Christmas music mostly falls into one of two categories. There are absolutely classic, old-school songs, and then there are contemporary ones.
People who are into music generally love both.
There was a huge surge during the 50s and 60s of pop stars churning out Christmas albums, and it's been a cornerstone of the recording industry ever since. Most pop stars worth their salt have released a holiday album.
Some of the finest tracks a given artist may release over the course of a career in popular music are likely to be Christmas related.
So we're running down some of our favorite classics, some of the tracks you'd better have playing in the background while you're trimming your tree, wrapping presents, avoiding your family, or even coming downstairs for Christmas morning.
1. "Deck the Halls" - Bing Crosby
This is an old song. Way old. The melody belongs to a Welsh tune that's hundreds of years old, but the lyrics we know today can be attributed to Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant from the late Nineteenth Century.
Bing Crosby though, has a voice built for the holidays. His album, White Christmas, is easily one of the most necessary Christmas albums ever released, and one that's aged perfectly since its release 70 years ago.
2. "Silent Night" - Elvis Presley
This song dates back to 1818, when Austrian composer Franz Xavier Gruber put it to paper. Aside from the liquid gold voice of Josh Groban, nobody ever sang this song better than The King himself, Elvis Presly.
While "Blue Christmas" is easily his most recognizable Christmas song, it doesn't exactly fit in this discussion of canonical Christmas songs.
3. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - Judy Garland
Judy Garland is probably most famous for singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," and her performance in The Wizard of Oz.
But this is one of the best Christmas songs there is, and her version is great.
4. "O Christmas Tree" - Aretha Franklin
We know it as "O Christmas Tree," but the title is really "O Tannenbaum," Tannenbaum, meaning "fir tree" in German.
Aside from the kids in Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown, Aretha Franklin absolutely kills this song. It's almost untouchable.
,5. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)" - Frank Sinatra
While most people just call it, "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire," the song is actually just called "The Christmas Song," written in 1945 by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.
It's one of the best Christmas songs there is-- even if there's always confusion as to what the song is actually called --and how do you make the best Christmas song there is even better? Frank Sinatra.
6. "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy" - David Bowie & Bing Crosby
Okay, so this song has the potential to be the most annoying song ever-- depending on who sings it --but it's a classic. Kids in the car, singing carols, you let the kids who can't carry a tune make drum noises. Family Christmas solved!
But this is the best rendition of that song. Again, Josh Groban is a golden goose, but check out David freakin' Bowie and Bing Crosby perform "Peace on Earth" and "Little Drummer Boy" in 1977 for Crosby's TV special, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas.
7. "Let It Snow" - Dean Martin
How could we possibly forget, "Let It Snow?" We've been singing it since mid-November, and with 60-degree temperatures in the forecast for the weekend, we're singing it louder.
Louder is rarely better, though. So we'll give this one away to the classic Dean Martin.
While Dean Martin may be the most famous singer to perform the song, it was actually written in Los Angeles by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne during a heat wave.
8. "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" - Alvin and the Chipmunks
Okay, okay, okay. So this isn't exactly a song that anyone should sing while caroling, but how could the Chipmunks not make it here?
Written in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr, "The Chipmunk Song" is one of everybody's favorites. It encapsulates the novelty of the cartoon while integrating some of the holiday ambiance. It's great.
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[Feature Image Courtesy SheScribes.com]