Christmas music is playing everywhere, but it’s not always good. Every year I find myself on the elusive search for truly good Christmas music. Here are my top 5 Christmas songs:
1. “You Gotta Get Up” by Five Iron Frenzy (Buy it: CD on Amazon)
(Not sure why this song isn’t more widely available. Not sure if it’s legal, but you can grab an mp3 download here)
2. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Sixpence None the Richer (Buy it: CD on Amazon)
3. “Last Christmas” by Leigh Nash (Buy it: iTunes/Free on Amazon)
4. “Oi to the World” by No Doubt (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon)
5. “O Holy Night” by Justin McRoberts (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon)
And special nods go to the Songs for Christmas boxset by Sufjan Stevens (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon) that is so awesome you just have to buy the whole thing, as well as Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God (Buy it: iTunes/CD on Amazon), which gets distinction for doing an entire song about the genealogy in Matthew.
I should also admit that my favorite Christmas song from my childhood is “Jesus is Born Today” by the Oak Ridge Boys (Buy it: iTunes/Amazon). It used to be on a Christmas tape my dad made, but he bumped the record player when it was dubbing and scratched horribly. Rather than starting the tape over, he just started the song again so the tape had the song one and a half times. Awesome.
Rick said that when you were in high school you got one of those cats meowing Christmas CDs, and you played it non-stop.
Here’s our list (I’m sure you can spot the ones that Rick isn’t into)
1) Father Christmas by the Kinks
2) Christmas All Over Again by Tom Petty
3) (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag by Brian Setzer
4) Run Rudolph Run by Chuck Berry
5) Last Christmas by Wham (go ahead and laugh)
6) All I want for Christmas is You by Maria Carey (go ahead and laugh even harder)
:)
I’m a big fan of the Andrew Peterson CD and Nicole C. Mullen’s Christmas in Black and White.
I like Jennifer Knapp’s Sing Mary Sing
The one-and-a-half recordings of the Oak Ridge Boys song is hilarious!
Man, I paid way more than $15 for the Sufjan set a couple years ago. I’m feeling like a sucker right about now. But that music is worth more than $15, so I don’t feel too bad.
The music that emotionally signifies Christmas to me more than any other is The Andy Williams Christmas Album (iTunes). The vinyl version of that album played many a December in my house growing up. It’s like a time machine to me.
Outside specific recordings, the songs that spiritually signify Christmas most deeply to me would have to be Silent Night, which must be sung a capella in church with the lights out and everyone holding candles. It gives me shivers every time. And O Holy Night, because it’s a very powerful and difficult song to do properly, but when it’s done by a talented singer… wow.
@Josh, I have to agree with Silent night, candles, and a capella (and if your church has a good children’s choir, that pretty much puts it over the top).
And I’d put Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel up there with O Holy Night.
But let’s not forget Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Album or John Denver and the Muppets Christmas Album – both played on vinyl over and over until my parents would hide the albums.
@Limor – Mariah Carey? Seriously? Yeah, I’m laughing at you.
It’s the only song of hers that is enjoyable, and only a few times a year :)
Oh, and I think that it’s a million times better than Alvin & the Chipmunks. Hearing A & C makes me want to stab my ears with really sharp pencils. :)
But Alvin & the Chipmunks makes a really great bargaining tool when your 10 and want your christmas presents early. “I’ll stop playing this album if I get a present…”
(okay so that really only worked once and I think they were planning on giving us presents early that year anyway…)
onley 1 song i like are you kidding me last chrustmas is the song
srry i spelled christmas wrong