I must confess.  I unabashedly love Christmas Music.  ALL Christmas music.  Seriously.  I love the classics.  I love non-classic songs.  I like slow songs.  I like fast songs.  I even like the Drummer Boy song.  GASP.  I know, it’s shocking because based on recent Facebook posts, NO ONE likes the Drummer Boy.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s in my top 20 or even top 100, but I like it.

So here is my top 10 Christmas Songs in no particular order.

1.  God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen sung by The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah Mclachlan.  I could listen to this song over and over and over again.  Again.

2.  O Holy Night – sung by whomever.  Let’s be honest no one with a bad voice is actually going to try to sing this.  Well…they might, but they will probably be crucified for it.  I love this song so much that when my husband and I got married in December of 2001, I had hoped to play this song at our wedding.  But something about singing O Holy Night on our wedding day was deemed inappropriate.  I’m not sure what other night would be considered Holy, I digress.

3.  In the realm of classic, aka I couldn’t sing that pitch even if I tried much like O Holy Night, is also another favorite Ave Maria.  I usually like to hear Barbara sing it.  Sometimes I turn up the stereo really loud.  So loud you can’t hear me when I try to sing it.  I assure you I’m alone in the car.  I try not to subject others to this behaviour.

4.  Another song that ranks high in singing difficulty is The Chipmunk Christmas Song.  Just try to sing it the way they do and see what happens.  I usually end up choking from trying to sound so nasal.  But it’s not a complete Christmas music playlist without the Chipmunks or the Jingle Dogs.  I didn’t want to devote a number to the Jingle Dogs because I might come off as not very discerning when it comes to music.  But you probably already question my tastes from the previous mention of Drummer Boy.  How can you not love the Chipmunks at Christmas?  That’s like saying that you don’t like the Charlie Brown Christmas special.

5.  Speaking of Charlie Brown, anything played by Schroeder, I mean the Vince Guaraldi Trio is a must.  Fur Elise, Greensleeves, O Tannenbaum.  See how a list of 10 becomes 20?

6.  Any aforementioned or songs to be mentioned sung by the cast of Glee.  I know it’s like listing the same song twice, but it’s my list.  I can have duplicates, right?

7.  O Holy Night sung by Tracy Chapman.  Like I said, I can have duplicates.  Although I wouldn’t necessarily consider this a duplicate because her voice is so unique and so the song is almost a completely different song.

8.  River sung by Joni Mitchell.  I first heard this song while watching Love Actually.  There’s something sad and sweet about this song.  Wait maybe that’s the movie.  or Both?  Either way.  I love the movie and I love this song.  Rachel from Glee sings it, Aimee Mann sings it, but I prefer Joni, and I usually prefer to listen to it right after I’ve watched the movie for the umpteenth time.

9.  Speaking of  Love Actually– Good King Wenceslas preferably sung by Hugh Grant in Love Actually.  Again, not the typical Christmas favorite, but when I think of this song, I think of the scene where Hugh Grant is asked to sing a carol by these adorable little girls and is backed up by his driver who happens to be a baritone.  This song makes me smile every time.  Which inevitably makes me think of the scene where Hugh Grant is dancing to Jump (for my love).  And then I have to stop everything I’m doing and watch the movie.

10.  Since we’re on the topic of movie soundtracks.  You can’t go wrong with the soundtrack to Home Alone.  Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree sung by Brenda Lee is my personal favorite from this movie.

11.  Baby It’s Cold Outside sung by Dean Martin.  Don’t get me wrong Lady Antebellum does it justice and so does that girl and Will Ferrel when they sang it on Elf, but you can’t go wrong with Dean.

12.  Christmas Collage sung by Kathy Mattea.  I know, it’s odd.  I don’t even remember how I found this song.  But there is something about the fact that it’s a medley and that it has Greensleeves mixed in the song.

13.  What Child is This sung by Sarah McLachlan.  Again with the Greensleeves.  I have no explanation.  I told you, I like a lot of Christmas music.  A lot.  I also like duplicates.

14.  Christmas Song sung by Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.  Among one of my many favorite, what I consider to be, “alternative/non-classic” Christmas songs.  Much like Christmastime sung by Smashing Pumpkins.  Not at all the normal song, but among one of my absolute favorites.  My list gets longer….

15.  El Burrito de Belen sung by Juanes.  Que?  Yes it’s in spanish.  And yes I totally love it.  I didn’t grow up with it but the first time I sang it church not too long ago, I fell in love.  So of course I had to add it to the playlist.

16.  Jingle Bell Jamboree sung by Keb’ Mo.  This is what happens when you buy a compilation album.  You end up listening to music you would NEVER in a million years listen to.  Nonetheless, it’s a recent favorite.

17.  Love Came Down at Christmas sung by Shawn Colvin.  Slow.  Could make you fall asleep.  I try to listen to it on rainy days while drinking a Starbucks coffee.  It makes everything right in the world.  Or maybe that’s the nap that follows that makes everything right in the world?

18.  My Only Wish.  This has been sung by Britney, Mariah and someone from Glee, but the absolute best version is the little girl who sings it on, you guessed it, Love Actually.  Again, maybe it has to do with the story line.  The adorable little boy who learns to play the drums because he’s in love with the little girl singing.  Drop everything.  Watch the movie….Ok. I’m back.

19.  Santa Baby sung by Rev Run.  How can you not add this to the list?  It’s Rev Run.  Enough said.

20.  Winter Wonderland sung by Bing Crosby.  The reason I like this song is the talking/singing.  You know the part – “In the meadow we can build a snowman, then pretend that he is Parson Brown.  He’ll say: Are you married?  We’ll say: No man, but you can do the job when you’re in town”  Ok, I will stop now.

Wonderful Christmastime.