Top 5 Christmas Songs (Matt Antil)

5. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”

This song always gets people, especially kids, in the Christmas spirit. Nothing gets a kid’s eyes to light up like knowing Santa is soon coming. It reminds kids to be on their best behavior, as Santa is always watching. This upbeat song will always get people to realize Christmas is almost here as Santa is the biggest icon of Christmas. No matter your age, you can always feel free to sing along to bring you back to those childhood memories.

4. “Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer”

Rudolph is possibly the second most noticeable character related to Christmas next to Santa himself. Without Rudolph, how would Santa have a safe trip delivering his gifts? This song, as many of the others on this list, is a classic. It has a great rhythm and sets the mood– great at any time around the holidays. It always brings a smile to nearly everyone’s face, with a playful tone telling a great story on how Rudolph got his shot at greatness leading Santa and the other reindeer. With this song being played billions of times a year, Rudolph won’t ever be forgotten and truly will go down in history!

3. “Snoopy’s Christmas”

Snoopy is another character nearly everyone is familiar with. The lovable beagle from the famous Peanuts cartoon takes to the skies in this song. As it takes place during World War I, Snoopy battles the fierce Red Baron, as Snoopy was sent after him alone. Snoopy gets trapped behind enemy lines, and the Baron offers a holiday toast instead of ending Snoopy. The evil Red Baron teaches us all a lesson in that, especially in these times of holiday cheer, we should all put aside our differences and be friends for once. This song offers a great upbeat tempo, a great story, and a very cheery chorus that always makes me sing along.

2. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

The Grinch, the abomination of Christmas, while I will be the first to say the movie isn’t my favorite, I love the song. I find it very funny with a very unique rhythm. The song creates many interesting images in your head of unwashed socks and skunks. He is described by three word “Stink, Stank, Stunk!” In the whole song the Grinch gets put down as a terrible character. Does he deserve all the hatred? I’ll leave that one up to you. But the overall lyrics and beat make the song nearly impossible not to sing along too, and maybe you know your own Grinch that this song reminds you of….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgP0aUKlmNw

And drum roll please….

Number one is…

1. “Snow/Heat Miser Song” from The Year Without A Santa Claus

Now this may not directly be a Christmas song, but it is from one of the most iconic Christmas movies of all time, and this song, in my opinion, is just too good. It centers around when Mrs. Claus must visit each of the Misers and they each sing a song about how they control the temperature extremes across the world. The two half-brothers sing about their favorite version of Christmas rather it be “Mr. White Christmas” or “Mr. Green Christmas”. Snow Miser is referred to as “Mr. 10 Below” and Heat Miser is referred to as “Mr. 101”. These two guys have infinite nicknames; they aren’t too full of themselves are they? The overall cheery and upbeat mood the song creates is one that leaves a lasting impression in your head, and after listening to it just once, you’ll be sure to be caught singing it to yourself, and earns itself number one on this list.

Top 5 Christmas Songs (Summer Kaeppel)

1. “All I Want For Christmas is You,” Mariah Carey, 1994 – This doesn’t even need an explanation, but I’ll explain since it seems like some of my Herald counterparts and the general public need to hear it. This song is the official kick-off of the holiday season, as it has been ranked #1 on the Christmas songs chart for 20 years. No matter where you are, or who you are with, it’s almost guaranteed everyone knows the words. It’s up-beat tune gets everyone up on their feet at Christmas dinner – even the relatives you don’t really want to see “up on their feet.” On our recent Herald twitter poll, 60% of voters said it was their favorite Christmas song.

2. “Last Christmas,” Wham!, 1985 – The lyrics of this song are only part of the reason it’s so great. The other part is due to the fact that George Michael sings it. I find any other version, especially the Taylor Swift version, to be downright offensive. While only 13% of voters said this song was their favorite Christmas song, it still goes down as one of my all-time favorites.

3. “The Christmas Song,” Nat King Cole, 1946 – My picks so far have been relatively modern, but “The Christmas Song” is, and always will be, a classic for all age groups. When it first debuted in 1946, it was instantly popular and that popularity hasn’t worn off a bit. Nat King Cole has one of the best voices that Christmas songs have to offer. This song is the epitome of Christmas; chestnuts, mistletoe, and turkey. The Christmas song is truly for kids from one to ninety-two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89gVQvFV7hQ

4. “Someday at Christmas,” Stevie Wonder, 1967 – I grew up in a household where Stevie Wonder was praised, so of course this has to make it into my top five. What makes this song so special is that it is about more than the traditional Christmas things – candy, toys, etc. It’s more about the hope that these little kids, that Christmas is meant for, eventually will grow up and live in a peaceful world. It’s about the hope that someday, “Hate will be gone and love will prevail.” What’s more jolly than world peace

5. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” Michael Buble, 2011 – Michael Buble is basically the male version of Mariah Carey in the Christmas song world. His Christmas album devours the charts every December, but this has to be my favorite song from his collection. The combination of his voice and lyrics makes me really root for whomever he’s talking about to just come home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aw2yuYAKoE