2014 Christmas Countdown Song: The Christmas Song by Weezer and Christmastime by The Smashing Pumpkins

A little bit of cheating on this Thursday as I post two songs for the price of one.

By age, I am technically a child of the 1980s.

Musically, though, my taste tends to veer towards the early 1990s, particularly the alternative music scene. Or at least, what was called "alternative" although I tend to view that label with a bit more disdain as I get older and songs by some of these artists are showing up on classic rock stations.

I count Weezer among my all-time favorite bands. I consider myself fortunate enough to have seen them at two different phases of my life. The first time I saw them live they played the Blue Note in Columbia, Missouri Novemer 1996. This was in support of Pinkerton, an album that I thought was great when I first heard it and that some critics derided at the time. Rolling Stone in particular was harsh (although it received a much more favorable review with some distance).

The second time I saw them was just a couple of years ago out here during the summer of 2011 (I want to say). It was at the pool at Red Rock Resort, and the most memorable thing I recall from the concert was Rivers Cuomo jumping into the pool at one point.

So choosing this song was a no brainer for me.

I have never seen The Smashing Pumpkins live. I've wanted to, but could never get things together to go attend a concert of theirs. So I've had to settle for making multiple mix CDs for my car and multiple playlists to go on my iPod.

But this gentle Christmas song, with its omnipresent jingle bells and harmonized chorus reminds me that even though the band is known for grinding guitars and Billy Corgan's raspy whine, they could also turn out gentle ballads that strike the right emotional chords.