Aimee Mann never seemed like one of pop’s 500 likeliest candidates to release a Christmas album, but last year’s One More Drifter in the Snow was a tasteful, minor-key treat, and her “1st Annual Christmas Show” at the Birchmere last December was one of the best concerts of 2006. As she promised she would at the end of last year’s freewheeling interfaith revue, she’s hitched up the sleigh again this year for a monthlong yule-tour that landed for the first of two shows at the Birchmere last night. As before, the show mingled seasonal fare with secular material from Mann’s deep songbook, music with comedy, and Christmas with Hanukkah. Kind of.

SPOILER WARNING: The show is a pretty highly-scripted affair, so If you’re attending tonight, etc., etc.

New this year is a three-part video chronicling Aimee’s search among her many celebrity pals to find people willing to round out her Christmas-show lineup. (Last year’s model was emceed by Saturday Night Live’s Fred Armisen, who would seem likely to have more time on his hands this year what with the writers’ strike and all; stepping ably into his patent-leather shoes is Paul F. Thompkins of Mr. Show, er, semi-fame.) The video, featuring appearances by John Krasinski of the The Office, former Mann tour-mate Patton Oswalt, Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller, brought yuks aplenty, but wasn’t quite funny enough to make us forget the fact that more than a quarter of a show that ran only slightly over two hours was pre-recorded. (Not to mention the fact that the smallish video screen was probably impossible for anyone in the seats on either side of the stage to see.)