Wed. Dec. 10 & Thurs. Dec. 11 

Christmas is a lot of things, both good and bad, warm vibes and hot toddies being among the former and runaway consumerism and mall Santas among the latter. It's also, increasingly, a musical time. Sure, there's always been Christmas music but over the past couple of decades rock musicians have jumped into the fray, contemporizing the holiday for a generation that, let's just say, doesn't believe in Santa Claus anymore. Which is not to say the music is anti-Xmas or hostile do it; it just offers a different lyrical and musical take on it. Former Bostonian (and 'Til Tuesday) leader Aimee Mann recorded a Christmas CD, "One More Drifter in the Snow," last year and played a series of Christmas-themed shows. She's back for year two and this year's she's switched from Berklee Performance Center to the Somerville Theatre for two shows, Wednesday Dec. 10 and Thursday Dec. 11. Mann will give you some traditional nuggets like "The Christmas Song" - we've always loved her melancholic version - but also some other treats like, we think anyway, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, and "Snow," a Randy Newman song Harry Nilsson popularized. Then, there's "I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up By Christmas," "Jacob Marley's Chain" and "Christmastime" - not exactly Santa Claus coming right down Santa Claus Lane.  So, what we're looking at is a full range of music and emotion; an off-kilter Christmas show that lets us in on a broader emotional range than usually encountered. And Mann - though perceived distant and maybe dour by some - really has a sharp sense of humor.

But wait - as they say on those late night TV ads - that's not all. Special guests include Grant Lee Philips, Nellie McKay and comic Morgan Murphy.Who they? Philips is the former Grant lee Buffalo front man whose acclaimed solo work has taken him on tours around the globe as well as being used to scorea multitude of various independent film and television. Philips has beencalled a lyrical chronicler, whose music observations are both personal, anda reflection on the larger emotional times we all share. McKay is a singer, songwriter, actor, and activist Nellie, who,after three critically acclaimed albums including the most recent "Obligatory Villagers," calls her approach to music "schizophrenic voodoo" - schizophrenic because she jumps genres - from tin pan alley pop to cabaret, reggae, and jazz - and voodoo because these elements mysteriously gel with her evocative and bold lyrics. No Xmas show is complete without yuks and that's Murphy's job. (As we noted earlier, Mann's a pretty funny lass too, so we expect humor will be one thread that will carry through ... ) Murhpy was named one ofVariety¹s Top Ten Comics to Watch and has written for "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" and "Last Call With Carson Daly." She also appeared in this year's Faces Showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Tickets: $43.50 and $40.

55 Davis Square, Somerville, 617-931-2000 www.ticketmaster.com