Top 10 Pop Christmas Songs

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the snow and seeing the lights go up around the neighborhood. When I start hearing Christmas songs on the radio I really start getting in the mood. The following list is of my ten favorite Christmas songs from pop singers. This criteria will eliminate classics such as I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas and The Chipmunk Song and on that musical note here are the top ten.

10. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie and Bing Crosby (1977). Right off the bat you wouldn't think that this unique pairing could make such a beautiful song, but they did. Crosby would be dead of a heart attack a month after this gem was recorded, which makes it all the more special.

9. Song For A Winter's Night - Sarah McLachlan (2006). Picking a song off the excellent Christmas album Wintersong was difficult and it came down to this song and River, so I chose the lesser known of the two. McLachlan is one of my all time favorite voices and she takes this Gordon Lightfoot song and makes it her own.

8. Pretty Paper - Roy Orbison (1963). Probably one of the saddest Christmas songs ever written and it is short and to the point. It is a message that many forget in the hustle and bustle that Christmas has become, take a minute and boost the spirits of those who are lonely. The Willie Nelson written song is perfect for Roy Orbison's style and voice. I only latched on to this song a few years ago maybe because it is even more true today than it was back in 1963.

7. Carol Of The Bells - Destiny's Child (2001). I love the voices on this version of the song. The girls do get into a little bit of vocal gymnastics in parts, but I love it just the same. The odd thing is I am not a Destiny's Child fan at all. An honorable mention to the version by Trans-Siberian Orchestra which is also incredible.

6. Last Christmas - Wham! (1984). This one is my Christmas song guilty pleasure. The chorus of the song has one of my all time favorite lines to an ex when he says "I'll give it to someone special". That is a lyrical slap in the face and I like it..

5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - U2 (1987). Once again I had a hard time picking my favorite version song, this time between U2 and Mariah Carey. I love Mariah Carey, but U2 won this duel by a hair. I like that the U2 version rocks a little more. Bono sounds terrific on it and I really feel some angst in his voice.

4. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley (1957). It really isn't Christmas until I hear this song on the radio. The cheesiness factor of this song is so high on this song you almost expect it was brought to you by Kraft, but I still love it. When I was growing up my mom was a huge Elvis fan and I poked funny at him at every opportunity. Now I have a strange appreciation for the man and hope to pass it on to my kids.

3. Please Come Home For Christmas - The Eagles (1978). Don Henley was always my favorite member of the Eagles, who doesn't like a singing drummer. When Henley sings it just sounds so natural, never strained. This song is a great example of that. I also love the very simple four note piano intro and outro to the song.

2. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid (1984). This song really was a wake up call to the plight of the starving people in Africa. With the vocal contributions from the likes of Sting, Boy George, George Michael, Bono, and Paul Young the song has some definite star power. The message to the song is much more important, if nothing else be thankful for what you have.

1. Christmas Time - Bryan Adams (1983). I'm not sure why this is my favorite, but it has been for a while. Maybe it is because the song is about the little things in life that bring so much joy. It could be that the song hasn't been played to death, because many stations don't even play it. The most likely reason is that the song reminds me of Christmas Eve at my grandparents house when I was just a kid. They are gone now, but those memories will live forever.

Well that is my top ten I hope you liked it. Just maybe I brought up a song that you may have forgotten about. Have a merry Christmas everyone.