Even though there’s something sacred about time-honored traditions, there’s only so many years you and your beloveds can sit beside the Christmas tree and listen to Sufjan or “Last Christmas” or the same old yuletide indie rock. It’s time we spruced up our collective Xmas indie rock playlist with some newness! Even if Christmas isn’t your thing, you gotta respect a holiday responsible for this.

We’ve lovingly assembled a small playlist worth of new holiday tracks from artists you might enjoy, and they’re going to sound great to you while you decorate your Solstice tree. Merry downloading!

• AM Taxi – “The Worst Noel” (MP3)
• Blondie – “We Three Kings” (MP3)
• Blood Feathers – “Christmas Will Help You Feel O.K.” (MP3)
• Banjo Or Freakout – “White Christmas” (MP3)
• Findlay Brown – “Last Christmas” (MP3)
• Can – “Silent Night”* (MP3)
• Julian Casablancas – “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” (MP3)
• Amy Gore – “Dear Santa” (MP3)
• Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – “Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects” (MP3)
• Julian Koster – “Let It Snow!” (MP3)
• Lightning Dust – “Ho Ho Ho” (MP3)
• Lindstrøm – “Little Drummer Boy (Edit)” (MP3)
• Lucky Soul – “Lonely This Christmas” (MP3)
• Nellie McKay – The Christmas Waltz” (MP3)
• Ohbijou – “Last Christmas” (MP3)
• Parenthetical Girls – “Thank God It’s Not Christmas” (MP3)
• Lee “Scratch” Perry – “Santa Claus” (MP3)
• Jeff Richardson & Steven Drozd – “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (MP3)
• Slaraffenland – “Little Drummer Boy” (MP3)
• Slow Club – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (MP3)
• Sean Bones – “If You Hear A Knock” (MP3)
• Swearing At Motorists – “Silver Bells” (MP3)
• The Aquabats – “Holiday Road” (MP3)
• The Canon Logic – “Kiss Me On Christmas” (MP3)
• The Magnetic Fields – “Everything Is One Big Christmas Tree” (MP3)

UPDATE:: A late-breaking contender for Indie XMas Jam Of ’09 just arrived. Dee Dee (AKA Stereogum fave Dum Dum Girls) and her pals in BTW Crocodiles holed up in a studio all last night (12/21) to record this catchy, gothy yuletide original. World premiere:

• Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls – “Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don’t Die)” (MP3)

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Sean Bones’s “If You Hear A Knock” comes from the Ear Farm charity holiday abum which is available for $5. Banjo Or Freakout’s track is one of nine songs from a new Xmas LP he put up for free download. Slaraffenland’s launched Eight Days Of Hometapes. And don’t forget the very special recreation of Bob Geldof’s patronizing holiday classic “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” spearheaded by Fucked Up and featuring all of indie rock. It costs, but it’s charitable!

This holiday season we wish happiness and enjoyment to you and your iPod. Good luck, Rage Against The Machine!

And if we missed any new and free and awesome indie XMas jams, shout out in the comments. Or at least tell us if there will ever be an XMas song better than this:

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[John Roderick Santa photo by Laura Musselman via Three Imaginary Girls.]

* Not “new,” yes, but newly free!