It’s December, and therefore now an acceptable time for all the festivities surrounding Christmas to begin!
My tree is up, my Christmas cards are (mostly) distributed and the butter is softening to begin the gingerbread dough, and it’s only the first of the month.
Thankfully, most places I have been in the last month seem to have received the message that any Christmas song prior to December 1 is an abominable assault on my ears. But once it’s December, go crazy. Make sure by Boxing Day I need a good 11 month rest between Christmas tunes.
To that end, I am compiling my top 10 Christmas hits for 2014. While I tend to be a fan of the traditional carols in an ongoing sense, there are a number of non-carol Christmas songs that I am particularly looking forward to playing this year, so they will heavily feature in this top 10. So, without further ado:
Number 10: “Santa Claus is Thumbing to Town”, Relient K
I always hated “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. A truly inane tune. And yet, Relient K added some punk-pop flavour and humourous imagery, and they’re onto a winning streak. This song has been trotted out at Christmas for at least the last 10 years of my life (if not longer). It signals that Christmas is upon us in the same way that dark clouds remind you to bring the washing in.
Number 9: “Deck the Halls”, Bunch of Believers
Ska music is probably the happiest genre on earth. Go ahead, listen and be cranky. I dare you. Everyone needs some happy ska music at Christmas time!
Number 8: “Carol of the Bells”, The Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Savatage)
Oft attributed to Metallica (incorrectly), the wailing guitars and full percussion section of this track lend some much needed edge to a holiday that is easily overrun with schmaltz when left unattended too long.
Number 7: “Sizzlin’ Summerland”, Scat
Apart from simply being an incredible Australian jazz band who deserve a shout out, Scat manage to accurately capture what Christmas has been like for my entire life. And because of the accuracy of their lyrics, it makes me HATE SUMMER CHRISTMASES EVEN MORE! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, feast your ears and eyes on the depressing reality that is a summer Christmas. (Note: most Aussies love their summer Christmas. I’m looking forward to my first cold Christmas this year in the Northern Hemisphere and I surely hope it’s not my last. My opinion will not be popular with my fellow Australians.)
Number 6: “Nothing From Nothing”, Billy Preston
This song is from the soundtrack of Elf, a truly iconic Christmas film (I can’t quite say it’s the best, though). It has a bouncy Christmas-y feel, without being so recognisable you want to roll your eyes out of their sockets every time you hear it.
Number 5: “Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas”, John Williams
This little ditty comes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. This kid got it all for Christmas. Autonomy, credit card, no responsibility, no pesky relatives, snow, and the adventure of New York City. Sure he exhibits sociopathic levels of violence while systematically destroying his relatives renovations, but hey, it’s Christmas! This score captures all the emotion of the situation and infuses it with all the Christmas sound you could imagine. Like candy canes for your ears.
Number 4: “Christmas Lights”, Coldplay
There is something very lovely about a haunting Christmas song. It’s very Dickensian in the vein of A Christmas Carol. This song fits that bill.
Number 3: “Carol of the Bells/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, The Piano Guys
I know “Carol of the Bells” made it in twice, but it is a truly beautiful song, and you would really struggle to overplay it. Besides, the Piano Guys blend these two traditional melodies into an intricate musical tapestry with skill that few others possess. It deserves to be noticed!
Number 2: “Go Tell It On a Mountain”, Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe deserve the highest of fives for turning such a nerdy old song into the catchiest carol around. I cannot applaude their feat enough and I am happy to play this one on repeat until the wrapping paper is tidied and we’re all taking our Christmas afternoon naps.
Number 1: Phoebe’s Christmas Song
Please tell Joey/Christmas will be snowy. I just can’t go past it. It’s my favourite right now. Don’t try to sing along.
It's Tiph 