It's not going to be a merry Christmas for Rolling Stone staffers. Jann Wenner cut three from the editorial department before going on his yearly vacation, the New York Post's Keith Kelly reports.

Wenner Media axed respected Rolling Stone deputy editor Jason Gay, who just arrived at the company from GQ in March. ... Also gone is Erin Kelly from photo and Brian Braiker, a writer who joined in October from Newsweek.

According to Kelly's source, the company's head is using the "last in, first out" philosophy to choose who to fire. The mag's managing editor, Will Dana, said the cuts were "not a matter of cutting the fat."

It has been a tough year for the music pub and its parent company. Earlier this summer, Wenner Media explored selling cash cow Us Weekly to Conde Nast, but the magazine conglomerate balked at the $750 million price tag. In August, RS reduced its traditional oversize format in an effort to save print costs. On the year, ad pages are down 23 percent and the outlook remains bleak. The three axed staffers bring the total body count in the editorial department to 10.