Nothing is quite as controversial as Christmas music.

One person’s favorite could be the fly in another’s figgy pudding. Classics like Sir Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” are as despised as much as they are beloved. Even NewSong’s “Christmas Shoes”—which anyone with working ears would think is universally abhorred—must have some fans because why the hell else would they be playing it all the time?

But buried deep in the piles of songs that we pull out for one month, there are hidden some tracks that either transcend the season or aren’t Christmas songs at all.

“Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues

Let’s start things off with a fight.

In the last few years, I’ve seen more and more people claim “Fairytale of New York” as the best Christmas song ever writ. And I’ll maybe break my own premise and admit that yeah, Christmas is pretty heavily featured in the lyrics—it’s featured seven times, in fact.

But Christmas is merely the setting for the immigrant story told by the lyrics. The song could have happened any other time of year and it wouldn’t change much of the story. There’s no Santa, no presents, no Baby Jesus in a manger. “Fairytale of New York” is no more a Christmas song than Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Yeah, that’s right, I said it.

“River” by Joni Mitchell

Where The Pogues made more than a half dozen references to the holiday in their classic, Joni Mitchell made far fewer in her track “River,” which is now a Christmas standard: only two.

And again, it’s merely a mile marker for the time of year. The topic of the song itself, much like the entire album Blue, is about Mitchell’s own insecurities in the face of a breakup. Sure, plenty of people break up around the holidays, but it’s not a necessary tradition, thank God.

“My Favorite Things” by Julie Andrews

Now, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen The Sound of Music so I can’t be sure, but I’m pretty sure that we don’t see the Von Trapps celebrate Christmas while they flee from the Nazis. So why is this dang song on just about every single Christmas station?

Some very quick googling tells me that back when TV networks would play movies on repeat to give their program staff the day off, The Sound of Music had very cheap royalty fees, much like Christmas Story and It’s a Wonderful Life. Eventually, it became a bit of Christmas nostalgia itself, and “My Favorite Things” with it.

“Winter Wonderland”/”Jingle Bells”/”JINGLE BELL ROCK”/”Let it Snow”/”Frosty the Snowman”/

Few things are more synonymous with Christmas than snow.

But there’s a problem. Namely, that Christmas is pretty early into winter, actually. Where I live in Northern Indiana, It’s not unusual to get three months of snow after Christmas. I’ve even been stuck in my fair share of April blizzards. I’ve had just as many white St Patrick’s Days as I’ve had White Christmases.

And in all of the songs listed above, there’s a whole lot of talk about snow, but not a single mention of Christmas—or any winter holiday for that matter. Frosty very well may have been rolled up on President’s Day. Those sleigh rides might be happening mid-March. There’s no reason these songs need to be tied to Christmas.

“Ave Maria”

This famous Carol is sung primarily during the Advent season, which is the one time of year Protestants think about Mary. But the lyrics are primarily taken from Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth in Luke 1, which took place months before Jesus’ birth. And sure, you can argue that the reference to “the fruit of your womb” makes it about Christmas, but Mary deserves more of our attention outside of the holiday season.

“Linus and Lucy” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio

A Charlie Brown Christmas is an indisputable classic, as is its soundtrack, which is filled with indelible Christmas songs like “Christmastime is Here,” “O Tannenbaum,” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” sung by a delightfully off-key children’s choir.

But one song on the soundtrack that isn’t a Christmas song is gol darn “Linus and Lucy.” Sure, it’s in the Christmas special, but it’s also in every other Peanuts cartoon. So why does it keep popping up on Christmas stations? You could pick literally any other song off of the soundtrack.

“White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes weren’t intending to make a Christmas song when they wrote the delightful “White Winter Hymnal” for their 2008 debut record. But that didn’t stop Pentatonix from covering it on a Christmas record, which has led to the track being included on Christmas playlists all over.

Much like we’ve already discussed concerning “Jingle Bells” and its ilk, “White Winter Hymnal” isn’t about Christmas, or any holiday. It’s just about snow and wintertime. And blood. Lots of blood.

“A STICK, A CARROT & A STRING” BY MEWITHOUTYOU

Alright, I’ll admit that this entry is nuanced. Because there’s a very strong argument that “A Stick, A Carrot & A String” is a Christmas song. Its lyrics start in the manger scene and spiral out in perspective, eventually ending in the Garden of Gethsemene with the Snake’s head crushed beneath Christ’s sandal. It was even covered by Dustin Kensrue on his Christmas record This Goodnight Is Still Everywhere.

So why do I bring it up? Besides my compulsion to bring up mewithoutYou at any opportunity? Maybe it’s the reverse of the title: maybe this should be part of the Christmas canon, but it should definitely be listened to outside of December as well.

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from his famous oratorio The Messiah is a Christmas classic with good reason: the lyrics from the piece are taken right from the Heavenly Host that appeared to the shepherds on the night of Jesus’ birth.

But somewhere along the line, someone decided that any Hallelujah will do, and put Leanord Cohen’s oft-covered song on their Christmas mix instead. When you consider all of the dozens of different versions that have been released (Jeff Buckley’s is the best, but that’s a different story), there are something like fifteen verses floating around.

And not one of them has a blessed thing to do with Christmas.

The lyrics are actually quite depressing, no matter what version you look at. There’s a lot of talk of broken thrones, marble arches, and victory marches or the lack thereof, but nothing of Christmas. Even the Biblical references aren’t related to Jesus at all, let alone his birth, which makes sense given Cohen’s Jewish heritage. But even the most furtive glance at the lyrics will tell you this song of profound heartbreak has nothing to do with any winter holiday.

What other songs shouldn’t be Christmas songs? Did I get something wrong? Let us know in the comments.