It was recorded by various musicians from that label's roster, including Was (Not Was), August Darnell, Material, Suicide, Cristina, and The Waitresses, all performing original seasonal songs.

It featured the first release of The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping", a song later frequently included on numerous seasonal compilations, particularly in the UK, where it reached the singles chart in December 1982.

And yet my teenage heroes all took part in the Christmas song tradition: Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Elvis.

Berry Gordy got the whole Tamla Motown group at it, even James Brown, who wins the prize for the kitschiest sleeve, got in on the action.

"[3]The original album was initially released in the UK on white vinyl, and issued on ZE but with the distributor Island Records catalogue number ILPS 7017.

[4] The track by Material, with singer Nona Hendryx, was recorded at the same sessions that produced the band's single "Bustin' Out".

For the revised 1982 version of the album, released as Island ILPS 7022, the tracks by Alan Vega and Charlélie Couture were replaced by tracks by The Three Courgettes – a British band featuring singer Barb Jungr, who recorded the song in London – and James White (also known as James Chance).

[1] According to another source:"The lyrics tell the story of a man with the Christmas blues who commits suicide and then meets up with Satan 'to join the celebration.'

In addition, the CD contains three further tracks, two of them, by Lisi and Miss OD (also known as Ophélie Doll) newly recorded by Esteban in France; and the remaining track, by Portuguese-born singer Lio with her sister, actress Helena Noguerra, and transsexual icon Marie France, recorded in 1988 for a French TV show.

[10] Michel Esteban remastered and re-released the album again on ZE on November 20, 2016, on CD in a replica LP sleeve with the original artwork and a label replicating the white vinyl LP, as well as MP3 and FLAC downloads with a digital booklet (the latter of which is also downloadable for free on the ZE web site).