"Knee-Deep in the Yuletide" is probably my favorite among my own Christmas songs. I never feel isolated at Christmas anymore, but this songs captures well how I felt when I did, and if it brings comfort and joy to anyone else feeling that way, well, I've fulfilled my mission in life.

I always thought Scrooge got a bit of a bad rap for his refusal to participate in Christmas. Historically, there were a lot of folks like Scrooge. They were, ironically enough, puritans. They didn't recognize Christmas as a Christian holiday because, indeed, it wasn't. It was a Pagan holiday adapted by the church.

And Scrooge did have a point with his comment that it was a "poor excuse for picking my pocket every December 25th," as a business owner. Anyone who's temped can tell you how much those grand old Christmas holidays pick their pockets as well. Okay you get days off, but not payed ones.

So do extend a little Christmas charity to those who want none of it, eh?

The arrangement (standard for me in late 2003) is very bare bones: my bass drone (the Danelectro Longhorn which was new then! In fact, this is the first vH recording upon which it's heard), and my (still) trusty Zoom RT-123 drum machine. There a beat and a regular bass part programmed and that's it, along with the always beloved Presbyterian Mens Choir again.

The stolen riff in this one is the melody hook at the end of each refrain: the "in excelcis deo" part from "Angels We Have Heard on High."