1. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”: 11/10 “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is by far my favorite Christmas song. Every detail feels mirthful and really does manifest that it is the most wonderful time of year. I love how it doesn’t have a long build-up and kicks right into the Christmas spirit. There is something about Andy Williams’ voice that is so soothing and so recognizable that listening to him makes me feel warm. When I hear this play, I picture baking Christmas cookies with my mom on a snowy night, or any heartwarming stereotypical Christmas activity. If I could listen to only one-holiday song for the entire Christmas season, this would definitely be my first pick.
2.“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”: 9.9/10 Brenda Lee has a number of top hit songs but “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has by far taken the crown for her most popular release. This was first recorded in 1958 when Brenda was only 14 years old! The 65-year age gap shows that the classics truly never get old. To me, Christmas songs are more of a feeling. Listening to this reminds me of walking through NYC’s largest Macys and browsing through the fresh holiday stock. The only flaw about this song is that it is slightly overused, even though it has a catchy melody would you really choose to hear this on replay?
3. “All I Want for Christmas is You”: 9.2/10 We all know Mariah Carey’s whistle note signifying the start of the holiday season. Even though many people believe her songs are overrated, there is no doubt that she is truly talented. If Mariah only ever recorded this one song, “All I Want for Christmas if You”, she’d still be set for life, making over three million dollars per year. Arguably the last true holiday music standard (no new Christmas song has had the same cultural impact after this release), the song has had such a grip on society that it hit number one for the first time in 2019, 25 years after it was originally released.
4. “Jingle Bells”: 5/10 I know some of you will strongly disagree with my rating but hear me out on this one. Yes, “Jingle Bells” is a classic, and yes, Frank Sinatra is talented, but could you really listen to this more than once without getting bored? Hearing this song honestly puts me to sleep. There is no excitement and the lyrics are pretty predictable, it’s basically a holiday lullaby solely based on the lack of energy. The only part of this I want to listen to is the chorus, which is only sung twice throughout the entire song. Past that, the remaining time was not worth listening to.
5. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch”: 8.7/10 A lot of Christmas songs typically take on a pretty heavy message: “Fall on your knees.” “Sleep in heavenly peace.” “All I want for Christmas is you.” So the genre of holiday humor can be refreshing. The Grinch’s song is a perfect example of Christmas comedy; it’s fun, it’s soulful, and it’s different from the rest of the songs you hear on the radio. Christmas is a time of year for children to get excited for Santa to drop down their chimney and open presents. But as we get older our focuses differ and the music changes from bubbly to romantic. Unfortunately, not everyone has a partner to share this wonderful time of the year with, and listening to music revolving around love isn’t a comfort for a lot of people. Songs like “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” keeps the holidays feeling cheerful and lighthearted.
