Each December, the radio airwaves fill with festive holiday fare, as deejays load up playlists with Christmas carols and covers by artists from the past and present. Many stations forgo on-air advertising for long stretches, simply to allow uninterrupted holiday music to play for party hosts, motorists and other music fans.
Holiday music gains momentum, as Christmas approaches.
After Thanksgiving, most of us fill our iPods, MP3 players or other personal music devices with winter holiday songs, getting us into the mood for merriment.
What are your favorite Christmas songs? Do you love sacred holiday hymns, rollicking pop party songs, folksy versions or another genre altogether?
But some Christmas songs make us cringe.
Amid all the Christmas spirit, a few harmonic heartbreaks and melodic mishaps seem to creep through every year.
Just for grins (or groans), I drew up a list of my top 25 least favorite seasonal selections to date, including long-time Christmas classics and current chart toppers for the holiday season. Just to be fair, I’m listing these top dogs alphabetically (by song title) and including the names of the artists whose versions I like the least (if not the original performers).
Here are my top 25 worst Christmas song choices.
“And So This Is Christmas (War is Over)” – John Lennon & Yoko Ono “Christmas All Over Again” – Tom Petty “Christmas Conga” – Cyndi Lauper “Christmas Through Your Eyes” – Gloria Estefan “Christmas Time Is Here” – Vince Guaraldi “Christmas, Don’t Be Late” – The Chipmunks “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” – Band Aid “Dominick, The Christmas Donkey” – Lou Monte “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” – Elmo & Patsy “Howdy Doody Christmas” – The Fontana Sisters “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” – Gayla Peevey “It Must Have Been Old Santa Claus” – Harry Connick, Jr. “Jingle Bells” – Barking Dogs “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” – Maurice Chevalier “Last Christmas” – George Michael/Wham! “Little Saint Nick” – The Beach Boys “Merry Christmas, Baby” – Bonnie Raitt & Charles Brown “Please, Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)” – John Denver “Run, Run, Rudolph” – Chuck Berry “Santa Baby” – Madonna “Snoopy’s Christmas” – The Royal Guardsmen “Step into Christmas” – Elton John “Suzy Snowflake” – Rosemary Clooney “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot” – Nat King Cole “Wonderful Christmastime” – Paul McCartney
For most of the year, I actually enjoy songs by many of these artists. I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fan since before I could read words or musical notes. I’ve attended concerts by the Beach Boys, Elton John and others. Occasionally, I find myself in the mood for a little Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Raitt or even Harry Connick, Jr.
Still, these holiday selections are horrendous, I think. And every year, new nightmares will likely be added
Which perennial plays drive you up the wall, or perhaps the Christmas tree? What seasonal songs make you groan like Dr. Seuss’ Grinch? Which worst holiday tracks did I miss?
Don’t be shy. Holiday party hosts need to know.
More from this contributor:
Maybe It’s Sold-Out Time – a Carol in Rhyme for the Holiday Time
My Top Twenty Favorite Sacred Christmas Carols
My Favorite Christmas Song of All Time