This compilation has a lot of fun Christmas folk-pop, like the instrumental "Senor Santa El Es el Monstruo" by Atomic 7 and, even more fun, the damaged pop of such gems from It's a Team Mint Xmas, Vol. 1 as "I Wanna Kiss You This Christmas" by David Carswell and Megan Barnes, and "Who Are You?" from the Evaporators.

However, the real rum in the eggnog here is that this compendium is a stocking stuffed with spiteful little ditties about the dark side of the holidays, loathing the very season itself and wanting to do something else. If, like me, you would rather skip Christmas this year, feel the empathy in "Daddy's Drinking Up Our Christmas" (John Guliak covering Commander Cody), "Santa Claus Likes Rich Kids Better" (Young & Sexy), "X-mas is Past" (The Tennessee Twin), "Lonely Christmas" (The Smugglers) and the deceptively named "The Christmas Song" from Carolyn Mark.

Mint donates $3 from each CD to Stephen Lewis Foundation, which was set up by the United Nation Secretary General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

- Rambles
written by Tom Schulte
published 18 December 2004