My mother was raised Christian and my dad was raised Jewish so when I was growing up I always celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas. But for my family, Christmas evolved into more of a "family holiday" than a "religious holiday". As a family, we would decorate a tree, have a nice meal, and open presents. We would also, of course, listen to Christmas music. For whatever reason, Hanukkah music never really caught on (though I love me some Adam Sandler Chanukah Song, parts 1, 2, 3, AND 4).
It is now December, and thanks to global warming it does not feel like wintertime yet. To fix this I am 100% ready to blast Christmas music throughout the house. And since Christmas and Hanukkah overlap this year? I will probably be decking the halls while I light my menorah. Here are my ten favorite Christmas songs.
10. "Baby, It's Cold Outside"
I know this song is a controversial choice, so before you get out the spiel, I only like this version. Why? This version replaces the line "Say, what's in this drink?" with "Say, was that a wink?" Plus, the music video is adorable. Honorable mention goes to Lady Gaga and Joseph Gordon Levitt though in this version of the song.
9. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"
One of my favorite parts of Christmas music is that there is no one way to cover a "standard". I have an especially soft spot for Christmas "rock songs".
8. "White Christmas"
The most famous Christmas songs we know and love were written a long time ago and it's not uncommon for an artist to rearrange it to fit their sound. Sometimes, it produces a terrible version, but then other times you get something really fresh and fun like this cover by The Drifters.
7. "A Holly Jolly Christmas"
Another staple of the Christmas season are the old stop motion specials, like Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer or Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. The first special I mentioned features Burl Ives as the narrator, who is also a talking snowman. In addition to telling the story, the snowman sings a couple songs including "A Holly Jolly Christmas".
6. "All I Want For Christmas Is You"
In a nutshell? This song is so catchy. I can't imagine a Christmas without it. But, the version from Love Actually is just so much better because that is actually actress Olivia Olson singing. She has since gone on to voice Marceline in Adventure Time and Vanessa in Phineas and Ferb with her Love Actually co-star, Thomas Sangster.
5. "Santa Baby"
Although the Michael Bublé version, titled "Santa Buddy", is almost equally hilarious, I love this sort of tongue-in-cheek flirtation for Santa to bring her all these extravagant things.
4. "Last Christmas"
Honestly, I love this song even when it's not Christmastime. I just love Wham!!
3. "Little Saint Nick"
Again, I love this song even when it's not Christmastime. I think The Beach Boys are regularly overshadowed by The Beatles and even if they were more "commercial" and "wholesome", The Beach Boys made some amazing music. This whole Christmas album is fantastic and worth a listen.
2. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings"
Not only do I love the bounce added to a traditional Christmas carol, but I love this mash-up. I love a good mash-up, and I love this mash-up almost as much as I love this next one...
1. "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth"
This is my all time favorite Christmas song. I love the little story at the beginning but I also love the way Bowie and Crosby sound together. I'm also obsessed with David Bowie, but that's another story for another article.
Honorable mention goes to this parody of "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth"
If you have similar taste to me in Christmas music, feel free to follow my Christmas Spotify Playlist.
