Best and Worst Holiday Songs

[rt1ky]

I admit that this thread was inspired by a horriffic version of Blue Christmas by Sheryl Crow. Hence, that is my first nomination for Worst Holiday song.

Best Holiday Songs:
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Someday at Christmas - Stevie Wonder

[CantGetNuf]

Worst song:
Santa Baby (Madonna?)

Best song:
Pat a Pan/While Shepards Watched Their Flocks (Bing Cosby)
Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie and Bing Cosby)

[Newfherder]

Among my favorites: I'll Be Home for Christmas, Joy to the World (especially if the choir really soars in the later verses)

Among my least favorites: I'll Be Home for Christmas (country-swing version), Little Drummer Boy (sorry, CantGetNuf ) Do You Hear What I Hear (too pompous), Twelve Days of Christmas

[Stargazer]

Worst: Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, and Rockin Around the Christmas Tree (any versions of any of these songs )

Best: O Holy Night, I'll Be Home for Christmas, White Christmas

And Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer still makes me laugh if I'm in the right mood.

[rt1ky]

worst: The 8 days of Christmas by Destiny's Child.
That song should be a crime.

[misskitty]

Mannheim Steamroller CDs' - Christmas, A Fresh Aire Christmas, Christmas Extraordinaire, or Christmas in the Aire.

Because it is just joyful music. Pure, lively, happy joyful music. No lyrics to get excited about or be politically incorrect for the times.

[geek the girl]

Best:

Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes.
Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith. (Check out the "Chrismukkah" episode of The O.C. for other great indie renditions of classic holiday songs.)
Washington Square and Christmas on TV- Chris Isaak. In fact, his entire Christmas album is awesome, but it's the non-traditional Christmas songs he's written himself that really get me going. Wistful, longing, beautiful stuff. He manages to capture the bittersweet essence of Christmas - or rather, the idea of Christmas - perfectly.
White Christmas - Bing Crosby. C'mon, it's a classic.
River - Joni Mitchell. This isn't strictly a Christmas song, but with the Jingle Bells-esque piano, the subject matter and the melancholy/longing feel of it, it qualifies as a Christmas song in my book.
Last Christmas - Wham! I know, I know, it's cheesy, but I can't help secretly love this one. It's a Christmas masterpiece. The über-camp video only makes the heart grow fonder.

Worst:

Mariah Carey's entire Christmas album. *shudders* Basically, anyone who attempts to wail away traditional holiday songs is a criminal in my book. So I'd have to agree on Destiny's Child as well.

[Dinahann]

Best:...Last Christmas - Wham! I know, I know, it's cheesy, but I can't help secretly love this one. It's a Christmas masterpiece. The über-camp video only makes the heart grow fonder.

I love this one as well, geek the girl. It's a good sing-along to me. I also like Jackson Browne's The Rebel Jesus. There aren't too many Christmas songs I dislike. I can't get enough of most of them.

[Igotalife]

Stargazer...I was going to post that the worst song for me was "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" But I also cringe everytime I hear Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" version. It just rubs me the wrong way because he's shouting and whining at the same time. That, and "Blue Christmas" by Elvis....not so much Elvis himself but the whiney "do, do, do do's" in the background.

My favorite would be "Silent Night" (by anyone), "I'll be home for Christmas" (by the Bing) and I'm embarassed to admit it, but my ultimate favorite that gives me chills each and every time is Celine Dion's version of "Ave Maria"....

[Ana Bannana]

Favorite - Oh! Holy Night - Josh Groban (Love this man's voice!)

Hate - The Christmas Shoes by NewSong. I will probably get crap about that but folks it is not a happy song! I would much rather laugh at Grandma getting creamed by the reindeer.