Moving this to Cafe Society.
This Year’s Model got my favorites, Winter Wonderland and White Christmas. Since I don’t celebrate the holiday, I prefer the secular songs that are more about the season.
But reading through this thread, I’ve realized that there is no such thing as a Christmas song I don’t like. Except for a few of the modern ones that I haven’t heard of, I’ve probably sung every song listed in either category at least a few times already this season. I even wrote a song called “Christmas Is My Favorite Time of Year”.
Favorite: Christmas in the Trenches, John McCutcheon. It makes me go all warm and gooey inside. 
The Despised: Anything that may be classified as a holiday song, as opposed to a Christmas carol. For example, I would say that Joy to the World is a Christmas carol, but White Christmas is a holiday song. shudder
holds hands up in defence I swear, I have an excuse. I’m not American, and holiday songs appear to be a purely USA-centric phenomenon. Give me ten more years in this country and I might come to tolerate them. :rolleyes:
Favorites:
Linus & Lucy~ Vince Guaraldi
The Christmas Song~ Nat “King” Cole
Winter Wonderland~ Anne Murray or Annie Lennox
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas~ Chrissie Hynde
Gabriel’s Message ~ (a third vote for) Sting
Makes My Brain Feel Like It’s Gonna Explode:
McCartney’s hugely overplayed Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time or something. It’s simply horrid.
Madonna’s Santa Baby
Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. I’ve disliked the song all my life, and since it was disclosed that he beat up his kids, I hate it.
Speaking of Madonna’s version of Santa Baby, what is an “out-of-space convertible”? My daughter heard the song yesterday and thought Madonna said “outer space convertible” and wondered what good a convertible would be in outer space
(And I like the Eartha Kitt version MUCH better than Madonna’s…)
Rick
Great:
Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
I Want An Alien For Christmas - Fountains of Wayne
Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End) - The Darkness
Good:
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard
Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin’ Stevens
Happy Xmas War is Over - John Lennon
Aarggh:
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - ?
Lonely This Christmas - Mud
Favorites:
Ding Dong, Merrily on High
Carol of the Bells
The Christmas Song
DIE!:
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
Jingle Bell Rock (When performed by our school’s Chorus, as opposed to the Muppets)
[hijack] Okay, you haven’t heard the Hallelujah Chorus, until you’ve heard ‘Handel on Drugs’. The A Cappella Choir and Madrigal had just gotten done caroling through the hallways, and were bored, chilling in the choir room.
The Madrigal had learned the piece a while earlier, and decided to sing it. They get in tune, and its all pretty, then one of them screams out (as will a rock band drummer) ‘One, two, three!’ and they just go. I mean about three times as fast as normal. Turned into a church revival, what with people being healed and collapsing. Was very, very, amusing. I love our Choir.[/hijack]
I like (and hate) plenty of the songs mentioned here, but I’ll add Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” and “Hodie”. I grew up listening to those and they’re absolutely lovely.
Also, I have deep love for Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”. One of the few super-sexy holiday songs. As my mom put it, “He really doesn’t sound too upset about not being able to leave the house, does he?”
Another positive vote for John Lennon’s “Merry Xmas (War Is Over)”. People who don’t like it ain’t got no soul.
Is it Merry Christmas, Darling? If not, the linked page provides access to plenty of other Carpenters’ lyrics.
BubbaDog: The monarch who initiated the tradition of standing during the Hallelujah Chorus was King George II of England. See the blue box on this page dedicated to the San Francisco Symphony & Chorus’s performance of Messiah.
Although it’s not a happy Christmas song, Gordon Lightfoot’s Circle of Steel provides an all-too-true take on the season as it’s experienced by too many folks.