Traditional. Non Traditional. Hanukkah. Whatever.

Many are bad. Some are okay-ish. Few are "good".

Merry Christmas (I don't want to fight tonight) - Ramones
Father Christmas - The Kinks
Merry Christmas Baby - Springsteen and the E Street Band (more for Clarence Clemons on the sax)
The Season's Upon Us - Dropkick Murphys

_________________

Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Andy Williams

yeah, andy williams was THE christmas album man back in the 70s.

- we three kings

- good king wenceslas

- carol of the bells

- mistletoe and holly

_________________

The orchestral version of Sleigh Ride probably gives me the Christmas spirit more than most. Its just happy and sounds like Christmas to me.

Christmas Must Be Tonight - The Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP9QgAwuPAI

Charlie Brown Xmas Album

Oh Tannenbaum - Nat King Cole https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZQEbJOFOHw

_________________
Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

This version of Little Drummer Boy by Faith Hill always gives me the feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5on7YQuBh-8

_________________

Bing Crosby and David Bowie doing Little Drummer Boy

Fairytale Of New York

Rat Pack Xmas album

Bing Crosby Xmas album

_________________

Technically not a Christmas song, but this one gets me in the holiday mood:

Marshmallow World - Darlene Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA35Ehv-uEc

_________________

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by almost anyone, though there's a Canadian brass band version that I like especially. I am unfortunately no longer a believer, but I love the music and the first few lines of the lyrics always get me.

Edit: "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is also pretty sweet

_________________

That whole album is great, as Warren Newson (either the poster or the baseball player, who I still think must have had the thickest wang in existence) once pointed out.

_________________

What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder version

1. Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto - James Brown
2. Go Power at Christmas - James Brown
3. Soulful Christmas - James Brown

_________________

Yeah, it's fantastic--my favorite Christmas album by far.

"Bells of St. Mary" is my favorite tune on the album.

_________________

Yes indeed. You can pick just about anything off that album, but "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love would have to be my favorite. As for none A Christmas Gift For You songs:

1. "Christmas All Over Again"- Tom Petty;
2. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"- Judy Garland version;
3. "2000 Miles"- The Pretenders; and
4. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"- Rufus Wainwright version.

Maybe the Dio version, eh?

_________________
"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Hey--it's not bad! Keep the basic tune and the lyrics, and Cannibal Corpse could pull it off.

Comments are great:


Milsurp Mike Channel
3 years ago

Very important question here... do you still throw up the devil horns when Dio sings a religious Christmas song?

_________________

Newson said it above -- Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

Have to nominate Elvis Presley's "Silent Night" as well.

We've had this thread before but I'll say it again.

I was always amazed that Sinatra never had a signature XMas song that everyone thinks of. So, I'll give you one.

His version of The Christmas Waltz is excellent and not a song anyone else is really associated with as far as I know.

_________________
https://twitter.com/DrKenCast

Oh, of course. A true classic. In high school band, I got to be the horse at the end!

"I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" as sung by Julie London is amazing. "That's What I Want for Christmas," Nancy Wilson, almost as good. The entire Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails four-disc set is absolutely necessary. This Spotify playlist has just about every track except Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae's take on "Baby, It's Cold Outside," but what an omission.

_________________

Johnny Mathis is the king of Christmas songs. Two of his best and my personal favorites are "What Child Is This" and "Little Drummer Boy."

Julie Andrews also has an excellent version of "What Child is This."

But the very best Christmas song in my book is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Bing Crosby from 1942.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x330L7EdprQ

Probably my favorite Christmas album. Second would be A Charlie Brown Christmas, third would we A Christmas Gift for You.

_________________

I’m surprised nobody’s mentioned Home for Christmas by *NSYNC.

While the 90s best response to the Beatles is best know for mega hits like “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna be May,” their under-celebrated 1998 holiday release hits all the right notes on tracks like “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.”

_________________

Try getting a reservation at Christkindlmarket now, you stupid fucking bastard!

_________________

Said this before, but...

Worst Christmas Songs:

1) "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time"

2) The Chipmunk's Christmas song

3) That one where they sing, "We fish you a hairy Christmas"

4) "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"

I worked at a store one winter where they played these and several other abysmal old favorites on a thirty-minute repeat. I went nuts.

_________________

That Ratpack xmas album is so fucking good.

There are some great blues xmas songs. I know I have the Alligator Records xmas compilation around someplace. Can't go wrong with a little backdoor Santa...except Nardi.

https://youtu.be/s0NoalRsk5w

_________________

Spoken like a man who’s never bathed in the dulcet tones of JC Chasez and a young Justin Timberlake in - dare I say - the finest ever cover of “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”

As good as that was, I really think Chris Kirkpatrick hits his stride on the album’s opus, “I Guess it’s Christmas Time” [sic].

_________________

Will be at Chris Isaak next Saturday at the Genesee. Always wanted to see his holiday show.

_________________

It would be kind of funny if you settled in and he did a 2hr extended cut of “Wicked Game.”

_________________