As the all-holiday format has spread and become codified over recent years, it has coalesced, and for cause, around a relatively cohesive body of music and a relatively small number of titles (if not interpretations). There’s a reason for that, of course. Which doesn’t mean that the music junkies among us might not like something else once in a while.

For those unlikely to be satisfied with Mainstream AC Christmas, there’s always Barry Scott’s “The Lost 45s” and his streaming Christmas shows. They’re among our “Four Christmases” this week, along with the all-holiday format at Scott’s terrestrial home base, WODS Boston, the Christmas format at Classical KDFC San Francisco, and Mainstream AC powerhouse WASH Washington, D.C. And as you’ll see, no holiday format is entirely without its spikes.

The Lost 45s – Lost In Christmas

That said, only Scott’s “Lost 45s” is one spike after another—’70s artists and the Christmas songs you mostly didn’t know they had. There are about four songs in this hour that I can say I’ve heard in any kind of rotation elsewhere, and none of the usual suspects. It was the most enjoyable hour of holiday listening I’ve done, but I make no claims for its applicability to mainstream terrestrial holiday programming.

Here’s the first hour of The Lost 45s’ “Lost In Christmas.“ In case you’re wondering, the Gilbert O'Sullivan song is not the Nat King Cole classic, but the typically earnest holiday thoughts of a guy who was otherwise singing about throwing himself off towers: "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year/to those of you who live in fear.”

Gilbert O’Sullivan, “The Christmas Song”

Randy Bachman, “Takin’ Care Of Christmas”

Bee Gees, “Silent Night/Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”

Sonny & Cher, “Jingle Bells”

Mike Love, “Santa Goes To Kokomo”

Sheena Easton, “Christmas All Over The World”

Snowballs (Peter Wolf), “Nothin’ But A Christmas Party”

Homemade Theater, “C.B. Santa”

Partridge Family, “My Christmas Card To You”

Paul Nicholas, “Grandma’s Party”

Mavis Staples, “Christmas Vacation”

Bette Midler, Mele Kalikimaka

Moonlion, “The Little Drummer Boy”

Angel, “The Christmas Song (The Winter Song)”

Trammps, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”

Flirtations, “Christmas Time Is Here Again”

Neil Sedaka, “A Christmas Prayer”

‘The Year Without A Santa Claus,” “Snow Miser”

Pointer Sisters, “Carol of The Bells”

KDFC San Francisco

Avowedly mainstream Classical outlet KDFC San Francisco went to the “Sounds of the Season” on Dec. 5—a late start, unless you know no other Classical station is going to flip to Christmas music against you. PD Bill Lueth says response to the programming in a recent survey was 75% positive and that streaming is running 15% ahead of usual levels. There are a few non-holiday themed pieces “which sound almost seasonal to many” thrown in among those pieces from Classical composers (“Ave Maria,” “Joy To The World,” “O Holy Night”), traditional carols, and choral holiday music.

I listened to KDFC at 5:30 a.m. local time, but here’s the 11 a.m. hour of KDFC on Dec 10 as supplied and annotated by Lueth:

“Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella”—-traditional carol-instrumental version

Mendelssohn: “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” (Cambridge Singers-London)

Mozart: “Movement from the Double Piano Concerto” (non-Christmas)

“Angels We Have Heard on High” (Andrea Bocelli)

Handel: “Messiah –Pastoral Symphony”

“Il’est Ne, Le Divin Enfant” — French carol, string quartet version

“Sweet little Lord” — Romanian carol (Kitka [local choir])

Beethoven: “Piano Trio” Movement (his birthday)

Bach: “In Dulci Jubilo” (choral version)

“Winter Wonderland” (string version)

WODS Boston

Many of CBS’ Greatest Hits outlets stuck with their regular formats this holiday season. WODS, one of the first to try the holiday format, is an exception. Like WCBS-FM last year, they have a slightly livelier take on the format than their AC counterparts. They also played the song that I need to hear at least once every holiday season, Allen Sherman’s “Twelve Gifts of Christmas” (staged as the “After School Yule” feature at 3 p.m.).

Here’s WODS at 2:35 on Dec. 10:

Straight No Chaser, “12 Days of Christmas Medley”

Bruce Springsteen, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”

Nat King Cole, “Caroling Caroling”

Andy Williams, “Happy Holidays/It’s The Holiday Season”

Mariah Carey, “Joy To The World Medley”

Elvis Presley, “Blue Christmas”

Allan Sherman, “The 12 Gifts of Christmas”

Ronettes, “Sleigh Ride”

Andy Williams, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

Wham, “Last Christmas”

Frank Sinatra, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

LeAnn Rimes, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Band Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas”

WASH Washington, D.C.

Finally, back to a Mainstream AC Christmas at Clear Channel’s WASH Washington, D.C., a little livelier (and more soulful) than some of the other AC holiday programming, and helped by having AC veteran Bill Worthington in afternoons. For all the holiday programming I’ve heard this season, WASH was the first place I actually heard the promo about what you’ll hear during the rest of the year. It was also the first AC where I’ve heard Alabama’s “Christmas In Dixie.”

Here’s WASH at 3:30 on Dec. 10

Kenny G, “Deck The Halls/Twelve Days of Christmas”

John Mellencamp, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”

Stevie Wonder, “What Christmas Means To Me”

Ray Conniff, “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer”

Dan Fogelberg, “Same Old Lang Syne”

Alabama, “Christmas In Dixie”

Mariah Carey, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”

James Taylor, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

Paul McCartney & Wings, “Wonderful Christmastime”

Dean Martin & Martina McBride, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”

Harry Simone Chorale, “The Little Drummer Boy”