Tis The Season

I've basically held out as long as possible. Fine, I cheated slightly and flipped my Pandora to Christmas hits earlier this week, but otherwise I've resisted Christmassy things before Thanksgiving (round of applause). But for the next four weeks, I will eat, breathe and sleep holiday festivity; I just love it. It happens to be one of the busiest times of year at work so that may put a damper on it, but we're busy with The Nutcracker which epitomizes Christmas, so I can deal.

In honor of the impending month of December and the ridiculousness of the approaching Merwin Countdown Calendar, it is clearly necessary to rank the top Christmas songs of all time. I've given this a lot of thought. Too much thought. But not enough thought to assure you that I haven't forgotten some essentials. This task is over my head. If you are a holiday song rookie, this list may provide a nice guide to a blend of traditional classics and upbeat "pop" tunes to get you in the holiday spirit. C'mon, it's almost December! Embrace it!

Top 10 Christmas Songs/Carols

10) Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
'NSync (I hate myself for loving this. Feel free to make fun of me for this selection...well deserved. For a special treat, check out the video...wowza.)

9)  O Christmas Tree
This song seems a little under done to me, but I like this version by Aretha Franklin)

8) O Come O Come Emmanuel
Just beautiful. Possibly my favorite traditional carol.

7) White Christmas
Bing Crosby's version. No contest.

6)  Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Lots of singers have done it well, but Frank Sinatra did it best.

5)  O Holy Night
So many great versions...I especially love large chorale renditions.

4)  Santa Baby
Eartha Kitt owns this song.

3)  Baby It's Cold Outside
Love the classic version by Dean Martin and Martina McBride

2) Last Christmas
The version by Wham always gets me bopping around and excited. Just something about it!

1) All I Want for Christmas Is You
Speaking of excited, I can't keep still when I hear this one by Mariah Carey. I know there are haters but this song is so great. I aced this Buzzfeed quiz challenging me on how well I know the lyrics. Pshaw. Child's play.

Honorable Mentions / Cheating:

Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney, Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, and Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid (Original 1984 version but I love the new one too)