It has been a fun challenge to come up with the top ten songs of each decade going back 100 years over the last 10 months. 1920-2020! 100 years of music, and if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that each decade has produced amazing music performed by outstanding talented artists. The music industry has evolved drastically over the last 100 years, but at no point have we stopped tapping our toes and bopping our heads. I was on the fence about what I should do for the final month of this sequence. Although the last four years has seen some great new artists, four years is not a decade. That being said, I decided to go in a different direction for the final instalment of my top 10 playlists. Inspired by the holiday spirit I’ve decided to select the top 10 holiday songs of all time. Also, I decided to break the rules and just go ahead and make it the top 20 21 songs!
- Tony Bennett, “Winter Wonderland”
- Perry Como, “(There’s No Place Like) Home For the Holidays”
- Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters, “Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)”
- The Chipmunks With David Seville, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”
- The Drifters, “White Christmas”
- Frank Sinatra, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
- Burl Ives, “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
- Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”
- Bobby Helms, “Jingle Bell Rock”
- Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra, “Santa Baby”
- Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
- Run-D.M.C., “Christmas in Hollis”
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”
- Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
- Thurl Ravenscroft, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”
- Johnny Mathis, “We Need a Little Christmas”
- Saturday Night Live Cast, “I Wish It Was Christmas Today”
- Sufjan Stevens, “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!”
- Darlene Love “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
- Andy Williams, “Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season”
Bonus Song: Real McKenzies, “Auld Lang Syne”
Rating Christmas music is as much about the song as it is the performer. I tend to embrace the classics, so my apologies to Michael Bublé, you are great, but Andy Williams and Frank Sinatra get the nod here. This list makes me wonder why we don’t listen to Christmas music all year round. Maybe it’s to protect us from getting permanently burnt out, who knows? There are some really good songs on this list, but as with any other list, if I left out a song that belongs, make sure to mention it in the comments, and I’ll add it to the playlist. No questions asked!
To take a listen, you can find the list HERE!
thedihedral.com 
Most Christmas music would drive me up a wall if I had to hear it all year. That’s why my taste runs toward “Yule Struttin’: a Blue Note Christmas” with jazz artists interpreting Christmas classics in ways where you may forget temporarily that it’s a Christmas song. In a similar vein, I love “David Grisman’s Acoustic Christmas”. (Since you picked individual songs, I’ll go with Dexter Gordon’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and Grisman’s “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”.)
I’m glad you included Brenda Lee and at least one Bing Crosby song.
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I have to check Yule Struttin out, that sounds amazing! Thank you for the heads up!!!
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Sorry, Carrot. Your list doesn’t have it. OK, my list is shorter, but this is only one of the songs. You need it. We all need it. 😊 No thanks needed.
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Haha, a true classic!!!! Huge oversight, that will be amended!!!
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😃 Dropkick Murphys too, maybe ☘️
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I was so close to adding the Dropkick Murphy’s, it was down to them, The Ramones, and the Real McKenzies, but in the end I just went with the McKenzies! I don’t know if you have ever put together a top 10 music list, but if you do let me know, I’d love to read it!
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Oh man, that’s a challenge… But since I’m going to criticize yours all the time I should do one of my own. 😀
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Great choices. I have a tall-ish wooden CD tower dedicated to Christmas Allsorts. From a series of 10 albums with a whole range of songs down, compilation double albums and to individual artists. My fave artist this year was Kate Rusby and her five Christmas and Winter albums. I own a stack on vinyl too. The Partridge Family Christmas Album is a glorious spin. But this year was all CD led. Kate Rusby, Annie Lennox, Robbie Williams and double Past/Future Christmas album and then into the Salvation Army brass band for emotional past experiences at my Nan and Grancha’s Christmas Day annual visits. She was a Salvationist who played harp (harmonica) and squeezebox. I’m retired from nursing now, 3 years ago, so December 1st has become a sabbatical of daily excursions into listening to as many different eclectic songs and carols as I want. Fun times. Emotional times. Strange medieval, Gregorian, Classical, Folk, et al. times this year. But, as said, Kate Rusby and her Yorkshire folk vibe…… big thumbs up.
Happy New Year and thank you for your glorious blogs again this year. Been a joy to read them.
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Kate Rusby sounds like she is right up my alley, I’ll go check her out right now! The Salvation Army Brass Band was a tough one to cut from this list for sure, and I love Annie Lennox, so I need to get into that as well!
Your grandma sounds amazing, that would be so fun to be around during Christmas!
I hope you had a great Christmas and upcoming New Year’s!
Thank you for the recommendations!
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My Grandma decorated every inch of the house with decorations every year since the 1960s. Possibly earlier. She really embraced the Christmas vibe. Her homemade ginger wine! Amazing as a child to be allowed ‘alcohol’. It wasn’t though in reality. And thanks for your well wishes. Much appreciated. Good fortune to you for next year too.
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