My 10 Favorite Christmas Songs

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With the Christmas season nearly upon us once again , I thought I'd take a few minutes to write about some of my favorite Christmas songs. As an adult, I've found it difficult to get into the holiday spirit each year because there's always a lot happening. As a kid, the world almost seems to stop as the holidays approach and arrive, but as an adult, things just keep on moving. One of the few things that has any affect on my mood during this time is the music, almost always because of some sort of nostalgia, and even then, there are times when it does nothing for me.

But I digress. Here's a list, in no particular order, of my 10 favorite Christmas songs.

Sleigh Ride - Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops

This one's my all-time favorite. It's an instrumental version that's been around since long before I was born, that I first heard on an album my mother would play when I was a little kid. My earliest memory of it was from when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I think the track itself originates in the '60s or maybe even late '50s.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Johnny Mathis

This is one of those songs that a lot of people have covered, but the Johnny Mathis version is my favorite. I've found that my taste in Christmas music is mostly centered around the traditional stuff, but there are some exceptions. Johnny Mathis is one of those artists I associate with Christmas, even though he had a much larger career than just Christmas music.

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

Living in the United States, my first exposure to Slade was actually through a cover of one of their songs, Cum on Feel The Noize, by Quiet Riot. When I found out that song was a cover, it made me seek out Slade. Merry Xmas Everybody was a hit for Slade in 1973. I didn't hear it until much, much later, when I was in my early 20s and got an import of Slade's Wall of Sound best of compilation.

(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays - Perry Como (1959 Version)

This is another of those "first heard it on an album my mother would play when I was a little kid" songs. Many years later I found out that this is actually the second version of the song, and that Perry Como had recorded a version before this one a few years prior. But this is the one I like best, and is my second favorite Christmas song of all time, just behind Sleigh Ride by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

This bombastic track is probably my favorite Christmas song by Andy Williams, and while compiling this list I was surprised I didn't have more Andy Williams tracks for it, but Johnny Mathis edged him out a bit when it came to some of the more perennial Christmas songs. And I think this was a song that, somehow, I didn't hear until my 20s.

Silver Bells - Johnny Mathis

Speaking of Johnny edging out Andy, here's another Mathis version of a song. This one didn't really appeal to me until a few years ago. Not sure why. But it's another one I like a lot, with this version being the one I prefer.

My Favorite Things - Jack Jones

Several years ago I was looking for some old Christmas albums that my mother had, and found a whole slew of websites centered around vintage and out-of-print Christmas music. One of the things I found was the Jack Jones Christmas album, and it's become a favorite of mine. I have a pristine copy on iTunes now, but think I actually prefer the MP3 rip I have from vinyl, with all of the cracks and pops from whatever record it was sourced from.

Thank God It's Christmas - Queen

This is another track that wasn't so prevalent here in the states, but I heard about it after I got into Queen in my late teens, and I tracked it down. I honestly didn't care for it much at the time, but it's grown on me a lot, so much so that it's in my list of Top 10 favorites now. I think a lot of that is due to nostalgia. When I hear this song, it takes me back to a particular time and place.

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis again! The man did Christmas music well. A classic. A good counterbalance to the bombastic It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year mentioned earlier.

Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

When my wife and I got together, she exposed me to a lot of more modern Christmas music, whereas I'd always preferred the traditional stuff. I'm sure I'd heard this long before meeting her, but I heard it more after we got together. There are probably some other more modern songs I could count as favorites, but this one made my Top 10.

And that's my list. It's probably subject to change over time, but as of right now, these are my favorites.

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