Holiday music has a time and a place. Some people define that time and place a little differently, whether that’s the first day of December, the second that Thanksgiving ends, or for some psychos, the first sign of Christmas decorations being sold in department stores (which might as well be in line with the Summer Solstice at this point). No matter when you think it’s appropriate for holidays songs to start creeping into public airwaves, there’s one thing we can all agree on: the same shortlist of “classic” holiday songs gets 99% of the public’s attention. It seems jolly and fun at first, but slowly many people feel mentally tortured by our friends’ playlists, our popular local radio stations, and basically any public place with a speaker playing the exact same holiday songs over and over and over again. It’s a love/hate relationship that, at the very least, many of us need a break from every once in awhile.

You don’t have to succumb to this repetitive torture if you don’t want to. There are alternatives to the run of the mill holiday classics. The following playlist accomplishes just that, providing 40 holiday songs that are likely not familiar to you and yours. Hopefully the songs you like will help you celebrate the season with a little unique musical flavor that you and your loved ones have never experienced before.