It's that most wonderful time of the year again, when we turn up the radio and sing along with our favorite Christmas carols.

But there's a carol or two that makes just about everyone want to switch stations, like the Bolero-esque "Little Drummer Boy" (with the possible exception of the David Bowie/Bing Crosby version), or, my anti-favorite, the recurringly repetitive "Twelve Days of Christmas," with its obscure lyrics and needle-stuck-in-the-groove melody line.

So, just in case you can't reach the radio, it might be nice to have some local lyrics in mind to give the holiday hymn an Island flair.

Herewith is a new version of "Twelve Days of Christmas," AMI style (last stanza only, you fill in the rest).

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the Island gave to me:

12 sunset drummers drumming…

11 sandpipers piping…

10 dolphins leaping…

9 sunbeams dancing…

8 maids a sweeping…

7 manatees swimming…

6 terns a laying…

5 golden sunsets…

4 seabirds…

3 French Canadians…

2 sea turtle nests…

... and a heron in a pine tree.

Merry Christmas from Anna Maria Island!