Music from the O.C.: Mix 3 - Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah

1	The Christmas Song / The Raveonettes 2:13
2	Last Christmas / Jimmy Eat World 4:27
3	Just Like Christmas / Low 3:07
4	Merry Xmas Everybody / Rooney 3:19
5	Rock of Ages / Ben Kweller 3:17
6	Christmas With You Is the Best / The Long Winters 3:01
7	Christmas Is Going to the Dogs / Eels 2:59
8	Christmas / Leona Naess 3:42
9	Maybe This Christmas / Ron Sexsmith 4:23

Barnes & Noble

Collecting songs played during Season 2's holiday episode, the third installment of music from the Fox TV series The O.C. takes its title from the Cohen family's mixed religious heritage and seasonal celebrations, although all nine tracks here focus on the Christian December holiday. (Perhaps Yo La Tengo weren't available to record a version of "O Chanukah.") The half-hour disc is an excellent alt-rock alternative to the Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby tunes spun at seasonal gatherings every year. Most of the tracks focus on the heartache and loneliness that are as ubiquitous at the holidays as mistletoe: Jimmy Eat World infuse their cover of Wham!'s remembrance of a breakup, "Last Christmas," with an emo-rock punch, while Ron Sexsmith searches for the meaning of the season in the hopeful acoustic ballad "Maybe This Christmas." Elsewhere, O.C. favorites Rooney release their power-pop jones with a cover of Slade's Yuletide original "Merry Christmas Everybody," and the Eels offer up the singsong, mock honky-tonk "Christmas Is Going to the Dogs." Two cuts were recorded specifically for the show: Ben Kweller's solo acoustic rendition of "Rock of Ages" and the Long Winters' original "Christmas with You Is the Best," a moody, disco-accented rock tune that invites listeners to "have a non-traditional, non-denominational celebration." While Have a Very Merry Christmukkah might leave Jewish O.C. fans searching for more menorah-friendly tunes, the disc offers plenty of seasonal strum and hum. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

Boasting one of the most consistent track listings of any of The O.C.'s compilations, The O.C. Mix 3: Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah gathers a soundtrack to the hybrid holiday that Seth Cohen and the rest of his clan celebrate. However, not one of the album's nine songs even mentions Hanukkah, which is a little odd, since the Cohen family's Jewish roots are pretty prominent on the show. As a more or less straight Christmas collection, though, the album works well. More often than not, Christmas songs performed by rock bands just feature some sleigh bells to add some of that Yuletide spirit, but Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah actually has a fairly diverse sound, ranging from Leona Naess' earnestly pretty, mostly acoustic "Christmas" to the cheery power pop of O.C. staple Rooney's "Merry Xmas Everybody." The album also has a wide range of holiday moods, spanning the sardonic, sexy anti-Christmas sentiments of the Long Winters' "Christmas With You Is the Best" to Ben Kweller's reverent "Rock of Ages" and Jimmy Eat World's bittersweet "Last Christmas," which cross-pollinates the holidays and a breakup for maximum emo impact. Other standout tracks include the Raveonettes' "The Christmas Song" (an original, not the Mel Tormé chestnut) and Low's "Just Like Christmas," both of which add some beautifully wintry atmosphere to the set with spacious, Phil Spector-esque productions and artfully restrained use of the aforementioned sleigh bells. Ron Sexsmith's simply lovely "Maybe This Christmas" shows off his effortless way with words and melody, and closes the album on a sweet, hopeful note. Though it should have paid more than just lip service to the concept of Chrismukkah, this collection is nevertheless a strong set of indie-minded holiday music. Heather Phares