So, what's the best Christmas song of all time?

[Administrator]

It's Christmas, the season of joy and peace and good will. So, we chose our Question of the Week carefully. That's not to say we don't want your opinion, or course, but rather than something along the lines of "Is everyone who claims to have a 'Golden Ear' a pretentious liar?", we thought we'd go with a question less likely to incite bitterness, anger, and rancor.
So, what's the best Christmas song of all time? And if it's a "traditional" Christmas song, who recorded the best version of it? Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters version of "White Christmas?" "Father Christmas" by the Kinks? Have you ever heard "Wonderful Christmastime" as sung by the cast of "The West Wing"? It's a real treat. Anyway, what song gets your vote? Or maybe you believe there's no such thing as a good Christmas song. We want to hear from all the Grinches and Scrooges, too.

[Releaux]

I'd have to go with "The Christmas Song" as performed by The Velvet Fog himself, Mel Torme.

[harewood]

The sound that always comes to mind when I think Christmas song is "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme as sung by Nat King Cole.

[Paul D]

I always liked CHRISTMAS TIME IN THE MOTOR CITY by WAS (NOT WAS)...

[GASSMAN]

Christmas Time is Here...Steve Vai
I always liked the song from the "Peanuts" specials and Vai has a great rendition.

[Unregistered]

I don't believe that there is any question that "The Christmas Song" by Mel Torme, sung by Nat King Cole is THE Christmas recording of all time. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without hearing this!
I also believe that running an extremely close second is Johnnie Mathis singing "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year". I'm not sure that the version on David Foster's is different from other versions of Johnnie Mathis', but the recording on Foster's Christmas CD is fabulous. The arrangement is terrific!

[Unregistered]

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

[buddtopps89]

I think that THE SONG is "This Christmas". It is a good song with a nice beat and it puts me in the Christmas spirit.

[UPCHUCK]

Well, for just all around success of bringing "joy through music and lyric" to the hearts of millions of kids, I 've got to go with Gene Autry and Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, but I also liked "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth", happy happy to all.

[markjbush]

Oh Holy Night.

[BluezFly]

How about
"You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" as sung by the Whirling Dervishes
or as sung by Thurl Ravenscroft

[Unregistered]

I have yet to track down an original recording, but Michael W. Smith on his recent Christmastime album did an awesome rendition of Kay Thompson's "Jingle Bells", which is certainly one of the best Christmas medleys.

[myles]

I couldnt tell you what the best Christmas song ever recorded is. But my favorite Christmas song is "This Christmas", sung by Donny Hathaway. I dont think anyone has sung a Christmas song with more emotion than he.

[bandy320]

White Christmas is my favorite song

[AnthemBassMan]

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Bruce Springsteen;)
L8R,
Matt D.

[sadsongs]

Hmm. So many nice tunes.


How about a few that weren't mentioned:

Linus & Lucy by Vince Guaraldi Trio (that cool Charlie Brown tune)
Patapan
The holly and the ivy
The Little Drummer Boy
Toyland
Winter wonderland (Walking in a)


And some more traditional tunes:

Angels we have hear on high
Auld Lang Syne ("If old acquaintance be forgot...")
Away in a manger
Deck the halls
Do you hear what I hear
Go tell it on the mountain
God rest ye merry gentlemen
HalleluYah Chorus (from "Messiah")
Hark! The herald angels sing
It came upon a midnight clear
Joy to the world
O Come, all ye faithful (AKA, Adeste Fideles)
O Come, O Come Emmanual
O Holy night
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Silent Night
Sleigh ride
The first Noel
We three kings (of Orient are)
We wish you a merry Christmas
What Child is This? (AKA, Greensleeves)


And please, no Satan--oops--Santa songs; okay, one:

Santa Baby (is cute, if naughty), sung by Eartha Kitt


Okay, and some other songs that are good tunes if not all in the Spirit of Christmas:

Carol of the bells
Dance ot the sugar plum fairy (Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker)
Feliz Navidad
Frosty the Snowman
Good King Wenceslas
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
He's got the whole world in His Hands
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
It's the most wonderful time of the year (depressing?)
Jingle bell rock, sung by Bobby Helms
Jingle bells
Let it snow
O Christmas tree (AKA, O Tannenbaum)
Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Silver bells
The Christmas Song ("Chestnuts roasting...")
The twelve days of Christmas
We three cows, from "It's a Cow Christmas" (Spinnaker Enterprises, Inc.); a favorite alt.
White Christmas


Okay, that's enough for now!

halleluYah! Praise Yah!

[Terry Wetzel]

Definitely, the great Roy Orbison's "Pretty Paper" written by Willie Nelson !
Terry Wetzel

[Byll]

For me, it would be one of two:

Either 'In the Bleak Midwinter', with music by Gustav Holst, or 'I Wonder as I Wander', composed by the folk-song collector John Jacob Niles, on a fragment of a tune he heard being sung by a young girl, in North Carolina.

My band used to do a lot of Christmas concerts. These two selections elicited more emotional response than any others...

Best to all.
Byll

[cdanddvdpublisher]

I don't really like country music but there is one country christmas song that gets stuck in my head every Christmas. Its called "Christmas Cookies" and I think its George Strait. It makes me laugh every time and its pretty catchy.

[eamline]

Christmas Favorites: "Being Alone for Christmas" & "Christmas Lullaby" by Len Francis Monahan

http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Len-Francis-Monahan-Independent/dp/B00160ZJR2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1210356512&sr=8-1

[sadsongs]

For me, it would be one of two:

Either 'In the Bleak Midwinter', with music by Gustav Holst, or 'I Wonder as I Wander', composed by the folk-song collector John Jacob Niles, on a fragment of a tune he heard being sung by a young girl, in North Carolina.

My band used to do a lot of Christmas concerts. These two selections elicited more emotional response than any others...

Best to all.
Byll

Hi Byll,

Which performance(s) of Bleak? I went to iTunes Music Store, and I found maybe hundreds! From Choirs to Instrumentals to Orchestral to Country-Folk to Jazz, to maybe Pop and Hip-Hop. But I didn't find one BY Gustav Holst! What group and album performance? (And if not on iTMS, What style, etc.?)

I Wonder as I Wander is also haunting, and there are many versions out there. Any particular version(s) of this?

What kind of band were you when you did these tunes? Name, area? (Now you can sort of "advertise" a bit, maybe, LOL. Just kidding.) :)

Thanks!

©2008 by me. All rights reserved.

[wicked stepmum]

The best christmas song EVER has to be "I wish it could be christmas everyday" by Wizzard

[wolfgang69]

My nuts roasting on an open fire.

[Lambo]

My Grown-up Christmas List - Kelly Clarkson

[gibsonman]

Tie
1.O Holy Night
2.Silent Night

[unclebean93]

O Holy Night sang by Celine Dion or O Holy Night played by Trans Siberian Orchestra. Both are awesome and moving.

[Lmf]

Silent Night

White Christmas - Bing Crosby

The Christmas Song - Mel Torme wrote it, but I like Nat King Cole's rendition.

Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer - Gene Autry


' Tis the season to be jolly!

Lloyd

[CreationStationSounds]

Donnie Hathaway. This Christmas. The all time fav.

[MoneylessRecording]

Sorry for resurecting the old thread, but I'm new on the forum, and love Christmas, so I just had to post. My favorites have to be O Holy Night, sung by anyone with a great voice, but my favorite had to be a teacher at my hometown college, along with any arrangement from Manheim Steamroller or Transiberiean Orchestra.

[irislogic]

Old thread resurrector again! I'm a big fan of Christmas songs too, since they elicit so many good memories. Though that's funny for me to say, because the best Christmas song of all time for me isn't exactly a Christmas song - it's Auld Lang Syne, generally sung during New Year's. Anyway, I just like the lyrics and the slow way it's sung.