Christmas Countdown

My Top 15 December Songs

And so we continue our winter holidays theme. This time, I’d like to take a look at the best of the best, in the form of a countdown of my top 15 favorite songs to listen to in December.

15. “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
It takes a lot for me to listen to Mariah Carey, much less to admit to it in this public of a forum. Nonetheless, for my generation, this is one of the definitive songs of the season—more than actually being a good song, it’s one that takes you back to particular time.
14. “Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)” by The Darkness
This one sounds like standard upbeat Christmas fare, and it’s easy to miss the meaning beneath the wailing vocals, but ultimately it’s a pretty tragic song about not wanting Christmas to end, because the end of the holiday means the end of time together with a long distance lover. I like my holiday music conflicted.
13. “All Alone on Christmas” by Darlene Love
This one always makes me think of Home Alone 2—the movie itself, the anticipation of seeing it when I was a child, and the anticipation of the holiday itself.
12. “7 O’ Clock News/Silent Night” by Simon & Garfunkel
Talk about your message songs. Through a simple overlay of news reports with a crooning of “Silent Night” we get one of most impactful renderings imaginable of a holiday standard.
11. “Hating You for Christmas” by Everclear
There are times when subtlety is overrated. This was a hidden track to So Much for the Afterglow and communicated all the angsty anger the band could muster in a straightforward haranguing of an ex on Christmas.
10. “One More Sleep ‘Til Christmas” by The Muppets
This one beautifully captures the unabashed positivity of The Muppets in juxtaposition with the old school simplicity of the holidays—a very good song to appear in The Muppet Christmas Carol film.
09. “Lonely Christmas Eve” by Ben Folds
Ben Folds as The Grinch. Brilliant, catchy stuff.
08. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” performed by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan
Musical powerhouses from very different schools converge for a powerhouse of a rendering of a holiday standard. I defy you not to bob your head or tap your foot when this one comes on.
07. “River” by Joni Mitchell
This is one of the more profound songs ever recorded about loss around Christmas time—a touching depiction of just how sad the season can be when all you want to do is get away.
06. “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” performed by U2
The greatest rock song of the season. Sure, like others on this mix, there’s a sadness at it’s core, but melodically it’s one of those songs that communicates the excitement of the time of year.
05. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” performed by Bing Crosby
This is my favorite of what I would consider the classics. “Have Yourself…” is great for its quiet simplicity, addressing family and friends, and not calling so much for peace on earth or Christmas miracles, but just for a happy little holiday in your own way.
04. “A Long December” by Counting Crows
OK, so this one has nothing to do with holidays, but is a powerful song about the close of the year that captures the feel of winter as well as any song I know. Also, despite all the melancholy and minor chords, it’s actually a pretty optimistic song—remembering moments like “the way that light attaches to a girl” and looking ahead to the new year, if for no other reason than because “there’s reason to believe [it] will be better than the last.”
03. “The Christians and the Pagans” by Dar Williams
There are so few songs for any season more simultaneously fun and poignant than this one. It’s a Christmas anthem for a new generation, focused on religious traditionalists and non-mainstreamers coexisting and doing the best they can around the holidays. There’s a subtle shift to the profound when Amber’s uncle watches his niece and thinks about family on a larger scale before his son pulls his sleeve, pulling him back to the comedy of the moment. Brilliant stuff.
02. “Wintersong” by Sarah McLachlan
Following in the tradition of “River,” this is a wonderful song, capturing the sheer melancholy of dealing with loss around the holidays. There are implications that this one’s about death, but there’s some wiggle room in interpreting . All in all, it’s absolutely beautiful and bring McLachlan closer to the raw core of her Fumbling Towards Ecstasy days than anything else she’s recorded this decade.
01. “Happy X-mas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon
This was the definitive Christmas song of my youth, and really has it all—a bit of melancholy in looking back at the year and asking what you’ve done; a bit of the joy of family coming together; a bit of social responsibility in wishing for world peace. While Yoko threatens to ruin this one by singing over the kids on the chorus, ultimately, even the power that crippled The Beatles couldn’t bring down this masterpiece of a song.