Christmas carols start playing the day after Thanksgiving and don’t stop until December 26th. Everybody has their favorites, which they associate with a Christmas memory or that just gets them in the holiday mood. If you’re looking for tunes to rock around the Christmas tree to, here’s my list of top ten Christmas songs:
10. “Dominick the Donkey” by Lou Monte (1960)
This song made it into the top ten mostly for laughs. With donkey sound effects, it talks about how Rudolph can’t handle the hills of Italy; luckily in Florida, there are no hills so I think Rudolph should be just fine.
9. “Last Christmas” by Wham! (1985)
This song comes with a little bit of 80’s nostalgia and might be the only one that can double as both a Christmas song and a breakup song. With lyrics like, “I gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away,” whoever was on the receiving end obviously didn’t understand the rules of gifting and regifting.
8. “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole (1946)
The Christmas Song is smoother than a freshly resurfaced ice rink and definitely deserves a place in the top 10 Christmas songs. While I’ve never roasted chestnuts on an open fire and Jack Frost is not really nipping at our noses here in Florida, this song still easily makes it into the top ten.
7. “I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas” by Gayla Peevey (1953)
You’ll know this song the second it comes on the radio. Peevey has one of the most recognizable voices in the Christmas carol circuit. It’s what I imagine Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to be like during the holidays. Maybe she didn’t realize that hippopotamuses are insanely violent and dangerous when she wrote this song?
6. “Winter Wonderland” by Perry Como (originally by Doris Day) (1959)
This song is an old school favorite that pretty much evokes the Christmas of your dreams. With sleigh bell ringing, snowman building and snow glistening, what more do you need? The one question that always plagued me when I was little was; Who is Parson Brown and what is so great about him that they are naming a snowman after him?
5. “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms (1992)
This fun, festive song will give you immediate flashbacks to trying to learn the Mean Girls dance with your friends in seventh grade. I want to sing along, just like Cady did, everytime I hear this song.
4. “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt (1953)
Basically the festive equivalent of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” Kitt sings the line ‘been an awful good girl’ with an eyebrow raised. When I was younger, I used to want a ‘54 convertible too, in light blue, because of this song.
3. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey (1994)
This cheerful tune is another one that you can sing along to at the Christmas parties. But, who can forget the 2014 leaked video of Carey’s isolated vocals for the song… all she wants for Christmas is a new voice.
2. “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” by Kim Wilde and Mel Smith (1987)
I get a sentimental feeling whenever I hear this song. If you’ve ever seen Home Alone, then you know that this song is the soundtrack to Kevin’s genius plan to keep the robbers away. I’m not really sure how you can dance in a new and old fashioned way, but that doesn’t stop this song from making the top ten.
1. “Santa Claus Is Comin To Town” by The Jackson Five (originally by John Frederick Coots) (1970)
From the very beginning, it’s clear that the Jackson 5’s take on “Santa Claus Is Comin To Town” is going to be full of energy. A young Michael belts his heart out in the way that only he can. This song made every kid careful not to pout or cry.
