Christmas Music Postlude - Part Two

Besides categorizing the Christmas songs into some kind of demented holiday ten best (as I did yesterday), I thought it might be interesting to go to the other end of the spectrum and make note of some of the original songs of the holiday season. Some of these have been covered by other artists, but not frequently. So here's my list of songs of that kind that the holiday season would be lesser without:

• A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
• Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Jimmy Dorsey
• Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2
• Christmas Everyday - The Temptations
• Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
• Dig That Crazy Santa Claus - Ralph Marterie
• Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy
• Green Christmas - Barenaked Ladies
• Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon
• Home for the Holidays - Perry Como
• It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Johnny Mathis
• Last Christmas - Wham!
• Little Jack Frost Get Lost - Frankie Carle
• Mambo Santa Mambo - The Enchanters
• Merry Christmas, Baby - Kenny Burrell
• Merry Christmas Polka - The Andrews Sisters
• Oi to the World - No Doubt
• Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
• Santa Bring My Baby Back - Elvis Presley
• Shake Hands with Santa Claus - Louis Prima
• Snowfall - Glenn Miller
• The Bell That Couldn't Jingle - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
• The Christmas Blues - Dean Martin
• The Man with the Bag - Kay Starr
• The Merriest - June Christy
• The Nutcracker Suite - Les Brown
• Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney

Frank Sinatra gets special mention with two songs: Mistletoe and Holly and The Christmas Waltz. And an extra special mention must be made of the great Louis Armstrong with Christmas in New Orleans, Christmas Night in Harlem, Cool Yule, and 'Zat You, Santa Claus?

Christmas Music Postlude - Part One

Well, Christmas is over. 2006 is over. Even my five-year-old is teasing me about still listening to Christmas music. But that doesn't stop him from singing along with Jingle Bells, so go figure. But I am actually starting to delete Christmas music from my MP3 player, as I save them to disc. So, here's my Christmas music wrap-up for this year...

I got up to 400 Christmas songs on my MP3 player. Jingle Bells still holds the #1 spot with 22 different versions. There is a two-way tie for second place with White Christmas and The Christmas Song at 18 versions each. Winter Wonderland is #3 with 17 versions, and at #4 is Silent Night with 12 versions. There is another two-way tie at #5 with Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with 11 versions each. Sleigh Ride and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town are tied at #6 with 9 versions each. Yet another two-way tie at #7: Blue Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with 8 versions each. At #8 is What Are You Doing New Year's Eve with 7 versions. Tied for ninth place is God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and Deck the Halls with 6 versions each. And with five versions each coming in at tenth place are: Carol of the Bells, Here Comes Santa Claus, I'll Be Home for Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock, O Holy Night, Santa Baby, Silver Bells, and We Three Kings.