The Killers
“A Great Big Sled”
Dir. The Killers

Question: What do chainsmoking elves, drunken celebrity Christmas parties, and funding for AIDS in Africa have in common?

Answer: Amazingly enough, the video for “A Great Big Sled,” a song recently released by The Killers as a very special (and very catchy) holiday charity single. The song manages to combine everything about the band that we know and hate and love, building on the band’s pseudo-post-punk sound to incorporate a totally ass-kicking new component—sleigh bells.

Any song that can do that and still allow you to rock out is definitely worthy of becoming a holiday classic. Lead singer Brandon Flowers is in top form, maintaining the band’s characteristic ’80s rock feel, backgrounding the fact that this is a Christmas song. Until, that is, you see the video.

If you think the candid behind-the-scenes music video has been done to death before, you’d be right. But has it ever been done with everyone dressed in poorly fitting Christmas-themed costumes and sunglasses? I think not. That appears to be the entire premise for the production, so don’t expect any character development or thinly disguised Moulin Rouge references as in other Killers music videos. You shouldn’t expect anything beyond cheesy costumes and fuzzy shots of randomly assorted holiday decorations, which is quite a relief in light of the band’s previous, overwrought videos.

But the rather unexciting video is more than made up for by its worthy purpose. The band is donating all proceeds from the song obtained from iTunes downloads to supporting those suffering from AIDS in Africa, a fact made clear in the closing shot of the video which refers the viewer to the appropriate website. Good song, good cause: sounds like the perfect holiday gift.