My Favorite Holiday Tunes

I finally started to listen to some holiday songs while wrapping gifts this weekend. Besides figuring out that I am by far the worst gift wrapper (you know, the kind that cuts the wrapping paper just about an inch too short so there's a little strip of box showing underneath), I happened to find an old Christmas CD I must have made back in high school and figured I'd share some of my favorite tunes. So here's my top 10 favorite holiday tunes, in no particular order.

1. "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole
To be honest, I had no clue this was even the name of the song. Possibly better known for its subtitle and opening line - "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" - Nat King Cole's calming voice makes everyone want to sit back, relax and drink some eggnog while trying to resist the temptation of opening all those gifts under the Christmas tree.

2. "Let It Snow" by Dean Martin
Another classic holiday song by crooner Dean Martin with lyrics such as "The weather outside is frightful, but the fire's so delightful/Since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." Seriously, who doesn't love a perfect rhyme scheme repetition throughout a song? I think every song should be entirely made up of clever rhymes.

3. "Sleigh Ride" the instrumental version.
I think all those years of playing "Sleigh Ride" on my clarinet throughout high school finally has grown on me. It really is a quality song. I really like Relient K's version as well...you can check it out on their MySpace

4. "Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul McCartney.
From the catchy intro McCartney has me hooked. Everyone should simply have a wonderful Christmas time.

5. "Last Christmas" by Wham!
Possibly one of the more depressing holiday songs, Wham! demonstrates how horribly heart-wrenching it is to have your heart broken on Christmas.

6. "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey.
This may be my favorite Christmas song. The lyrics, the rhythm. Maybe it's just the hopeless romantic in me, but every time I hear this song I just can't help but sing along regardless where I am.

7. "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" by N'Sync.
Okay, okay. You can make fun of this choice, but remember I grew up during the boy band era. This song just can't help but get you into the holiday spirit. The piano introduction, the up tempo beat throughout the song's entirety, Justin Timberlake . . . I have a feeling it may be a lot of people's guilty pleasure holiday song.

8. "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley.
He is the King. Need I say more?

9. "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid.
It's amazing that this song was released back in 1984 and it's probably one of the most played holiday songs today, not to mention this song has helped raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. Singers on this track include Duran Duran, Paul Young, George Michael, Sting and Bono, just to name a few.

10. "Oh Holy Night" by Josh Groban.
His voice is simply phenomenal on this song. He starts out the song softly, but then perfects throughout the song in spots where his voice and the music both slowly crescendo.

Again, these are only 10 of my picks out of hundreds of holiday songs out there. Hopefully you enjoyed a few of them! Merry Christmas.