HO HO WHO: The Sleigher—well this Sleigher (the one who doesn’t hate italics!)—has a confession: He’s Jewish. Now, he still loves Christmas music, but sometimes he reverts to his ethnic heritage and digs up some Hanukkah tunes, even though that experience was mostly ruined by Adam Sandler in the mid-'90s. [...]

Channeling late '70s bands like the Jam and the Beat, D.C.'s Modest Proposal was a fixture of the city's early-'80s mod and ska scenes, and the group performed for several years before disbanding in 1986. The few songs it committed to vinyl, on several singles and compilations, are charming, catchy examples of a movement that—with [...]