Father Christmas :: The Kinks
from the album, Come Dancing With The Kinks

Father Christmas is a 1977 single by English group The Kinks.

It tells of a department store Father Christmas who is beaten up by a gang of poor kids who tell him to give them money instead of toys, as toys are impractical; and asks that the toys be given “to the little rich boys.” At one point, a child asks the narrator to give his/her Father a job for Christmas.

The song has been covered a number of times by bands including the Gigolo Aunts, Green Day, Man Overboard, Warrant, Lit, Bowling For Soup,Save Ferris, Smash Mouth, Cary Brothers, Action Action, Everything, Deer Tick, and OK Go.

The track appeared on several commercials in the US for the 2006 film Unaccompanied Minors.

The track was included on the Arista compilation Come Dancing with The Kinks and is also available as a bonus track on the CD reissue of the Kinks’ 1978 album Misfits.

Editor’s Note: Listening to this song this morning I had this momentary wonder moment of thinking “what would this sound like mashed up with XTC’s God?“; seems like the sentiments link somehow.