It's Christmas time, so you know what that means. Yep, Christmas songs are everywhere. On the radio, in the malls and stores, and at home as well. A lot of people start listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but I'm a traditionalist. I usually wait until after Thanksgiving to enjoy everything Christmas. My dad used to make jokes about it too. I would go to their house and he would say, "Hey look Jen, we're watching a Christmas Movie in July!" I just believe in enjoying Christmas during the time it's supposed to be enjoyed so I don't get tired of it and have something to look forward to.
Christmas music played a very important role in my life. I have so many good memories surrounded by many Christmas songs. My parents have a huge record player in their basement that they have had since the 70s. It's connected to the speakers in the ceiling, so no matter where you are in the basement, you will hear music. Dad would set up his long table for wrapping presents and checking light bulbs on the Christmas lights and we always had Christmas music playing on the record player. So when we finally moved into our house a few years ago, I told my parents I wanted a record player to play Christmas records on. Well, yeah other records as well, but mostly Christmas records. Priorities here.
If you are like most people, you have your favorite "go-to" Christmas songs that you have to listen to. Basically, it's not Christmas without these songs. That's how I feel about these particular songs. Some you have probably heard of, while others not so much. But these are my top 10 favorite songs that I HAVE to listen to during Christmas. To be fair, I love most Christmas songs; old and new. And I love many artists. So this list is not all-inclusive, but my top favorites.
10. Silent Night by Anne Murray
Growing up as a kid, we always played Anne Murray's Christmas album on cassette. While there are a lot of great songs on that album, this song is definitely one of my favorites to listen to. I love this song in general really. I used to sing it to my daughter around Christmas time when she was little to help her relax. So I have a lot of great memories with this song. I now have this album in my collection on Vinyl.
9. The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole
Many people have remade this song so many times over, but my favorite version is the one by Nat King Cole. This version immediately puts me in the Christmas mood. This is one I actually do not own, so I have to rely on the radio to play it for me. One day I will own it. And if I'm lucky, on Vinyl.
8. White Christmas by Bing Crosby
Ok, come on. You have to admit, it's not Christmas without this classic. I've loved this song since I was young cause I always wanted a white Christmas. I told my mom once that if we didn't have a white Christmas, I wasn't opening up any of my presents. Well, we didn't. But, yeah, I still opened my presents. You can't get more old school than this version. This song was actually #1 on the charts in 1942, the year my dad was born. Mark finally got this album for me on Vinyl for Christmas this year (2021).
7. Strawberry Snow by Brenda Lee
Bonus points for those who actually know this song. As a kid (you are going to hear me say that a lot in this blog post) I loved this song. Strawberry was my favorite flavor, so I always thought it would be neat to wake up to Strawberry Snow. This song is on her Christmas Album, along with another very memorable song that is coming up on this list.
6. Mary's Boy Child
We had this song on a cassette years ago, but I have no clue who sang this song. It was one of my dad's favorites. There are a few artists who have sang this song, but I will share the version by Evie. I think Dad would have enjoyed this version.
5. Come On Ring Those Bells by Evie
I wasn't introduced to this song until later in life by my best friend and sister, Sarah. They grew up listening to this song. Like me, it's not Christmas until you listen to certain songs, on Vinyl. The sound of the crackles in the background of different songs just adds to the Christmas feeling. When we lived near Sarah and her family, this song was always played on Christmas. Last year (2020), she surprised me with my very own copy of this album on Vinyl. I cried I was so happy. So this song definitely evokes many happy memories.
4. Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon
This year (2021), this song is really hard to listen to but is still one of my favorites because it reminds me of my dad. My dad loved this song for a few reasons. One is the children singing in the background. Another is the subject matter. It was produced in 1971 in the midst of the Vietnam War. My dad served in Vietnam in 1969 and it was the hardest thing he ever experienced. I will never know how deep this song affected my dad, but I play it in remembrance of his service and just in his memory in general.
3. All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey
Is it really Christmas if we don't hear this? I play this for my hubby every year and even have it as my ring tone for him on my phone. We finally got this album on Vinyl a few years ago, but it's got a few problems. I find new Vinyl albums tend to have more problems than older, used Vinyl records. I used to play this CD in the car when I started driving, blasting the songs and singing really loud. Good times.
2. Christmas in St. Louis by Randy Mayfield
Unless you live in St. Louis, you probably don't know this song. It was on the same cassette as my dad's favorite version of Mary's Boy Child. Many years ago, with the help of a friend, we were able to put that cassette on CD for my dad so it would be preserved. The tape was starting to get old and I was afraid it wouldn't work anymore. I had an idea to create a special ornament with this song a few years ago, but the idea never panned out. Before I had finalized the idea, I knew I needed the permission of the writer, Randy Mayfield, to use his song otherwise I couldn't make the ornament. So I contacted him to ask his permission or to see what I needed to do to acquire his permission. Well, I got the surprise of a lifetime when he actually called me on the phone! He even sang the song to me on the phone. I was completely star-struck. He even gave me permission as long as he got an ornament and sent me a better copy of the song. But like I said, I never got the ornament conception finalized. Maybe one day.
Before we get to my number 1 favorite song, I wanted to give an honorable mention. Mary Did You Know by Pentatonix. This is a beautiful rendition of this song. Completely acapella. No other version in my opinion measures up to this. If you haven't heard it, I suggest you listen to it and try not to cry.
1. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee
If any of you know me, you will know this is my absolute favorite Christmas song. Ever since I was a little kid. It's definitely not Christmas without this song. Well, her whole Christmas album period. Before I got this album on Vinyl, my Mother-in-law got me a CD with all her Christmas music on it. It even had songs on it I had never heard her sing before. I loved it! Now, I have two copies of her original Christmas album on Vinyl. One belonged to my parents and the other belonged to my grandma. Oh and I listen to this album very often during Christmas on my record player.
Well, there you have it! My top 10 favorite Christmas songs that I HAVE to listen to every year. What are your favorites? Do you own them on Vinyl? How do you prefer to listen to your Christmas music? Also, what are some Christmas songs you can't stand? Either because they play them too often or just because you don't like them. Share in the comments below.
🎄Merry Christmas!🎄
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