HARK! – The Holiday Music Podcast

Episode 415: Our Podcast Got Run Over By Grand Run Over Reindeer

harkpodcast August 5, 2026 No Comments

Like a werewolf helplessly transforming into its beastial form, our podcast once again becomes all Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, all August long! Come howl along with us as we listen to two tales of revenge. “Grandpa Got Revenge On a Reindeer” by Luke McKinney gets a lot of respect, even if it’s moreso for the things it’s not rather than the thing it is. Then “Grandpa Run Over the Reindeer” by Christmas Workshop Band offers a more opaque vision of the GGROBAR universe.

The ranking music this episode is, of course, “Everything Sucks” by Reel Big Fish.

Episode 414: July, temporarily

harkpodcast July 22, 2026 No Comments

We’re BACK… and this time? It’s BIRTHONAL.

In other words, it’s Ian’s Birthday Boy’s Choice! He curates a romantic indie music Christmas in July for us with “December, forever” by Big Society, followed by “This Sky” by perennial Hark favorites, Christmas Aguilera. What a sweetie!!

The ranking music in this episode is “Christmas in the Room” by Sufjan Stevens.

Episode 413: Christmas in Ju(ne)(ly)

harkpodcast June 24, 2026 No Comments

Since we’ll be away from the podcast until July 22, we’ve got some songs specifically to hold you over until then! For the rest of the month, we hope that “Christmas in June” by AJR will satisfy your holiday music appetite – hopefully more than its protagonist satisfied his partner, hey-oh!! And then to help you get through next month, we get more heartfelt (and also gay) (and also Grinch) with “Christmas in July” by Alex the Astronaut.

The ranking music in this episode is “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, I guess!!

Episode 412: Three Lions and a Plesiosaur

harkpodcast June 10, 2026 No Comments

Despite our best efforts, the World Cup is happening again, and it’s happening here. Though we were able to put it off for 400+ episodes, it’s finally time for us to do some winter holiday songs about the so-called beautiful game. Ian, in particular, has a lot of say. First up, we hear “Three Lions (It’s Coming Home for Christmas)” by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds, a 2022 holiday version of their 1996 hit. Then it’s “Star of Lisbon” by Celtic FC (I guess), a holiday song that is, in a rare event on our show, not really about the holidays and ALSO just barely a song.

The ranking music in this episode is the theme to “Taskmaster” as performed by David Baddiel.

Episode 411: Pride Intensifies

harkpodcast May 27, 2026 No Comments

It’s almost Pride Month and we’re getting ready with some queer (or at least queer-adjacent) holiday songs! By request, we’re listening to Girl in Red’s “Two Queens in a King Sized Bed”, a Christmas song featuring sapphic love and potential body horror, followed by “Happy Hanukkah (Will We Still Be Friends)” by Philip Labes, a Hanukkah song featuring theatre kids and a brief digression into Clinton-era political policy.

The ranking music in this episode is “Cool for the Summer” by Demi Lovato.

Thank you to Jolene for these requests!

Episode 410: The Five Stages of Travel

harkpodcast May 12, 2026 No Comments

Since we’re away this week, we pre-recorded this episode! Appropriately, the theme of the requested songs is travel, and in particular, travel gone wrong at the holidays. Or maybe just being stuck in a place during Christmas? But not like a place-place, like, a liminal place. Airports, ships at sea, that kind of thing. Which is to say: exactly and exclusively like those two things. “Christmas at the Airport” by Nick Lowe is a light little tune about spending a holy night trapped in one of the earth’s least sacred places. “Christmas at Sea” offers a more profound sentiment, performed by Sting and Mary Macmaster.

The ranking music in this episode is “Watermark” by The Weakerthans.

Thank you and congratulations to Andy for this request and on the marriage, respectively!

Episode 409: Maypole Sitta

harkpodcast April 29, 2026 No Comments

In honour of International Workers’ Day on May 1st, we’re listening to two songs about the plight of those who have to work on Christmas Day. First up is an epic song about an achingly mundane world. Specifically, Seattle in the 1990s: it’s “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)” by Harvey Danger. Then we earn some overtime with Modern Modem’s retail-centric “Working on Christmas”.

The ranking music in this episode is “Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger.

Episode 408: Dashing Through the Weed

harkpodcast April 15, 2026 No Comments

It’s April, all. And I know you depend on us, annually, to deliver only the best winter holiday songs about marijuana. Well, good news: we have not let you down. So grab some cookies, sit back, relax, and partake with us in “Cookie Doe” by Sly Til I Die featuring Woe and “Smoked Out Santa” by Big Freedia.

The ranking music in this episode is “Make It Jingle” by Big Freedia.

Episode 407: Death and the Opposite of Death

harkpodcast April 1, 2026 No Comments

Just in time for Easter, we’re covering two Christmas songs that are, uh, maybe kind of appropriate? The first song is about death, but also kind of about everlasting life: “I’m Spending Christmas with Jesus This Year” by Brenda Ontko Boulton. The second song is about… well, birth on one level, and condoms on a much more literal level. It’s “Condoms for Christmas” by Milo Bobbins and the Budget Boys.

The ranking music in this episode “Christmas Song” by the Dave Matthews Band, which is famously, an Easter song.

Thank you to CJ for requesting both songs featured in this episode!

Episode 406: Linguistic Noodles

harkpodcast March 18, 2026 No Comments

As the vernal equinox approaches in our hemisphere, we are saying goodbye to winter with two snow-themed songs! First, by listener request, we hear “50 Words for Snow” by Kate Bush — a real arthouse-film of a song, complete with a beloved celebrity there to impart gravitas. We pair it with “Snobows” by Stan Beard and the Swinging Strings, which we are disappointed to report is NOT about the elbows of snowpeople.

The ranking music in this episode is “December Will Be Magic Again” by Kate Bush.

Thank you to merikus for the request!