It's the most annoying time of the year!

You know it's here when you can't set foot out of your house without being assaulted by an avalanche of hokey Christmas music. Whether the decidedly dark, but somehow still corny of tale of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer," or the endless repetition of "Christmas Is Here,"  holiday spirit being shoved down your throat can be a serious agitator.

Luckily, it's not all bad; here are some things you can do to avoid being annoyed to death between now and December 25th:

Avoid Any Joy Fm Station At All Costs
Seriously, these radio stations are among the worst things to ever happen to music. It's bad enough they play the sappiest music in the universe the other ten months of the year, but they insist on turning up the aggravation factor to 11 after Halloween by playing nothing but Christmas music all the time. Who asked for this?! Who is so starved for Christmas music that they want stations to play it every hour of the day?! Can't those people just buy albums, or go an itunes or something? Unfortunately, if you're stuck taking a cab or you need a ride from a friend who enjoys that crap, it may be unavoidable. In that case, I strongly a suggest carrying a set of ear plugs with you at all times. That, or a shotgun.

Seek Out Good Christmas Music
No one ever said all Christmas music is bad. Just most of it. There are plenty of surprisingly strong songs out there for those willing to seek out them out. Personally, I'm quite partial to A Fine Frenzy's 2009 EP Oh, Blue Christmas, in which she covers Christmas standards such as "Blue Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland," while also adding some lovely originals. If you enjoy John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," I'd recommend checking out the cover by underrated Irish rockers The Alarm. It's considerably superior to the original, mostly because you don't have all those annoying kids singing...
 Listen To A Lot Of Death Metal
It's easy to get overpowered by schmaltz this time of year, so if you feel yourself a little bit sick of the Christmas spirit, I would recommend immediately putting on Slayer 1986 classic Reign In Blood. The relentless pounding and depraved imagery of "Angel Of Death" should go a long way in making you forget all about "Sleigh Ride." In a pinch, anything by Cannibal Corpse will work, too.