nick - Pretty much the same as the first track, but including some very festive-sounding glockenspiel and sleigh bells (both of which, incidentally, I played in my high school orchestra).

14. Auld Lang Syne - Another version of track 12, with more drawn-out notes and no talking.

15. Little Saint Nick - A very different version of the first track. It’s weird to hear this one, which, as the liner notes indicate, is sung over the track of the song Drive-In. The suggestion is that the Beach Boys were just goofing around when they recorded this one, and that seems likely to me. Doesn’t sound like something really intended for public release. But it’s amusing to hear.

16. Child of Winter (Christmas Song) - A fun track that recounts all the warm feelings Christmas brings about. Peppy, with instruments like sleigh bells and a kazoo, and much of the song is taken up with a rendition of Here Comes Santa Claus. DeCurtis mentions that this came out during a fairly lengthy stretch between albums in the 1970s and that most fans missed it because the single was released only two days before Christmas, leading many stores to snub it altogether. What a shame! “A child of Christmas / A child of snow / A wonderful feeling / Underneath the mistletoe / And may your Christmas / Last all year / With laughter of children / Peace and cheer.”

17. Santa's Got an Airplane - This previously unreleased track is along the same lines as Little Saint Nick, as it’s an ode to Santa’s mode of transportation, only this time it’s a plane instead of a souped-up sled. This one gave me a bit of vertigo as the sound toward the end kept traveling from one headphone to the other, but otherwise I like it. The low-voiced “loop de loop flip flop”s are especially fun.

18. Winter Symphony - This previously unreleased song reminds me a lot of Old-Fashioned Love Song melodically. A nice series of wintry images augmented by the distinctive piccolo trumpet and French horn, which not only provide backing but also get an extended instrumental portion to themselves. “Winter symphony / Snowflake fantasy / Warms my heart like a tropic sea...”

19. (I Saw Santa) Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Also previously unreleased, this song begins with a conversation in verse by Matt and Adam, the young children of Alan Jardine, and it continues to thread its way through the song. Six other Beach Boy kids chime in with them on the backing vocals on this cute song inspired by I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. This kid seems to be wise to just who is under that Santa suit. A very sweet, family-flavored recording, though the ending feels a bit inconclusive. “I saw Momma kissin’ Santa ’neath the mistletoe / Yeah, and he looked like someone I thought you oughtta know.”

20. Melekalikimaka - This previously unreleased song isn’t a cover of the Bing Crosby tune like I thought it would be; rather, it’s an original number that incorporates sleigh bells and lots of appealingly goofy lyrics like “Melekalikimaka / is ‘merry Christmas’ in Hawaii talk-a” from these guys who so love singing about surfing. A reworked version of Kona Coast. “I wanna spend Christmas where I dig it the most, in Hawaii...”

21. Bells of Christmas - Another previously unreleased track, Alan has lead vocals on this song that is a Christmas version of Belles of Paris. It’s mostly him, with some backing vocals from the rest of the band, up until the end, when the harmonizing takes over. Naturally, it features bells prominently and fits in rather well with such songs as Snoopy’s Christmas and Bells Over Belfast. The most reverent-sounding track since We Three Kings. “The bells of Christmas go ring-a-ling-ling / They toll for the savior and the peace he'll bring / And little children everywhere are caroling / 'Cause the presence of the Lord makes their spirits sing.”

22. Morning Christmas - Yet another previously unreleased track, the last of them on the album, and the last of the actual songs. A very slow, solemn-sounding song backed by piano, with a swifter orchestral portion that closes out the track. Some odd, very distinctive-sounding instrumentals that odd to the somber tone. “Holy holy / Halo glowing / Candle burning / Christmas evening...”

23. Toy Drive Public Service Announcement - It’s Little Saint Nick yet again, but in disguise, with the Beach Boys delivering a PSA to the tune of their most famous Christmas song encouraging people to drop off their toys for needy youngsters at Crystal Ship record stores. It’s a worthy cause, but it makes me giggle to hear these new lyrics, which sound pretty silly. “Ooooh, merry Christmas, children! (Bring your toys to Crystal Ship...)”

24. Dennis Wilson Christmas Message - Just a short spoken toy drive message over a bit of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.

25. Brian Wilson Christmas Interview - There’s no singing on this track; it’s just Brian Wilson being interviewed about the Beach Boys’ Christmas album in 1964. He comes across as pretty shy, but he provides some interesting insights, such as the fact that one side of the album was supposed to reflect their signature sound and the other, with its traditional tunes, was meant more for older listeners.

Young or old, if you’ve ever turned up the volume when the Beach Boys came on the radio, you’ve gotta check out this extensive collection of Christmas music. I had no idea how many holiday songs they recorded, and some of the best were never released, so even if you’re more well-versed than me in their music, you’re likely to find something new here too. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to find this album, but now that I have, I’m happy to list Christmas With the Beach Boys among my favorites.