I was thinking earlier today of what songs would be on my list of twelve Christmas songs, i.e. a dozen of the top Christmas songs that, for one reason or another, are my favorites.  A few popped into my head immediately, others came to me a little later, but here they are, in no particular order:

  1. Light Of The Stable, Emmylou Harris, from Light Of The Stable. I first heard this beautiful song in the early 80’s, when I was taping some songs off the radio (WIOQ in Philadelphia) one evening.  Simply a beautiful song.
  2. Christmas Morning, Lyle Lovett, from The Road to Ensenada. The penultimate song on one of my favorite of Lyle’s albums.  Written during the breakup of his marriage with Julia Roberts, with the lyrics
    We stood at the altar and you held my hand
    And everyone watched as the preacher he asked
    Will you take him and love him for bad and for good
    You looked at me then you told him you would
    But hey what did you mean by that
    Perhaps I’m the fool you take me for
    Not anything more
    Now each Christmas morning I sit in my chair
    And I look up at the angels that float through the air
    Some look down upon me, some come to my side
    And they tell me that Jesus he said to say hi

  3. Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto, James Brown, from The Singles, Volume 5: 1967-1969. I first heard this on a Christmas mix tape given to me by my brother 20 years ago.  A tight number by Soul Brother #1.
  4. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, Roy Wood and Wizzard, from Singles. Also thanks to my brother, probably closer to 36 years ago, this gem speaks volumes of the talented Roy Wood.  This song more than holds up today.
  5. Christmas Wrapping, The Waitresses, from Christmas Wrapping EP. I’ve loved this song from the first time I heard it c. 1982.  A fun Christmas story and a fun tune.
  6. Medley: Alfie, The Christmas Tree/Carol For A Christmas Tree/It’s In Everyone Of Us, John Denver and The Muppets, from A Christmas Together. This is from a television special that John Denver did with the Muppets back in the late 70’s.  I remember watching it with my neice and sisters, and later bought the soundtrack on vinyl.  We used to listen to it every year at Christmas, and it was always special – I’d love to see it released on DVD.  Many years later, It’s In Everyone Of Us was used in the Tom Hanks movie, Big.
  7. Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming, Traditional. Another simply beautiful song, with extra special meaning for me.  My then very pregnant wife and I attended evening Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception back on December 8, 2000 at St, Joseph’s.  At that time, the music program at St. Joe’s was outstanding, and after communion two women sang this song a capella, the beauty of which brought us both to tears.  It would be a few short hours later that we would receive the shock of our lives when my wife’s water broke – 7 weeks early – and later the next morning we we Blessed with the birth of our son.
  8. Bring A Torch Jeanette, Isabella/When Blossoms Flowered ‘Mid The Snows, Liz Story, from The Gift. One of my wife’s favorites, she plays this on her flute.  I like the treatment that Liz Story gives on this, the opening track of the very first Christmas album I play every year.
  9. River, Joni Mitchell, from Blue. Again, first heard this while taping off Q102.  Loved the song for years, and finally bought the CD sometime last year.
  10. Scrooge, Lord Buckley, from Jet Ride. Not really a song, but a hip recitation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Again, thanks to my brother, I can recite sections of this word-for-word because it too is played every year to kick-off the Christmas season.
    “God bless Mr. Scrooge. He done did the turn about. He’s the Lord’s boy today.”
  11. Op. 71 – Divertissement: Coffee (Arab Dance), Tchaikovsky, from The Nutcracker. Actually, I would select the entire Nutcracker, but of course it is so much more than just one song.  I used to take in the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Nucracker at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music every year – the employee association at Mellon used to offer great orchestra seats – and I was enticed every year by the solo performance of this Arab Dance, as I sat just a few rows off center stage.  I would swear that the dancer was making eye contact, and dancing for me alone.  I still find this particular piece, shall we say, arousing…
  12. The Hallelujah Chorus, The Roches, from Keep On Doing. Thanks again to WIOQ.  Sure, there are many versions of the Hallelujah Chorus, most of them with full choir, but this a capella version by The Roches never ceases to amaze me in its simplicity.

There are many more songs that could appear on this list, and by no means do I attest that these are the best Christmas songs of all time, but if I had to listen to only these 12 Christmas songs, I’d be more than happy for a very long time.

I welcome your comments and your own lists!