Special: Ranking New Found Glory's "December's Here"

It's been over a year since I've last ranked an album and the last time I did was when NFG's self-titled album turned 20 in September 2020. Now they just recently released their first full length holiday album and since it is the season for Christmas specials on the blog thought this was a wonderful time to rank this. Normally I like to sit with an album longer before doing something like this but hey maybe it'll be a fun thing to go back on next year.

11. Santa Forgive Me

Although most of the tracks on this album are lyrically simple, harkening back to Christmas classics of the past with the guitars taking a back seat to the bass and drums, Santa Forgive Me is arguably the most simple and the least likely to come back to.

10. Christmas Card

Christmas Card just missed the bottom spot as instantly it was one of my least liked tracks on this album with it's repetitive lyrics but ultimately I gave it a nudge up for at least singing about something (finding the perfect Christmas card) that hasn't been done a million times before.

9. For Christmas Sake

The nostalgia is real on the closing track of this album. Harkening back to toys wanted as children of the 80's (He-Man and G.I. Joe among others) shows us the innocence Christmas brings out of people even as adults just simply looking back.

8. Snow

Lyrically Snow is likely one of, if not the strongest track on this record but this slow paced ballad doesn't do enough instrumentally to stand out among the other similar tracks here. It also has not been a favourite of mine being released back in 2014 but still not making it onto a volume of "What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree?" my annual Christmas comp. (shameless plug)

7. Nothing For Christmas

Speaking of my Christmas CD, Nothing For Christmas was featured way back on volume 6 and although it has been mixed slightly different on this album it's still basically the same song so it lands here in the middle of the tracklist ranking.

6. It Never Snows In Florida (Holiday Version)

The oldest song released on this album, the original version was featured on NFG's full length debut back in 1999 as a high octane pop-punk song. For the holidays it's an acoustic jam with jingle bells replacing the drum sounds. Never a big fan of the original this now works as a holiday jam with the new instrumentals.

5. Our First Christmas 

Okay so I may be a bit biased here. Our First Christmas has some of the tropes I complained about near the beginning of this list but my wife and I started dating around Christmas (December 2012) so it's just a bit sentimental to me and ultimately we want songs to make us feel something so that's why it cracks the top 5.

4. December's Here

The last of the pre-released songs is here at #4. December's Here was released last year to advertise the then upcoming NFG Christmas livestream. Again nostalgia plays an import role in talking about watching Home Alone and Elf many times and reciting all the quotes to fully get into the holiday season.

3. Somber Christmas

This track was used to announce the album and they couldn't have picked a better song to do so. The duality handled in the lyrics is equal parts sad (a devastating break-up) and happy (looking back on happy memories) makes you feel all at once.

2. Don't Fight It's Christmas

Don't Fight It's Christmas has the best hooks on this album, likely because it's sonically the closest to a straight up pop song on the record and I simply can not get enough of it. 

1. Holiday Records

Vinyl is all the rage so it's natural to flip through your loved ones vinyl collection to pull out any Christmas records you can wear out to get yourself in the holiday mood. Holiday Records is easily the standout on this album thus far. You can expect to see it on this year "What's A Partridge? What's A Pear Tree?" compilation.