So we're midway through December, and by now most people have come to a conclusion about Christmas music.

And because we all started hearing that music at shopping centers sometime in October, I'm guessing the most popular conclusion is "I'm sick of it."

I can relate. Hearing the same Christmas songs everywhere you go really gets to be a drag. But there's no reason to be the Scrooge of the stereo — with just a little effort, you can come up with your own hip holiday playlist that's engaging, interesting and not the same boring fluff you hear piped into department stores.

The first thing to remember is variety — whether you're building a playlist for your iPod, burning a mix CD or just sticking five discs into the CD changer, mix up the old and the new, the staid and the silly.

The exact content of your holiday playlist, of course, is something only you can decide. But I'll offer some suggestions from my own Christmas collection to get you started:

First off, everyone who has any desire to listen to Christmas music at all needs the Andrews Sisters. Their lightning-quick, close-harmony style is perfectly suited to the upbeat side of the holidays, and their take on "Jingle Bells," which also features Bing Crosby, is likely the best version of that song ever recorded. There are several Andrews Sisters Christmas collections out there, but as long as you choose one with "Jingle Bells" on it, you're all set. If you have the option, though, try to get a disc with "Here Comes Santa Claus," too.

Another classic is Vince Guaraldi's music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The 1965 TV special has become a part of our cultural landscape, and the music possesses an easy, timeless quality even 40 years later. Most of the album is excellent, as Guaraldi effortlessly applies his West-Coast-cool aesthetic to a mix of Christmas classics and originals. For my money, though, the originals are the best — especially the chiming arpeggios of "Skating" and the instantly recognizable "Linus and Lucy."

My favorite recent Christmas album is last year's "We Three Kings," by rockabilly mainstay Reverend Horton Heat. The Rev's typical roaring, distorted guitars are toned down here, replaced by a tasteful twang and some surprisingly beautiful quiet moments. Practically every track's a winner, but if you've got to weed out the best of the best, I'd recommend a couple of classics (rockin' versions of "Frosty the Snowman" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," the latter amusingly mixed with the theme from "Batman") and a couple of country covers (Buck Owens' "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" and Willie Nelson's beautiful, weepy "Pretty Paper.")

"Various artists" collections are a great way to get some gems in your holiday playlist, too. One that's hard to find but worth seeking out is "Hipster's Holiday," published by Rhino. It's a treasure trove of jazz and R&B numbers from the likes of Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton and Miles Davis. Some of this stuff is pretty well-known — Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" gets played at the mall, for example — but there are some obscure wonders here, too. Check out Pearl Bailey's "Five Pound Box of Money" or Big John Greer's "(We Wanna See) Santa Do the Mambo" for some holiday chuckles.

Of course, no one in my age group should be without the VH1 collection "The Big '80s Christmas." It's got a laundry list of 1980s rock classics, including The Waitresses' endearing "Christmas Wrapping," the heartbreaking Pretenders classic "2000 Miles" and The Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)." But it also features a few great tracks I've never heard anywhere else, like a jaw-droppingly awesome Kate Bush song called "December Will Be Magic Again" and Los Lobos tearing through "Rudolph the Manic Reindeer."

You can have plenty of holiday fun just by throwing those five albums into the CD changer. But I'd recommend filling in the gaps of your Christmas playlist with a few more songs:

Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" is a must, if only for the typically ghostly backing vocals of the Jordanaires.

Another must is the Kinks' "Father Christmas." It's so good I can listen to it in July.

Back in 1991, The Hoodoo Gurus released a rampaging Christmas track called "The Little Drummer Boy (Up the Khyber)." If you can find it, grab it.

I've seen even diehard haters of rap crack a smile when Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" pumps through the stereo. It's pure fun, and welcome in almost any Christmas mix.

Finally, if you can find The Wedding Present's version of Elton John's "Step Into Christmas," you won't regret it. The UK indie band is in top form here, blasting through this pop confection with its usual mix of buzzing guitars, machine-precise drumming and David Gedge's vocals buried hip-deep in the mix.

So that's what my Christmas collection looks like. The rest is up to you. No matter what your taste, there's Christmas music out there with you in mind.

Like Irish music? You've got plenty to choose from, from the stately Chieftains to the drunken Pogues.

Latin? Sure, I've seen dozens of collections.

Are you a fan of the trip-hoppy "chill" genre? You can find high-tech, downtempo remixes of every holiday classic you can think of.

I've even got a disc of steel-drum Caribbean Christmas music. Granted, it's not something I can listen to all the way through without getting a headache, but still — a couple of those tracks are pure gold.

The point is, Christmas music shouldn't be something you get sick of. And if you take matters into your own hands and build a Christmas collection that contains a few classics and plenty of fun music that reflects your own taste, you'll end up with a holiday playlist that's endlessly entertaining.

In fact, you might want to listen to it year-round.

Culture Shocked! is a bi-weekly pop culture column written alternately by Carla DiFonzo and Jed Reinert. E-mail is welcome at cdifonzo@lnpnews.com or jreinert@lnpnews.com.