I can’t believe this is the last day of November. Where did the time go?
Thank you to everyone who showed up in my little corner of the internet during NaBloPoMo and thank you to all the bloggers and readers who form this incredible community. A standing ovation for San in recognition of her pivotal leadership/organizational role!
Cheers to NaBloPoMo, cheers to blogging, and cheers to the holiday season ahead.
With that in mind…it’s time for another round of Top Five/Bottom Five. Who’s ready?
It is less than one month until Christmas.
Let me repeat that.
It is less than one month until Christmas! Just…wow. The holiday season really does have a way of sneaking up. Even though I’ve already done lots of things to prepare, it still feels shockingly close. Aside from our main tree – which we’ll collect from a local tree lot at some point next week – all our holiday decor is up! It looks festive and cheery and twinkle lights never fail to delight!
Before I share my picks, it’s important to remember we’re all friends here. Just because other people think [insert objectively horrible song] is a wonderful Christmas melody, doesn’t mean we can’t all stay friends. Right?! With that disclaimer in mind, let’s proceed with the mutual understanding that we may have to agree to disagree…
There are so many songs I enjoy at Christmas; I’m generally enamored with songs written in a minor key (think: I Wonder As I Wander, In The Bleak Midwinter, or O Come, O Come Emmanuel). My mother always disliked minor songs and said they felt sad, but I absolutely love them. So it feels nearly impossible to narrow down a Top Five, but I think the following list is fairly accurate.
TOP FIVE CHRISTMAS SONGS
- O Little Town of Bethlehem. This song feels like a lullaby. It’s calm, it’s peaceful – yet also haunting. I love it.
- White Christmas. Need I say more?
- Go Tell It On the Mountain. I think this song wins the award for the most interesting arrangements. It’s peppy and fun and a perennial favourite for me.
- Silver Bells. Of all the special traditions and memories growing up, Christmas Eve was my favourite night of the year. We would sit around the tree shaking each gift before guessing the contents. Then we’d sing while my mother accompanied us on the piano and we’d always – always, always, always – finish the evening by singing Silver Bells.
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Classic. Simple. Slightly melancholy, but in a hopeful and reflective way. (I might be overthinking this.)
Bonus songs I’m listening to on repeat this year: Christmas With You (Cochren and Co), You Make It Feel Like Christmas (Gwen Stefani/Blake Shelton), Candy Cane Lane (Sia), All I Need For Christmas (TobyMac).
And my two absolute favourite Christmas albums: Living Strings and Voices White Christmas (1968) and Ingrid Michaelson’s Songs for the Season.
I consider the majority of Christmas songs to be quite pleasant and/or neutral. While I don’t go out of my way to listen to It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year or Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, I’ll sing along and consider them quite festive. But there are a few songs that I truly dread listening to.
BOTTOM FIVE CHRISTMAS SONGS
Santa Baby. This song borders on being downright creepy.
Last Christmas. Sad. Depressing. And, as Jenny astutely noted last year, you could easily substitute the word “Friday” for “Christmas” and no one would be any wiser. That said, I know many people have Feelings about this song (*waves wildly to Nicole*).
All I Want for Christmas Is You. Nope. Not a fan. (In general, I don’t enjoy listening to Mariah Carey sing anything.)
Mary, Did You Know? I know I said I enjoy minor songs, but this one I cannot stand. The message is lovely, but the tune grates on my nerves to an extreme degree.
The 12 Days of Christmas. I know there are funny versions out there, but I am not up for listening to this much repetition. Maybe my introverted minimalistic tendencies can’t handle the thought of all those partridges, drummers, ladies dancing, and lords a-leaping?
Your turn. Did you participate in NaBloPoMo 2023? What are your top five/bottom five Christmas songs? Of my top and bottom picks, do you vehemently disapprove of any of my selections? Let’s discuss…
Header photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Suzanne
Oh, I can never resist one of your Top 5/Bottom 5 posts! So much fun! I love Last Christmas and Mariah’s ubiquitous belter. But Santa Baby is a meh for me. My most hated Christmas songs are All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer, and Do They Know It’s Christmas. UGH. Hard pass.
That Gwen Stefani song is one of my favorites!!! But I really have a soft spot for Christmas carols. I think my favorite of all is O Holy Night. I do love Carol of the Bells, though. There are so many good ones!
Elisabeth
I didn’t even entertain some of those “novelty” songs. Meh. Do They Know is Christmas has horrible lyrics…yet it was the biggest fundraising song ever, I think? But the lyrics are deplorable.
I sang O Holy Night in church as a solo for about 20 consecutive years so I am BURNED out on that song, but it is lovely! Carol of the Bells is a great one!
Melissa
I wouldn’t say I could pick a top five and bottom five although while I was reading your post a song popped into my head that I don’t like but by the time I started to write this comment it had disappeared again and I can’t remember what it was. I’m going to blame jet lag. I don’t really like any of your bottom five and agree especially with you on the first three. Just no. I also love O Come, O Come Emmanuel. For singing maybe Joy to the World, but that may be because it is always the last carol sung on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day services at our previous church. My husband loathes Little Drummer Boy and he’s not quiet about it.
Elisabeth
I don’t love Little Drummer Boy, but it doesn’t bother me. But I feel like it’s a VERY divisive song for some reason. Is it all the repetition?
sarah
I grew up Jewish but have Lots of Opinions about Christmas songs. Mostly, though, I CANNOT STAND The Little Drummer Boy. I am really liking the “Carols Covered” Apple Music Playlist this season.
Elisabeth
Snap – I don’t have Apple Music or I would be all over that playlist rec.
I’m not a big fan of Little Drummer Boy, but it doesn’t bother me. I also feel like I don’t hear it very often at Christmas?
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
I don’t disagree with your bottom five, but I have a funny story about Santa Baby. I work with a Santa. He’s Indian, and Santa is his nickname. Every.Single.Time that his name pops up in my inbox, I hear the song Santa Baby in my head. I thought it was just me, but a few of my other coworkers have commented on it. He’s great to work with and has solved many problems, so his name fits.
Congrats on finishing NaBloPo 2023!!! It was so fun.
Elisabeth
Well that’s a festive coworker! What a nickname.
NGS
I have a co-worker named Jolly (like, that’s the name on her birth certificate). She has a lot of Christmas decor around her office year-round!
Elisabeth
I have never heard of Jolly as a first name. How festive and whimsical. But also it feels like a BIG responsibility in a name. What if you’re a horribly melancholy person?!
Nicole MacPherson
Lol, I just wrote about Last Christmas! You know I love it. Santa Baby too, I love singing it in the most passionate way all around the house. I also love All I Want For Christmas Is You. I’m actually not too picky about Christmas music but my MOST hated is Wonderful Christmastime. My shoulders go all the way up to my ears when I hear it.
Elisabeth
I had no idea you were going to write about Last Christmas so this was a coincidence. I know how you feel, you know how I feel and we just put that behind us and move on with our lives – haha.
I don’t like Wonderful Christmastime either. Or Up on the Housetop. Ugh. Can’t stand that one. I listened to that song on repeat while reading a book about a serial killer when I was in high school (an odd combination, I can admit), and ever since I’ve just hated that song. Either because I listened to it too often OR because of the association with a mass murderer…I’m not sure.
Jenny
Two of your bottom five are also on my bottom five- Last Christmas (as we all know) and All I Want For Christmas is You. I actually do like Mary Did You Know, and I share your like of minor songs in general- O Come O Come Emmanuel is a good one, and God Rest You Merry Gentlemen is one of my favorites. But in general I love Christmas songs and will sing along happily to most of them!
Now I’m scooting over to Nicole’s post to see what she wrote about Last Christmas- I can’t wait!
Elisabeth
Got Rest Ye Merry Gentleman is great, and there are so many wonderful parts so groups like the Pentatonix are ALL. OVER. It.
Jessica
New reader here, found you from SHU. Mary Did You Know is the worst! And I’m not musically inclined at all so thank you for educating me on songs written in minor key. Those are some of my favorite Christmas songs as well and typically enjoy that style for the season. Have been enjoying your blog!
Elisabeth
Hi Jessica! Thanks for commenting and lovely to have you here!
Ally Bean
Congratulations on completing NaBloPoMo. You did great. I like all your song selections but would add that “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” is one song in particular that I find ANNOYING. It makes me snarl.
Elisabeth
That song is annoying. I don’t snarl outwardly, but my brain is snarling…
NGS
Look, Elisabeth, I’m going to sound grinchy and I don’t even care. I hate even thinking about Christmas stuff until December and I have been a Bitter Betty about all the holiday songs on the radio the last week. Because my husband is a Mac and I’m a PC, we have to switch out the cord in our cars when the other person is driving and one of the biggest flaws in our VW is that changing that cord is surprisingly difficult, so if I am running an errand around town, I will not bother with the hassle and I’ll just listen to the radio and I want you to imagine me poking very hard at the screen to scan through stations and getting more and more IRATE with every passing station until I finally land on some Pearl Jam song and I HATE PEARL JAM.
That said, I like secular holiday songs because I am a secular lady. Top five:
1) Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” is my favorite song. You and I are obviously going to have consider our friendship after this comment, I think.
2) “A Snowflake Fell” by Glasvegas – This song is so sad, but that’s how I roll.
3) “Sleigh Bells”
4) “Blue Christmas” and I prefer the Elvis version to every other one
5) “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee – Accept no substitutes.
Worst:
1) “Twelve Days of Christmas” – 100% agree with you on this. It sounds chaotic and why are we giving people and animals as presents? Sounds bad.
2) “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by the Jackson 5 – I hate the sound of children singing and this song is awful and it’s ubiquitous and always playing and I can feel my shoulders creeping up by my ears just thinking about it.
3) “Santa Baby” – I also agree with you on this. Gross.
4) “The Christmas Shoes” by NewSong – Is this just a midwestern US thing? This song is played CONSTANTLY and I hate it.
5) That stupid Christmas song by the Chipmunks. It’s such an unpleasant sound.
Phew. I’m exhausted after writing that comment. I hope we can still be friends.
Elisabeth
This is one of the best comments ever. I’m still hung up on Bitter Betty and wondering if you’ve just assigned yourself a new blogging nickname?
I get it. Christmas songs DO start too early on the radio (I never listen to the radio). In my house growing up we couldn’t listen to Christmas music until WELL into December, but I have a child that would like to start listening in, mid-July?
I have only heard the Christmas Shoes a few times (might be a midwestern thing), and I agree. So depressing and NOT. A. FAN. Agree on the Chipmunks. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is just one tier below Santa Baby for me (it was hard to constrain my list to 5).
Re. Mariah Carey, I will forgive you for the snakes and spiders question if you will forgive me for being a HARD PASS on every Mariah Carey song ever written.
San
You HATE Pearl Jam? *weepingintomycoffee*
Hate is a strong word.
Elisabeth
At least you have delicious TJ Gingerbread Coffee to weep into. A small consolation?
ccr in MA
I just had to pop on and say that the Muppet version of the 12 Days of Christmas makes me laugh every time! So while the song itself isn’t a favorite of mine, all I have to do is think of Miss Piggy belting out “Five! Gold! Rings! Ba DUM bum bum!” to start laughing. (And I just realized that chicken-loving Gonzo got to do three French hens!)
Elisabeth
I’ve only seen that movie once, so I can’t even recall that version, but it DOES sound fun!
mbmom11
The worst sings are the Christmas novelty songs- why do we have to hear them? And I’ll add Whitney Houston version of Do you Hear what I hear- the dramatic vocals take away from the song.
Favorites: Adeste Fidelis – sang this every year in high school , Latin and all, and I just love it. Go Tell it on the mountain, Bing Crosby Do you hear what I hear, Good King Wenceslas- fun but strong and faithful. Bared Naked Ladies Duet with Sarah maclachlan of God rest ye merry/we three kings. For an album, George Winston ‘s December is great to have on the background when decorating (and grading!).
Elisabeth
I ADORE Sarah MacLachlan’s Christmas albums. I listened to them way too often for too many years and I’m kinda burned out on them now, but they are spectacular.
If you like the BNL duet, you might also enjoy The First Noel by Crash Test Dummies. SO GOOD!
mbmom11
Oh, that song was splendid! CTD was one of my favorite tapes in grad school. Thanks for sharing it!
Elisabeth
I’m so glad you liked it <3
Linda
What a fun post to finish up the month! I am known in my extended family as being the one who dug out the Christmas albums the day after Thanksgiving! We were a family of singers and we loved singing carols in the car, riding to various music-related events—school chorus concerts, Christmas caroling, etc. It was so much fun in the 50’s and 60’s, the best time to grow up! Now, I love the youtube playlists of “vintage Christmas music”, check these out for cozy memories!
Favorite Carols and Tunes:
Sleigh Ride—played as fast as the singers can get the lyrics out
Silver Bells
Winter Wonderland
All of the Christmas hymns—Joy to the World, Silent Night, etc
Let it Snow
I would like to retire Baby, It’s Cold Outside—the girl wants to go home and the guy says don’t go, have another drink—does anyone need to hear that message? A romantic favorite, though—What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
Linda
Elisabeth
Agreed re. Baby, It’s Cold Outside. And I also like What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
The most annoying Christmas song of all time is “Silent Night”. It doesn’t matter what language it is in. It drives me nuts. I skip. if possible. But why do all the movies need to include it… sigh.
Overall I am a fan of Christmas music though. I have added a few of yours to my playlist and will check them out.
Elisabeth
Ohhhh. I love Silent Night, though I do feel like I hear it a bit too often during the course of a Christmas season.
Michelle G.
I love this topic! I enjoy your top and bottom lists and seeing what everyone says.
I love the albums Mannheim Steamroller Christmas and Pentatonix Christmas. I listen to those a lot during December.
Other than that, my top five songs are:
Blue Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
Carol of the Bells
Sleighride
And here’s an odd one: My Christmas Card to You by The Partridge Family. Yes, from the TV show. It makes me so happy!
My bottom five songs are:
I saw Mommy kissing Santa Clause
All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth
Santa Clause is coming to Town
Up on the Rooftop
12 Days of Christmas
Elisabeth
I am currently listening to My Christmas Card To You for the first time in my life!!!
SHU
I remember you posting this before and just like then I am similarly horrified at your dislike of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You. I really and truly enjoy that every December and plan on waking my kids up with it tomorrow even though we don’t even celebrate Christmas. HA! I do like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” too . . .
(Jewish but grew up in a house where Christmas music was played nonstop all December long because I believe that was the case in my dad’s house growing up as well and he loves it!)
SHU
forgot to mention my other contemporary favorite, Kacey Musgraves’ Christmas album! It’s so good and calming. . ..
Elisabeth
Ugh. Mariah Carey is just a blanket NO from me. I realize that is not a popular opinion, though.
And I really enjoy some of Kacey Musgraves’ songs – I didn’t know she had a Christmas album! Awesome!
San
Thanks so much for participating again this year, Elisabeth and for being such a cheerleader for NaBloPoMo. I cannot believe we were able to grow our community a little bit more again this year. <3
I think my favorite Christmas songs are
Oh Holy Night
Carols of the Bells
Winter Wonderland
My least favorite:
Feliz Navidad (it doesn't sound Christmassy at all)
Santa Baby
Elisabeth
Oh Holy Night is such a classic and it’s lovely, but I sang it as a solo every year for Christmas at church for ALMOST TWO DECADES. I’m kinda over that song.
Lisa's Yarns
Christmas comes so fast now that we are adults. It comes especially fast for us as we have Will’s birthday on 12/3 and focus on that first! But we are such underbuyers when it comes to gifts that it’s ok to not start the Christmas shopping until 20 days before Christmas. I shudder a bit when I hear about people keeping track of gifts in excel!
My favorite Christmas songs are Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (specifically the whoos singing it in the animated version of The Grinch), Lo How a Rose Err Blooming (which is technically an Advent song but close enough!), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and This Christmas (I like the jaunty beat!). Honorable Mention to Jingle Bell Rock.
My least favorite are The 12 Days of Christmas, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Santa Baby, and Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer. I can’t think of a 5th!
Elisabeth
I don’t keep track of prices/things spent, but I DO keep a Google Sheet full of ideas for different people that I can add to over the year when inspiration strikes.
Lisa's Yarns
That makes sense! We only buy presents for our kids, the cousins they draw in the gift exchange and that’s it! We get gift cards for my parents and I will give cash to Will’s teachers and a restaurant gift card to Paul’s. My MIL doesn’t want anything besides the photo calendar I make every year. So there isn’t much for me to track. But we are a major outlier in terms of the few presents we need to buy!
Elisabeth
I have many favorite Christmas as songs, but my favorites are pretty much all traditional songs. My favorite album right now is Lindsey Stirling’s newest Best of Christmas Classics; every track is fantastic (except You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch because it’s one of my few true disliked Christmas songs). I also love (way more than five):
Enya’s O Come, O Come Emmanuel
James Taylor’s Go Tell it on the Mountain
Andrea Bocelli’s Adeste Fidelis (and he & Celine Dion’s The Prayer, which I always consider a Christmas song)
Harry Belafonte’s Mary’s Boy Child
Il Divo’s Rejoice
Jim Nabors’ O Holy Night (and Josh Groban’s and Josh’s Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring)
Whitney Houston’s Who Would Imagine a King
Pentatonix’s O Come, All Ye Faithful
David Foster’s Carol of the Bells
Johnny Mathis’ It Came Up on a Midnight Clear & What Child Is This
Nat King Cole’s The First Noel
Barenake Ladies’ God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Vince Gill’s Let There Be Peace on Earth
Michael W. Smith’s Christmastime
Last year’s new one for Ukraine – Peace, Joy, Love (Jim Brickman, Haley & Michaels, Mat & Savanna Shaw, Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York)
and
The Cast’s Auld Lang Syne (or New Year’s song I guess) + more that I’ve forgotten, I’m sure.
My dislikes are:
Feliz Navidad
You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Santa Baby
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
This was fun!
Elisabeth
Hi other Elisabeth with an “s” – thanks for participating and I am going to look up some of those songs right now that I’ve never heard of before.
I do like You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch (more for the fun of it than actually loving to listen to it), but the rest of your dislikes are all songs I avoid, too.
J
Like Engie, I am secular. Unlike her, however, I LOVE the religious songs. So beautiful.
Top 5
Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth – David Bowie and Bing Crosby (fun fact: Bowie HATED Little Drummer Boy, but got roped into this duet anyway – thankfully!)
O Come All Ye Faithful
Silent Night – Nat King Cole (we have a NKC Christmas album that I LOVE and we listen to it every year)
Oh Holy Night – Nat King Cole
December – The whole album, by George Winston – it just means Christmas to me.
Bottom 5
Santa Baby sets my teeth on edge. Santa Buddy is worse, but somehow tips the scales into SO bad it’s funny.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Let’s just say the other 4 are all of those stupid novelty songs. I hate them. It makes it hard to ask Alexa or Siri to play Christmas music. I have to get specific and say, “Play traditional Christmas music.”
Elisabeth
I have never heard Santa Buddy and based on your assessment will STEER CLEAR.
Ted
My wife J told me about your post this morning and told her I have to check out your Bottom Five. I agree that your Bottom Five deserves their ranking. I’m pretty jaded by holiday music because I worked in Adult Contemporary radio for almost 14 years…for the same station. In the entire time I was there, they never changed the holiday music playlist. It was the same songs by the same artists year after year. One year, I pleaded with the program director to change the music, but he had a sadistic streak and said, “You know, I’m going to increase the rotation on some of these songs just because you hate them.” He was a sweetheart of a human being.
Elisabeth
Yikes. The same Christmas music on repeat for FOURTEEN YEARS sounds like some form of medieval mind torture. I feel very badly for retail workers who start hearing it in late October/early November.
Stephany
Oh this is fun! I do enjoy Mariah Carey’s Christmas songs but they are not my most favorite. I think my favorite artists for Christmas music are Lauren Daigle and Carrie Underwood.
Favorites: Away in a Manger, Carol of the Bells (<– this song used to scare me when I was a kid, lol), Go Tell it on the Mountain, What Child is This, and Silent Night. And a billion more.
My least favorite is Christmas Shoes. I also don't like Santa Baby and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Blegh.
Anne
I… have never thought this much about holiday music. Huh. I’m with J and Engie – secular for myself. But raised in a church, so I do have some favorites including Once in David’s Royal City. George Winston December is my go-to, to be honest. Instrumental piano and just gloriously beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the apparently depressing Christmas Shoes, and I don’t know other songs that people seem to love!
Elisabeth
I also love Once in Royal David’s City!
Christmas Shoes IS depressing, but it doesn’t seem to be a “song” where I live in Canada. I rarely hear it!