"Xmas'd Up Again" is a continuation/tribute to the Jethro Tull Christmas song tradition of highlighting the importance of strong drink to the yuletide celebration. "Messed up" being an east coast term of the 80s for getting drunk or whatever. For a while I kept going back and forth on how to spell the song title: "Xmas'd" or "Xmessed" or "Chrismessed" or...? I settled on "Xmas'd," but you still may find it spelled some other way in my collection of literature.
I myself have never been much for drinking or drugging, so I don't have a lot of emotional investment in the lyrics of this one beyond the fun plays on words, ("Three ships to the wind" or especially "making a list, but I'm still standing".)
This was the first song worked out of what would be a total of seven recorded with the outstanding drummer, Eric Olsen.
With almost no notice, I picked him and his drum kit up (he had no car), drove to the conference room at Multnomah County TV, set up and recorded til time ran out.
Then, later, at my leisure, I added the high guitar track, creating such beloved classics as "Gone for the Day," and "Impatience."
Adding the riff from "The First Noel" onto "Xmas'd Up Again" I've always been particularly proud of. If you don't recognize it, it's the "...born is the ki-ing of I-is-ra-el..." part.
A day or two later we all went into the tv studio to tape the 2nd Christmas show, "I Saw Daddy Cursing Santa Claus," and Eric was there with his kit and some eyeball specs, faking along. My son, Little vonHummer Jr., II. was there, too, faking guitar and goofing around and it's a great memory to look back on.