Christmas Songs

Although the Christmas season is in full swing (judging by the crowds in the department stores), it doesn't feel like the holidays until:

1. The Christmas tree vendors set up shop and I get to inhale the delicious aroma of pine (Check!)

2. I get my first Christmas card (Check!)

3. I watch for the zillionth time It's a Wonderful Life (on NBC this Friday at 8 pm!)

4. I hear Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy piped over some store sound system (Check, check, check! Hey I heard it playing on a BMW commercial as I was typing this up!)

At least I think it's the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy--I'm not really up on The Nutcracker, but every time I hear that twinkly tune, I feel like dancing. Pirouettes. In ballet slippers. Which would be awkward since I'm a total klutz...Anyway, there's nothing like sound good Christmas music to get you in the mood for the holiday. As such, it was time to load some Christmas tunes on to my iPod. Here's a list of some of my faves:

1. All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey (Truthfully--I keep this boppy little tune on my iPod year round. I know it's kitschy--but I love it!)

2. Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano (Isn't "Feliciano" the perfect name for a someone singing a Christmas song? I like that--unlike something like The 12 Days of Christmas--it's easy to remember the word. Although I usually mumble over the "prospero año y felicidad" part...)

3. Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio (This is the best part of A Charlie Brown Christmas, isn't it? With the cartoon kids and Snoopy dancing around and bopping their heads?)

4. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft ("You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel. Mr. Grinch--you're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!")

5. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band-Aid (More than 20 years after Live Aid, this song still brings tears to my eyes. With a boatload of talent on vocals--Bono, George Michael, Simon Le Bon, Boy George, Sting--I like trying to figure out who's singing each verse.)

6. Please Come Home for Christmas - Eagles (This and Elvis' Blue Christmas have the same bittersweet sensibility of the season.)

7. Father Christmas - The Kinks (Speaking of bittersweet--well, this one's mostly bitter...)

8. Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses (Gotta love this single girl's holiday anthem with a happy ending!)

9. Step into Christmas - Elton John (Sure it's campy, but what do you expect from Captain Fantastic?)

10. Last Christmas - Wham! (What can I say? It's Kitsch-mas.)

11. The Chanukah Song - Adam Sandler (Cracks me up every time...)

12. 2000 Miles - The Pretenders (Not a traditional carol, but the lyrics reference the holiday: "The children will sing, he'll be back at Christmastime...")

13. Life in a Northern Town - Dream Academy (Again, not traditionally a "Christmas Song," but it has a magical, wintry feel to it. Reminds me of Boston...)

14. Better Days - Goo Goo Dolls (Another wintry sounding song--both morose and hopeful at the same time.)

15. Same Old Lang Syne - Dan Fogelberg ("Met my old lover in the grocery store, the snow was falling Christmas Eve..." It also has the wintry sadness to it. Sigh.)

That's the Christmas playlist for now. I'm missing a lot of great tunes--We Need a Little Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, The Twelve Days of Christmas (the Bob and Doug McKenzie version--"...and a beer!"), among others.

What are your favorite holiday songs?