Popping Our Tops: A Top Ten List of Pop Christmas Songs

So the holiday season is drawing closer as we speak. As usual, there are lists to make and Christmas shopping to be done, a tree to decorate, Christmas lights to be put up, and who can forget all the holiday baking? Let's face it, Christmas time can be exhausting sometimes!

Something that always lifts my spirits is a good Christmas playlist. Unless your name is Ebenezer Scrooge, chances are that you enjoy some great holiday tunes as well. Here is a list of my top 10 pop Christmas songs. If you're looking for some great Christmas music, that's sure to make you want to dance and sing along, try giving these a listen:

1. Rocking Around the Christmas Tree - originally performed by Brenda Lee, in 1958, this is a timeless classic that is sure to get your guests singing along. If you're looking for something more modern, or perhaps something different, this number has also been performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks, LeAnn Rimes, the Olsen Sisters, Jessica Simpson and the Vienna Boy's Choir.

2. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - I've long been a fan of U2 and I can never get enough of Bono's sexy wailing, but Christmas is a beautiful song that's suitable for anyone who's seperated from their loved ones over the holiday season. This is one of three personal favorite songs off the "A Very Special Christmas" album of 1987. It may be more than 20 years old, but it feels new and fresh every time I hear it.

3. Jingle Bell Rock - Originally performed by Bobby Helms, this is another great classic Christmas song that's been performed by some amazing artists. While I still prefer the original, there are also some amazing renditions out there by Kylie Minogue, Chet Atkins, KD Lang, Rascal Flatts, and Randy Travis.

4. Santa Baby - who can't help but love this sly little sugar baby, as she sings to Santa, telling him about how good she's been and asking for all kinds of expensive gifts? Performed by amazing stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Madonna, Taylor Swift, and even the immortal Miss Piggy of The Muppets, this is a bubbly and fun Christmas tune that stands the test of time.

5. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - I grew up listening to the Beatles and continued to be a huge fan of both John Lennon and Paul McCartney even after the band broke up. John Lennon's antiwar sentiment, Happy Xmas, is a very upbeat and moving song that never fails to make me want to smile and sing along. If you're looking for a more recent version, this wonderful Christmas ballad has also been covered by Celine Dion, Maroon 5, Sarah Brightman, and even the Canadian heavy metal band, Helix. This might be more your taste, but I'll still enjoy John, Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band's version the most!

6. Wonderful Christmastime - this great Christmas pop song was originally released in 1979. Performed by ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney, it has become a popular favorite in our household, year after year. Oddly enough, there aren't many covers of this song available. Hilary Duff covered this song on her Christmas CD, "Santa Claus Lane," and Barenaked Ladies put a short instrumental cover on their 2004 Christmas album. Who can complain, though, when the original still sounds as great and as modern as this one?

7. Do They Know It's Christmas? - this song remains one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. After watching a BBC report about the famine in Ethiopia, Bob Geldoff of the Boomtown Rats teamed up with Midge Ure of Ultravox and discussed an idea to help aid the starving people. The answer to this would be 1984's Band Aid - a collaboration of leading British and Irish musicians, gathering together to create an amazing mega song. With artists such as David Bowie, Duran Duran, Queen, Culture Club, Sting, and U2, it was a colossal project that captured the world by storm. To this day, there is still nothing like it and I think it will always hold a place in my favorite top 10 Christmas songs.

8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - another classic Christmas song, there are some amazing renditions of this one, performed by some of the hottest pop stars around. Barry Manilow, Jackson 5, and Lynyrd Skynyrd offer some unique versions, but my favorite has to be Jewel's cover of this oldie but goodie.

9. I Believe in You - a beautiful Christmas song by the angelic Irish songstress,Sinead O'Connor, this one brings tears to my eyes. If you're a fan of her beautiful whispy voice and a really great ballad, you're sure to see how this one makes it on my top ten list.

10. Oi to the World - and sometimes you really just need to rock out, even at Christmastime. Gwen Stefani and No Doubt does just that with this addictive rocking holiday tune. I first heard this song back in the 80's, when No Doubt was first arriving on the music scene, but it's stuck with me as one of the greatest holiday earworms of all time. Oi!