The holidays are by far my favorite time of the year with respect to aesthetic. The dark, short days contrast the inviting light of the fireplace. A steaming mug of hot chocolate combats the nose-biting cold of the frigid winter air. The shimmering of tree ornaments stands out against the subdued colors of the world outside. And the hush of the snow-muffled earth makes the sound of music as you retreat inside all the more invigorating.

But what should you listen to this holiday season? Of course, there are the classics, but there is a vast library of great Christmas tunes that don’t get nearly as much radio play. For example:

1. Christmas With Weezer

"Christmas With Weezer" is the perfect EP for the angsty, yet festive soul. Featuring classic crunchy Weezer guitars, chugging drums, and Rivers Cuomo’s iconic voice, the album makes you feel like you’re in the Pinkerton album art. Weezer covers well-known songs like “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” and “The First Noel,” giving them that Weezer touch.

2. Indie Christmas

If your Christmas tree is topped by a beanie and lensless glasses rather than a star, Spotify’s Indie Christmas playlist might be for you. A few personal favorites include the bird and the bee’s rendition of “Carol Of The Bells,” Eels’ “Christmas Is Going To The Dogs,” The Crookes’ “You Bring The Snow,” Snow Patrol’s “When I Get Home for Christmas,” and Phoenix’s “Alone On Christmas Day” (featuring Bill Murray). Part chill, part rocking, all indie, Spotify’s Indie Playlist is soup for the musically-deviant soul.

3. Rock Christmas

The holidays provide plenty of sound for the angsty. Plenty of big-name rock (and, looking down the list, punk rock) bands have chipped in over the years, whether the songs were made as an ironic middle-finger to the capitalist nature of today’s holidays, a distraught ode to a lost lover during the most loving time of the year, or simply to fill a punk-rock-shaped hole in the repertoire of holiday classics. Spotify’s Rock Christmas playlist has it all, some favorites of mine being, Sleeping With Sirens’ “Christmas on the Road,” Jimmy Eat World’s cover of “Last Christmas” (an overlap with the Indie playlist), and Pearl Jam’s “Let Me Sleep.” The playlist also contains what is quite possibly the greatest Christmas song ever, which is “Happy Holidays, You Bastard” by blink-182. Just a warning: the EXPLICIT tag fits it comfortably.

4. Christmas Peaceful Piano

If you prefer to spend your Christmases puffing an ornately-carved pipe, admiring the various chandeliers around your home, reflecting about the true meaning of Christmas, or falling asleep while pretending to do those things, then this playlist is perfect for you. In the minutes it took me to write this paragraph, the playlist raised my IQ by 3.

5. The Midnight Riders

The Midnight Riders are a fictional band featured in Valve’s co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead 2. The reason I included them in this article is their Christmas single “All I Want For Christmas (is to kick your ass)." About the making of the song, the video's description reads:

“In 1987, the Midnight Riders were asked to participate in a children's charity Christmas album with their rock peers. The Riders refused. In a 1993 Guitar God Magazine article, Dusty explained: ‘Givin' kids charity just makes 'em weak, man. Teach a kid to fish, he can eat fish his whole life. Teach a kid NOT to fish, he starves to death. Where I come from that's murder, Homes.’ A few years later, the Riders grudgingly agreed to participate in a 1998 Christmas album in exchange for not having to do 30,000 hours of community service. ‘All I Want For Christmas is to Kick Your Ass’ was written, recorded and mailed in less than one hour.”

This song is perfect if you prefer a particularly abrasive, obnoxious version of holiday cheer. More funny than it is good, the Riders’ song is a clever way to introduce someone into a pretty great shoot-em-up from a pretty great game developer.

6. Christmas Classics

I know I specifically said this article was for alternatives to the classics, but there’s a reason they’re classic. They’re here. You can listen to them. They’re the star atop the Christmas aesthetic tree.