Every year people complain about getting oversaturated with Chistmas music and want to go postal.
But are there some songs that you love hearing?
For me they would be Noel, O Holy Night, and of course Happy Christmas (War is Over).
while i’m a dyed-in-the-wool christmas music traditionalist (think frank sinatra, boston pops and the mormon tabernacle choir), the one non-traditional cd i play over and over and over every since year since i bought it is ‘christmas eve & other stories’ by the trans-siberian orchestra, which was released way back in 1996.
every song on it is a work of art, but my number one favorite is ‘christmas eve/sarajevo 12/24,’ a blend of ‘carol of the bells,’ ‘god rest ye merry gentlemen,’ and some blisteringly-good rock, combined in a way you have to hear to believe.
freakin’ brilliant.
it’s the only christmas carol ever written – maybe the only ***music ***ever written - that this old broad will ‘air piano’ to on a regular basis. i’m sure i look the fool, but it is so stirring i can’t not jump up and do something. 
i’ve even been known to clean house to it sometimes, with the cd player on ‘repeat this song.’
Father Christmas by The Kinks.
And, this deliciously violent version of Twas The Night Before Christmas from the out-of-print A Lump of Coal album. I lurve me some Henry Rollins.
“O Holy Night” is probably my favorite, although I can’t hear it without thinking of the “Frasier” episode where his dad is trying to sing it and can’t hit that high note.
My second favorite Christmas song would have to be from the Alligator Records Christmas album - “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’”.
Third would be one that I mentioned in the “Christmas songs with a twist” thread not too long ago - the Marcels’ “Merry Twist-mas”. Nothing like a doo-wop Christmas tune!
Jill Sobule’s cover of Merry Christmas from the Family.
I don’t mind annual rehashing of Christmas carols at all (except for Christmas Shoes), but I especially love listening to recordings from my chorus’ holiday concerts. My favorite is “St. Nick at Night,” almost 9 minutes of familiar holiday lyrics, sung to the theme songs of classic TV shows, by the characters in the shows. For example, Archie and Edith Bunker at the piano, singing their theme song with “Hark the Herald Angles Sing” lyrics. I got to be Ebenezer Scrooge in the 9-paned “Brady Bunch” theme song.
Some of the ones I like and don’t seem to hear very often around here (in the US) are: “In the Bleak Midwinter”, “Pat-a-Pan”, “The Holly and the Ivy”, “Masters in This Hall”, “In Dulci Jubilo”, “The Cherry Tree Carol”, and “Once in Royal David’s City”.
Mainstream:
Pretty much any version of “Carol of the Bells,” and the original Leroy Anderson version of “Sleigh Ride” (no vocals, pls). I am also a sucker for the “Hallelujah Chorus.”
Non-mainstream:
“The Christians and the Pagans” by Dar Williams and the Brian Setzer version of “Run Run Rudolph.”
O Holy Night. Because I can hit that high note. 
I believe in Father Christmas by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
Ooh, lots of them. All of both Mariah Carey Christmas albums, the Annie Lennox one that just came out this year, the Enya one from a couple of years ago, and of course ‘Fairytale Of New York’ is the best Christmas song ever. Lots of my favourite artists have done a Christmas song here or there through their careers and I usually like them because, well, if an artist I like is singing it chances are I’m gonna like it.
As for specific carols, I don’t have any real opinions one way or the other. I don’t find any especially exciting but I don’t violently hate them either. They’re just sort of there. When one of the standard carols is brought to another level by an amazing voice (Annie Lennox’s ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, for example, is out of this world), I think that is really cool. It takes a lot to put your own spin on something everybody and their mum has recorded.
I hear that a lot of people find Little Drummer Boy annoying, but it is actually 1 of only 2 Christmas songs that I like. I also like that “Hark Go The Bells” one.
Is “Baby It’s Cold Outside” a Christmas song? I love that song.
My Favs
“Silver Bells”
“Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”
“All I Want For Christmas is You”
“Christmas Cannon”
Riu Riu Chiu, sung by The Monkees. 
Me too.
I also like Lorenna McKennit’s stuff. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Good King Wencelas”. I wish I could sing like her.
I’d categorize myself as a tradionalist as well, so much so that some of my favorite versions of Christmas carols are sung by Elvis and Tennessee Ernie Ford.
I like Susan Boyle’s Christmas album, all of the songs from which are available on YouTube. I downloaded her O Holy Nightand (the non-Christmas b ut included on the Christmas album anyway Leonard Cohen song) Hallelujah.
I also like in Praise of Christmas=aka=to Drive the Cold Winter Away (particularly Loreena McKennitt’s version, which isn’t on YouTube). And Sufjan Stevens’ Emmanuel.
I wish it could be Christmas Everyday by WIZARD. (all other versions I’ve heard are horrible)
Ring Solstice Bells by Jethro Tull.
(lots of others, lots and lots of them)
That sounds fantastic. I would pay money to hear that.
From my childhood: My Dad had an album with Christmas music done all in bells. I was young enough that I wasn’t allowed to touch the records, so I have no idea what the title of the album was or who performed on it.
More recently: I enjoy Muppets/John Denver: A Christmas Together, especially “The Peace Carol”, “It’s in Every One of Us”, and “When the River Meets the Sea.”* The Hampton String Quartet’s What if Mozart Wrote “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? is nicely different, but smooth. And “We Need a Little Christmas” is energetic.
*It is my contention that John Denver is, himself, a muppet. I meanlook at him. Those are muppet eyes if I ever saw them.
“The Holly and the Ivy” is my favorite on Annie Lennox’s new Christmas album.
As sick as I am of Christmas music, and as silly as the stories are behind their rock operas, TSO’s music is awesome and they know how to put on a great concert. I go every year.
That song was taken from a Savatage album called Dead Winter Dead (about Christmastime in Sarajevo). Actually, lots of their songs and band members are from Savatage. If you like TSO’s Chrismas albums, you should check out Savatage for the rest of the year.