Songs. Not movies. The song you hear, wherever you hear it, and you KNOW it's Christmas, or the song you seek out to hear every Christmas season.

Could be version-specific, artist-specific, whatever.

Mine is "First Nowell" by the Choir of King's College. You really feel the power of [the probably nonexistent] God whenever they begin the last stanza, which at this video is 3:20. Brings a tear to my eye every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mItWsC8RtM

Humans are cool.

This Christmas Song

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Are you conflating "The Christmas Song" and "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway? I love both.

I like the Muppets' version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" that, during the "we won't go until we get some" verse, has Animal screaming "won't go! won't go!! WON'T GO!!! WOOOON'T GOOOO!!!"

I used to not really get "Fairytale of New York" but it finally clicked for me a few years ago.

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Baby it's Cold Outside

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"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"

Oh, and "Good King Wenceslas." Not sure why, but I really like these two songs, always have.

This one too, but not for the "outraged libruls", at least not for me. Great crooner song.

My favorite version. Anyone who doesn't like this is just trying to be difficult.

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New favorite in the genre.

The +1 introduced me to Pentatonix, and while I'm normally a Rockapella kinda guy, this telling of "O' Come All Ye Faithful" was fantastic. I thought ultimately the merging with another song/musical style was unnecessary [purely because of their vocal ability at the base song], but the chops on very single one of the people in this song makes it a can't-miss for the season [and prove to me that the bass guy is not getting MASSIVE EQ help]:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj7Pr42rliI

Elvis - Santa Claus is Back in Town

Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song

The Carpenters - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

My father worked at a factory that produced Sylvania products. The employees were given a Christmas LP Album several years running. One in particular was awesome. It had Robert Goulet singing "I'll Be Home For The Holidays" and Steve and Eydie singing "Baby It's Cold Outside" long before it was considered rape-y.

It was one of the first albums I ever connected with for some reason, and I remember playing it in the middle of summer. Jim Neighbors was on there and Roger Miller, too. I've searched for that record but to no avail.

But having had my fair share of a Catholic education, I would probably go with "Adeste Fidelis".

O Holy Night, and this Trans-Siberian Orchestra version (with O Come All Ye Faithful intro) is my current fav:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcMe551smvs

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Holly Jolly Christmas by Burl Ives.

Someday at Christmas - both the Jackson 5 and PJ versions

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-- source

I don't really like Xmas but I am listening to the Vince Guaraldi Charlie Brown album this morning. My favorite Xmas song other than
that whole album would be this little known gem from The Band, "Christmas Must Be Tonight". Absolutely gorgeous and I have never
heard it on the radio for some reason.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5bKtRU0Q6c

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

The Mariah Carey version of All I want for Christmas is you is the one I associate with the season now because it seems to be all over the place 5 seconds into Black Friday.


For my own personal favorites
Rockin around the Christmas Tree
It's Christmas Baby Please Come Home - U2
Mr. Grinch

Agreed.

Love the music and it reminds me of our kids.

And Andy Williams Christmas songs.

Baby it's Cold Outside - I prefer the Zooey Deschanel version from the Elf soundtrack
Christmas in Hollis - Run D.M.C.
Blue Christmas - Elvis
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - The Ramones
Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Father Christmas - The Kinks
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

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I don't believe in Christmas.

The PJ version rocks. The Sonics version is trash.

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Andy Williams - Holiday Season
Perry Como - Home for the Holidays
Vince Guaraldi - Charlie Brown Christmas

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@audioidkid

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I really dig "Rebel Jesus", which was written by Jackson Brown but is definitively performed by Ivan and Alyosha.

Some of my other favorites:

Hark!The Herald Angels Sing--I'm particularly fond of the Sufjan Stevens rendering. His versions of "Joy to the World" and "Holly Jolly Christmas" are nice, too.

I've loved "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses for a long time. Great new wave rap Christmas tune from the 80s. In a similar vein, "Do They Know it's Christmas?" by Band Aid is also pretty awesome.

The Phil Spector Christmas album has loomed large at all of my Christmas celebrations for a long time. "Sleigh Ride" by the Ronettes, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home" by Darlene Love, and "The Bells of St. Mary" are all highlights on that record, but it's pretty stellar from start to finish.

Some of my other favorites:
"Rockin' around the Christmas Tree", Brenda Lee
"Cool Yule", Louis Armstrong
"Jingle Bell Rock", Bobby Helms
"May Ev'ry Day Be Christmas", Irma Thomas & The Preservation Hall Band
"The Wassail Song", various
"Wonderful Christmastime", The Shins
"Do You Hear What I Hear?", Bing Crosby
"I Want You for Christmas", Russ Morgan & Orchestra
"White Christmas", Otis Redding
"The Christmas Song", The Raveonettes
"Christmas Time's a Comin'", Patty Loveless
"Let It Snow!", Lena Horne
"Deck the Halls", Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby

"Valley Winter Song" by Fountains of Wayne isn't a Christmas song, but it's close enough, it's a terrific song, and I've spent plenty of Christmases in the "New England Town" referenced in the lyrics, so it always shows up on my Christmas playlists. "The Winter Song" by the Head & Heart is also a great tune that I put on many Christmas playlists because it's too good not to.

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Great selection, T-Bone. It's an amazing song.

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Amazing. Thanks for sharing.

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

Let it never be said that the flute cannot rock.

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"Christmastime for the Jews"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... OhKQyRAo6k

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Merry Axemas Vol I and Vol II. are pretty great.

They are on spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5V7i2AUd ... y=true&v=L

and...can't forget about It's Christmas Time in Hell, by Satan...(South Park)

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@audioidkid

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My Christmas a youngun was dominated by two types of Christmas songs. First, the school I sent to up till junior high was obsessed with singing and caroling in particular. Si I sang a lot of frigging songs and we sent a wassilling around town every Christmas. From then I am still a big King Wenceslas fan even though I can’t remember all the versus anymore. Jungle bells was okay with me too as well as a few others. This torment continued into junior high as I was forced to do Music in my school to make us all well rounded individuals. I hope to never hear Jinglebell Rock again. Thankfully, in high school I was able to do photography to fulfill my fine arts req and not ever have to publicly preform again. Well, mostly.

After that Christmas music meant bing crosby and perry como. And I love the Christmas Song, Silver Bells and White Christmas. Blue Christmas and I’ll be home for as well. And yes, Baby it’s cold outside. The crooners era worked for my Christmas tastes.

I also very much enjoy the religious songs. First Noel, Little Town of Bethleham, It came upon the Midnight Clear and, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Oh come all Ye Faithful as well I suppose. I like Christmas music, but I don’t need 6 weeks of it. Starting next week or the 17th I’ll be good with hearing it.