It’s Christmas season and that means it’s time for Christmas music. By the time Christmas gets here, if you hear pa-rum-pa-pum-pum one more time you’re going to break the drummer boy’s sticks. I understand. I’m the same way.

I often tell people I don’t like Christmas music, but that’s not really true. I just tend to enjoy songs that aren’t the traditional Christmas standards -- or at least different versions of those standards. So I am going to share with you a few of my favorite Christmas songs with Macon ties.

Otis Redding’s “Merry Christmas Baby”: This song was a Christmas favorite in my house growing up. However, I had no idea it was an Otis Redding song. My mom was always singing it, though I never actually heard the song until I moved to Georgia. It’s everything you love about Otis Redding. It’s a little up tempo, so it puts you in a good mood. My favorite line is when he tells how Santa came to visit him. “Santa came down the chimney, half past three, y’all. Left all them good ole presents for my baby and for me ...” It’s a classic that I feel we don’t hear enough during this season.

Otis Redding’s “White Christmas”: “White Christmas” is one of those songs that you heard over and over and you probably have already gotten sick of hearing. Well, many times the reason these songs get on your bad side is because they are all so similarly sung. Otis Redding gives just enough twist on this Christmas classic to keep it fresh. He really comes into his own on this song in the second verse as the horns step up to join him.

James Brown’s “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto”: The name alone is enough to make you love the song. However, from the opening notes you know this going to be unlike any other Christmas song you’ve ever heard. As the band does what it does best behind James Brown, and he begins to tell Santa what to leave the kids in the ghetto, it becomes very touching. The best part of this song is that you can’t help but want to dance to it. How many Christmas songs inspire you to dance?

Add these songs to your Christmas playlist to spice things up a bit and the Christmas music won’t seem so bad. Enjoy, and have a merry Christmas.

Contact Roger Riddle at roger.riddle@gmail.com.