Christmas Songs

December 23, 2006

They’re awesome. For the most part. There are also some pretty terrible ones. They suck.

Oh, what are some nice ones? Carol of the Bells is great. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear is pretty. The First Noel isn’t bad at all. Deck the Halls is fun. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is cute. Up on the Housetop!!! Oh, and The Little Drummer Boy rules.

Both Away in a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem each have two entirely different tunes.

There’s also plenty that masquerade as Christmas songs but really aren’t. Jingle Bells is a good example. It, as well as Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, and Let It Snow, are not Christmas songs. They are winter songs. There is nothing in them about Christmas. They are winter songs and are thus appropriate right up until the Vernal Equinox.

Joy to the World could be argued that it isn’t quite a Christmas song. It’s iffy.

Let There Be Peace on Earth is not for Christmas. It’s just a peace song.

My Favorite Things, even. I keep hearing radios play that one as a Christmas song. It’s even in my Christmas song book. Why? It’s from The Sound of Music. Maria sings it when all the kids have sneaked into her room during that thunderstorm. Nothing to do with Christmas. Although I still think they should have heeded Marta’s suggestion that they sing it when hiding from Nazis at the monastery or whatever. Would have gotten them killed but would be funny as hell.

Good King Wenceslas isn’t a Christmas song. It’s a St. Stephen’s Day song, which is December 26.

I think they’ve been trying to pass Pachelbel’s Canon off as a Christmas song, somehow. It sure has become a common wedding song, sure, but I don’t quite get the Christmas connection.

There’s probably more I can’t think of at the moment.

In any case, if you want to tell good ones from bad ones, I’ve made a couple of lists. Top Ten Christmas Songs Ever. Decided solely by me. And, of course, the Bottom Ten Christmas Songs Ever. Decided solely by me. So you know it’s genuine.

Top Ten Christmas Songs

Bottom Ten Christmas Songs

And stay tuned tomorrow for more Christmas greatness!