We asked readers to share their favourite schmaltz-free festive hidden gems. Here, from Shane MacGowan’s other
Christmas classic to goth metallers Type O Negative, we compile the best tips
![Observer readers’ alternative Christmas playlist](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5633230de0b248a7300f4af902108dcfce22590e/0_2_2560_1536/master/2560.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdG8tZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=e4e53899a3db0b6f3066ee964ceccedf)
Everyone knows and loves his Fairytale of
New York with the Pogues, but this melancholic classic slipped under the radar in 1996. It has a bit of sentimentality, such as the line where he accepts that he is a drunk loser but that his son has a future. And being a Shane MacGowan track, it is delivered in his usual droll, half-cut style.Rob McSporran, Bristol