There are two undeniable facts about Christmas music. First, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a work of unexplainable prodigy. Second, Christmas music is the second-best genre of music of all time (sorry folks, but the '90s-style "rap-rock" takes the crown for best music genre ever).

While there are always the traditional tunes for Christmas, here is a look at some alternative holiday tunes that you might not hear playing in every single mall in America for a third of the year.

Animal Collective - "Winter Wonder Land"

The original "Winter Wonderland" was written by some guy who was born in 1897. This is a whole new song. Animal Collective released its album this year. Get with it, people.

Radiohead - "Fake Plastic Trees"Nothing says "holiday break" like laziness. With a plastic tree, you have no sap on the fingers, no twigs lying around for your dog to eat, no lines at the "real tree store" and no scratches on the roof of your car. With a plastic tree, you might have no soul as well, but it's all good.

Notorious B.I.G. - "Gimme the Loot"

Presents are awesome. So is gangsta rap.

Cold War Kids - "Red Wine, Success!"

Christmas is an excellent reason to get drunk off of red wine, as long as you're not at church where "red wine" means "Jesus' blood."

The Beatles - "Eight Days a Week"

So it turns out there aren't that many popular Hanukkah songs aside from, you know, "The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler. But there are eight days of Hanukkah, and the Beatles ain't got nothin' but love eight days a week. Coincidence? No.

Eels - "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas"

This is a pretty obvious one. And you can always hold Eels accountable for lying to you if everything, in fact, isn't cool this Christmas.

The Flaming Lips - "Christmas at the Zoo"

The lyrics are about attempting to free animals at the zoo on Christmas Eve and the animals replying back with "Thanks but no thanks, man." The members of the Flaming Lips do a lot of acid. Allegedly.

Sufjan Stevens - "Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!"

I'm not sure what the elf dance is, or how exactly one boogeys to it, but I am 99 percent sure that it involves a lot of the aforementioned red wine.

Wilco - "Jesus, Etc."

The title is a possible answer to the question "Uhh... wait, what is Christmas about again?"

Weezer - "Undone (The Sweater Song)"

As opposed to the genius words of Young Jeezy ("Another day, another dolla"), this Christmas, you might be saying "Another year, another ugly knit sweater from Granny."

The Fiery Furnaces -- "Tropical Iceland"

I'd love to be spending Christmas in a tropical icy land. Instead, I'll be in good ol' Philadelphia this December, also known as the opposite of tropical.