History Main / AntiChristmasSong

* "Christmas Wrapping" (1981) by The Waitresses, though the humbug attitude turns around a little by the end. The singer does say "Bah, humbug" is too strong because Christmas ''is'' her favorite holiday. She's just wiped out from the year and wants a quiet Christmas by herself.

** Even in revised form, the song still contained the suicide-inducing line, "Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow", so Music/FrankSinatra later had the lyrics modified even further (to the now-familiar "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough") for his 1957 recording.

* Oscar the Grouch of ''Series/SesameStreet'' had a song called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3Cdqx1qFX8 "I Hate Christmas"]], which he sang in the special ''Series/ChristmasEveOnSesameStreet'' (1978).

* Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer: Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas" (1974) is a bitter, cynical tune about finding that the pomp and myth of Christmas never lives up to the promise. It shifts back to a (somewhat) hopeful note at the end, though. Something of a BrokenAesop because it's now as much of a Christmas standard in British shopping malls as Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody". The video has its own variation on the idea, as it's mostly innocuous shots of Lake singing the song in the Sinai desert, but then it suddenly shifts to war stock footage for the final instrumental bridge, but retains the hopeful note by ending with a soldier reuniting with his young son.

* Music/EmersonLakeAndPalmer: Greg Lake's "I Believe in Father Christmas" (1974) is a bitter, cynical tune about finding that the pomp and myth of Christmas never lives up to the promise. It shifts back to a (somewhat) hopeful note at the end, though. Something of a BrokenAesop because it's now as much of a Christmas standard in British shopping malls as Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody".

* "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by Music/JohnLennon and Music/YokoOno, from 1971, plays with this a bit; it's not strictly speaking ''Anti'' Christmas since the singer is wishing the listener a sincere Merry Christmas -- however, the song is also nevertheless taking pains to remind them that the world is far from perfect, there's still a lot of war, misery and fear out there, and that the new year is an opportunity to make things better for next Christmas.

** This song is a subject of IsntItIronic in some non-English speaking countries, as it's played during Christmas season in shopping centers, unknowing that the song is rather depressing, the LyricalDissonance doesn't help.

** Finally, there's "Feast of Lights" (1999), which could easily be called "We Just Go Nuts At Hanukkah".

* Music/TheEverlyBrothers' "Christmas Eve Can Kill You" (1971), about a lonely and miserable hitchhiker on Christmas Eve.

* There's a 1989 Creator/RhinoRecords compilation of anti-Christmas songs, ''Bummed Out Christmas'', featuring songs ranging from goofy novelties to serious songs (The Staple Singers' "Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas"), plus ''two'' songs about spending Christmas behind bars, and another serious contender for most depressing Christmas song ever, Music/TheEverlyBrothers' "Christmas Eve Can Kill You."

** "[[Music/PolkaParty Christmas at Ground Zero]]" (1986) is a Christmas carol about nuclear apocalypse. According to Creator/DrDemento, Weird Al wrote it when his record label [[ContractualObligationProject pushed him to do a Christmas song]]. He [[ExiledFromContinuity no longer sings it]] [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents out of respect for 9/11]].[[note]]When Al released the song, "ground zero" meant the epicenter of a nuclear explosion, but the term was widely co-opted to mean the ruins of the World Trade Center after 9/11.[[/note]]

It doesn't really feel like Christmas at all\\

* The 1951 Creator/BobHope movie ''The Lemon Drop Kid'' not only introduced the world to the holiday classic "Silver Bells", but also a parody version performed by William Frawley (yep, [[Series/ILoveLucy Fred Mertz]] himself) as an ill-tempered sidewalk Santa collecting charitable donations:

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t039p6xqutU Christmas at Ground Zero]]" (1986) is a Christmas carol about nuclear apocalypse. According to Creator/DrDemento, Weird Al wrote it when his record label [[ContractualObligationProject pushed him to do a Christmas song]]. He [[ExiledFromContinuity no longer sings it]] [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents out of respect for 9/11]].[[note]]When Al released the song, "ground zero" meant the epicenter of a nuclear explosion, but the term was widely co-opted to mean the ruins of the World Trade Center after 9/11.[[/note]]

** "The Night Santa Went Crazy" (1994), is a bit less ''Anti''-Christmas and more of a goofy, if dark, parody of Santa himself. Santa Claus loses his mind and [[GoingPostal goes on a murderous rampage]] through the North Pole, killing most of the elves and reindeer. The album version has Santa arrested and locked up for seven centuries. The "Extra Gory" version, released as a single much later, has Santa [[BoomHeadshot killed]] by a member of the SWAT team, and with Christmas gone for good.

* Music/JoniMitchell's "River", from her album ''[[Music/BlueJoniMitchellAlbum Blue]]'' (1971), is the tearjerker version of this: it's Christmas and everyone's happy, except the singer, who had an awful breakup and just wants it all to go away.

* One {{Pantomime}}'s ''Literature/{{Aladdin}}'' had the BigBad sing "Children Roasting on an Open Fire"

* ''Theatre/SongsForANewWorld'' by Creator/JasonRobertBrown has "Surabaya Santa" in which Mrs. Claus is tired of being alone on Christmas and generally being ignored the rest of the time - so she decides to walk out on him, but not before giving him a piece of her mind. It's majorly hilarious.

* ''Series/AScareAtBedtime'' had Fester and Ailin sing ''There's A Dead Man Up The Chimney'' about them shooting Santa after mistaking him for a burglar.

** The 1993 ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E21SantaClaus Santa Claus]]'' episode features "Whispering Christmas Warrior" and "[[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad Merry Christmas, If That's Okay]]".

** "Song for Winter's Night" (1967) isn't a Christmas song per se, but artists like Blue Rodeo and Music/SarahMcLachlan have covered it on Christmas albums, even though the song is about pining for a distant loved one on a dark and cold winter night and has no festive aspects whatsoever (save for the SnowySleighBells that punctuate Lightfoot's original recording).

* Music/GordonLightfoot's "Song for Winter's Night" (1967) isn't a Christmas song per se, but artists like Blue Rodeo and Music/SarahMcLachlan have covered it on Christmas albums, even though the song is about pining for a distant loved one on a dark and cold winter night and has no festive aspects whatsoever.

* Music/GordonLightfoot's "Circle of Steel" (1974) depicts a poor welfare mother whose husband or boyfriend is in prison, and who spends her Christmas sitting alone in a rat-infested tenement, drinking gin and waiting for the authorities to take custody of her newborn child.

* Music/{{Coldplay}}'s "Christmas Lights" (2010): The speaker breaks up with his girlfriend after they have a huge fight on Christmas Eve, and he spends the night depressed, unable to join in with the joyful revelers on the streets. But it still manages to end on an upbeat note, as the sight of the Christmas lights lifts his spirits and gives him hope that he'll be able to move on.

[[TitleDrop Do they know it's Christmastime at all?]]

* Band-Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (1984) is frighteningly depressing. Note that the song was written for a fundraiser to buy food for the people in that 'world of dread and fear' (A section of Africa suffering severe drought) that Christmas. The real tragedy lies in the fact that [[WhatAnIdiot they forgot to organize a distribution network in Africa]] to deliver the food, so most of it ended up spoiling on the docks.

* Yogi Yorgesson's "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" (1949). The narration in the middle describes a [[SerialEscalation serially escalating]] quarrel-dispute-fight between the singer's side of the extended family and his wife's side. The middle gives us this gem that can't be unheard:

** There's also the unreleased 1987 single "We Just Go Nuts at Christmastime", all about trying (and failing) to avoid arguing with relatives.

** Finally, there's "Feast of Lights" (1999), best described as "We Just Go Nuts At Christmastime" for Jewish people.
*** The aforementioned song should not be confused with "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" (1949) by Yorgi Yorgensson, another song about arguing relatives, this one with a Swedish accent.