Name Your Favorite Holiday Songs!

[nubka]

It's that time of year again. What are your favorites?

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Andy Williams)
Silent Night
White Christmas
Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)
Wonderful Christmas Time (Paul McCartney)
Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt)
Silver Bells
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Ava Maria
Last Christmas (Wham!)
Baby, it's Cold Outside

[falling_dance]

As well as the second and fifth songs you listed, I'm fond of the original recordings of "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree".

[Buzz]

Give Lve on Christmas Day - The Jackson Five

[michiruwater]

We Three Kings has been my favorite for years.

I also love 'In The Bleak Midwinter'.

[paskatefan]

The traditional carols, Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, Mannheim Steamroller's Deck the Halls, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World

The only songs I can't tolerate this season are Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (sorry, but for me, her voice is insipid), Jingle Bell Rock, and, worst of all - "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

Now, I'm Jewish, and there is a lot more to Chanukah music than "I Have a Little Dreidl." I love Peter, Paul, & Mary's "Light One Candle," and just about everything by the Jewish American group (from Boston), Safam.

[ChelleC]

O Come O Come Emmanuel
Joy to the World
O Holy Night
Silent Night
The Little Drummer Boy

[sequins]

I also love 'In The Bleak Midwinter'.

I love this as well especially Sarah McLachlan's version.

I love Christmas music in general. It's one of my favorite things about Christmas. If I had to pick my favorites it would probably be:
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Silver Bells
White Christmas (by Bing Crosby)
Its Christmas Time Again(by Bing Crosby)
Christmas Memories(by Frank Sinatra)
A Cradle In Bethlehem(by Nat King Cole)
but I love a ton more as well

[skipaway]

Most versions of O Holy Night
and

Gabriel's Message by Sting

[taf2002]

O Come O Come Emmanuel
Joy to the World
O Holy Night
Silent Night
The Little Drummer Boy

O Come O Come Emmanuel probably has the prettiest music of all of them. It is exquisite. I also like Mary Did You Know by Kenny Rogers. For sheer beauty I prefer the traditional religious carols. The secular ones get really tiresome. I completely agree about Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. I find that one crass & offensive.

[AshleyN]

Religious:
O Holy Night
Do You Hear What I Hear
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful - with the caveat that I only like these when sung by a large choir

Secular:
Do They Know It's Christmas
Fairytale of New York
The Christmas Song
Happy Christmas (War is Over)
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

Wonderful Christmas Time (Paul McCartney)

Heh. This is probably the only Christmas song that I genuinely hate, which is extra annoying because every year it seems to be the one I hear most on the radio.

[Finnice]

I also love Christmas/Holiday music! In our neibourghood we have many people who sing or had sang in choirs plus a very good pianist, so we have a tradition to gather round the grand piano and sing together. It is always one of my highlights in Christmas time.

I have to confess that I like White Christmas O Holy Night, in Swedish (O Helga Natt) is one of my favourites, too. And all five Christmas songs by Sibelius are beautiful... At least we have a great Finnish Christmas song tradition.

[Artemis@BC]

I love this (In the Bleak Midwinter) as well especially Sarah McLachlan's version.

Ugh, that's the version I can't stand! So whiney and nasal, and a complete refusal to commit to pitch. So many other, better versions out there.

... I love Peter, Paul, & Mary's "Light One Candle," ...

I love that song too. It's one of the many that make me choke up.

The only songs I can't tolerate this season are Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (sorry, but for me, her voice is insipid), Jingle Bell Rock, and, worst of all - "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"

I can tolerate Grandma Got Run Over (esp. the Irish Rovers version), and I don't mind "Jingle Bell Rock" (esp. the Muppets version, just because of Animal) ... but I agree, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is pretty awful. Any version, but particularly Brenda Lee.

And the one that makes me cringe every time because it's so borderline date-rapey is "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

But, since I like virutally every other Christmas song, here are my favourite specific performances of individual songs:
~ Coventry Carol - Kingston Trio
~ Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - hard to pick a favourite here, but probably The Muppets with John Denver, with Rosemary Clooney and James Taylor versions being runners up
~ Gabriel's Message - Sting
~ God Rest Ye / We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLaughlin
~ Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
~ O Holy Night - Tracy Chapman
~ Carol of the Bells - The Nylons
~ The Holly Bears a Berry - The Chieftans
~ The Huron Carol - The Nylons with Tom Jackson
~ The Magi - Peter, Paul, and Mary
~ Christmas Time Is Here -- Diana Krall
~ The Christmas Song -- Mel Tormé
~ Sleigh Ride - Holly Cole (fabulous bluesy version)
~ It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Ella Fitzgerald
~ Let it Snow – Dean Martin
~ O Little Town of Bethlehem - Burl Ives
~ Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth - Bing Crosby and David Bowie
~ The Rebel Jesus - Jackson Browne
~ The Little Road to Bethlehem - Judy Collins
~ Winter Wonderland – Louis Armstrong
~ Bells over Belfast – The Irish Rovers
~ I Wonder as I Wander - Jewel
~ I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - Gayla Peevey
~ Oh Come All Ye Faithful - Frank Sinatra
~ Silver Bells - Elvis Presley
~ Riu Riu Chiu - Bruce Cockburn
~ Rudolph - Gene Autry
~ Last Month of the Year - Chris Isaak
~ We Need a Little Christmas - Angela Landsbury
~ Mele Kalikimaka - Bette Midler
~ I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Burl Ives
~ In the Bleak Midwinter - Shawn Colvin
~ Who Comes This Night - James Taylor
~ Song for a Winter's Night - Gordon Lightfoot

For "classical" renditions of traditional carols, my favourites are the Canadian Brass christmas album (instrumental) and "A Choirboy's Christmas" (cathedral choir).

[duane]

This Christmas - Donny Hathaway
Merry Christmas - Judy Garland (from the movie In The Good Old Summertime)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland (from Meet Me In St Louis)
We Three Kings

[znachki]

All of them! OK, except O Christmas Tree and that one about the shoes, oh and this cat carol thing, that I've mercifully only heard only a couple of times. There are others that I'm not overly fond of, but those 3 are the only ones I can't stand.

Actually one that I dearly love, was originally on one of those compiltation albums when I was a kid (we're talking 1960's here). It was "The Star Carol" by Anna Maria Alberghetti. For years I've wanted that, but it was nowhere else to be found. Finally, this year it has appeared on iTunes!

My sister and I have a "contest" every year. We both pick a song, and when we are in the car together listening to the Christams station on the radio, whoevers song comes on first, wins. The loser has to buy coffee. This year was the record. We picked the songs as we were walking to the car, and like 3 songs later, my sister won. But, we just pick new songs, and keep going.

[screech]

I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas!!
And while I can't stand Mariah Carey, I do love her All I Want For Christmas Is You

I always enjoyed Baby It's Cold Outside, until I realized it sounds a little date rape-y ('hey, what's in this drink?' while a guy constantly pressures her to spend the night...)

[Artemis@BC]

I see The Irish Rovers has a new Christmas album out this year (Merry Merry Time of Year). I loved their first Christmas album, so am going to have to get this one too methinks.

The link is for a digital download and has streaming full versions of each track for preview.

[taf2002]

And the one that makes me cringe every time because it's so borderline date-rapey is "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

I always enjoyed Baby It's Cold Outside, until I realized it sounds a little date rape-y ('hey, what's in this drink?' while a guy constantly pressures her to spend the night...)

Date-rapey? Please.

[cruisin]

Tran-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas/Sarajevo
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts) - Nat King Cole
I'll Be Home for Christmas
What Child is This (AKA Greensleeves)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Silver Bells
Jingle Bell Rock, mostly because it reminds me of my childhood

[Japanfan]

Auld Lang Syne. Because it means that Christmas is over!! I dislike nearly all Christmas music, especially in the malls.

[Cachoo]

I usually would mention the traditional carols already listed but I have been in such a mood to party this year that I've been thinking about bar bands and horn sections and the holiday songs for a party or for snuggling. So in that vein:

The Ronettes: Sleigh Ride
Stevie Wonder: What Christmas Means to Me
Darlene Love, The E Street Band and the Miami Horns: All Alone on Christmas
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Otis Redding: White Christmas
Leon Redbone/Zooey Deschanel: Baby It's Cold Outside
Mariah Carey: All I Want For Christmas is You
The Pogues: Fairytale of New York
Donny Hathaway: This Christmas
and so many others....