# Love/Hate Christmas songs.



## Chris Hobson

I thought that I would start a thread on the subject of Christmas songs when I noticed that the football coverage is currently accompanied by clips of The Little Drummer Boy, the most loathsome Xmas song ever. Writing a half decent Xmas song seems a good way to get yourself set for life as even the not very good ones are trotted out every year by the radio and the video channels. Writing a truly timeless one is much more difficult. I find it hard to believe when I contemplate that the Christmas of 1972 wasn't accompanied by Slade and Wizzard. So, which ones do you still love despite having heard them a thousand times, and which ones do you really really hate? I like Greg Lake and Jethro Tull.


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## Lucy Honeychurch

Hate mistletoe and wine 

Love fairy tale of New York


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## Sally71

Oh yeah Fairy Take of New York is cool!
I'm fairly tired of most of the others though.  Daughter and I are playing Whamageddon - the last one to hear Wham's “Last Christmas” is the winner!  (Has to be the original version, not a cover)

For some reason Shaky's Merry Christmas Everyone I like, even though it’s cheesy.  Can't stand Slade


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## Robin

Sally71 said:


> Oh yeah Fairy Take of New York is cool!
> I'm fairly tired of most of the others though.  Daughter and I are playing Whamageddon - the last one to hear Wham's “Last Christmas” is the winner!  (Has to be the original version, not a cover)
> 
> For some reason Shaky's Merry Christmas Everyone I like, even though it’s cheesy.  Can't stand Slade


Oh! Memories of last year! Son and daughter were playing Whamageddon, I persuaded daughter to come with me to Sainsbury’s for a few last minute bits and bobs, a couple of days before Christmas. As we stepped through the door, Wham started up. She's never forgiven me.


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## SueEK

I agree with Lucy, can’t abide mistletoe and wine but LOVE most Christmas songs, especially Driving home for Christmas


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## C&E Guy

I wish the cavalry would open fire on Jona Lewie


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## MikeyBikey

Worst ever - Band Aid and "Do They Know It's Christmas". A total load of self serving sentimental crap!

Best - Chris Tea and "Driving Home For Christmas".


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## Ditto

I luvs them all!  The saddest song ever is I'll Be Home For Christmas But Only In My Dreams. 

Little Drummer Boy did embarrass me when I was very young, something about the sound of romp pa pom pom...


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## Ljc

I detest , white Christmas .
But I love most traditional carols


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## Andy HB

As a kid I used to like belting out "hark the herald angels sing" etc. But "while shepherds washed their socks by night" was the required lyric for another particular carol.

These days, however, I'm a grumpy old cynic for all things Christmas! Well, except Christmas and Boxing day dinners.


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## nonethewiser

Fav has to be Fairy Tale of New York, wife fav is Greg Lake I Believe in Father Christmas. So many sick to death of hearing, some mentioned already, that Heaven 17 song isn't even Christmas song yet gets played every December.  Feel sorry for store staff having to listen to them on loop.


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## Chris Hobson

Heaven 17, that baffled me for a moment thinking I'm not sure I know that one. East 17 is the one you meant, not a Christmas song but we are all wearing parkas and we have fake snow so there. The same thing applies to The Power of Love, not a Christmas song just the video.

I like In Dulcie Jubilo by Mike Oldfield, I can remember singing it when I was in a school choir aged about nine, I like his upbeat version. Weirdly I also like Gaudette, the version that I know is by a church choir with Jethro Tull but most people will know the version by Steeleye Span.


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

It's gotta be Gayla Peevey - The Christmas Hippo Song


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## Ditto

LOL I showed Mum.


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## Chris Hobson

Well that was um...interesting.

I'm already eliminated from Whamageddon as Liz has been playing Xmas music in the car and it was the third song in.


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## Flower

Can't help but sing along to Boney M, Mary's Boy Child
Secretly love We all stand together, Paul McCartney and the frog chorus with the St Paul's choir on it 

Can't hack Wizzard I wish it could be Christmas everyday, if it's playing in a shop I head for the nearest exit muttering to myself


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

I'm really looking forward to hearing Noddy Holder screaming "Merry Christmas Everybody" for the first time this year. *NOT!*!


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

Forget Microsoft Bing!

No one does Christmas better than this Bing!!


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## MikeyBikey

The Little Drummer Boy duet between Bing and David Bowie was pretty grim. I wonder if David Bowie regretted it afterwards.


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## nonethewiser

Chris Hobson said:


> Heaven 17, that baffled me for a moment thinking I'm not sure I know that one. East 17 is the one you meant, not a Christmas song but we are all wearing parkas and we have fake snow so there. The same thing applies to The Power of Love, not a Christmas song just the video.



Aye your right mate, East 17 it is,  vidio is just as pathetic as song.


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## Ditto

Like I said, I luvs 'em all, I must have absolutely no taste. All the carols all the pop songs, all good. 

I think maybe one of my fave Christmas songs is in the Albert Finney Christmas Carol "Thank you very much, thank you very much...that's the nicest thing that anybody ever did for me..." when Scrooge pops off. Once I hear it I'm singing it for the day.


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## Pine Marten

I'm listening at the moment to Sting's 'If on a winter's night', a good collection of winter/Christmas/folk songs. I love most carols *but *Advent has only just started, so please no Christmas carols until nearer the time! Advent carols like 'O come, O come, Emmanuel' are lovely and appropriate.

The Little Drummer Boy is ok in the version by an American band called Jars of Clay, who did a nice CD of Christmassy songs a few years ago.






Gosh! Sorry about the debt advert!!


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## trophywench

...Redeem thy captive I-I-Israel …. beautiful words and music though have to say 'It came upon a midnight clear' is one of my faves, uplifting.  I like Gaudete, though not being 'high church'-y cos I was raised Methodist I'd never heard it till Steeleye Span, though I could instantly understand some of the words having learned some Latin at senior school - so I'm very pleased SS introduced me to it!

On the very slightly newer note, are there any little Xmas songs or carols that don't have alternative (LOL) words that kids sing once they are around 8 years old?  I think not!

I vote for Only a Winter's Tale David Essex, Don't Stop the Cavalry Jonah Lewie (neither of which ARE Xmas songs) but yes - Fairytale of New York - brilliant words.  So absolutely basic and truthful, all cloaked in such pretty music contrasting the harsh reality for some folk within the glitz and hype that's all too rife these days.


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## C&E Guy

If you Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day,
And you want to ride a one horse open sleigh,
If you Ding Dong Merrily On High,
And go Walking in The Air across the sky,
If your chestnuts are roasting
And marshmallows are toasting,
And you hear what I hear.
On the feast of St Stephen
It'll be deep and crisp and even
Don't worry. It'll soon be New Year.


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

This from Frank Kelly (Father Ted's Father Hackett) is slightly amusing first time round - but only once.


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

I can remember this on Junior Choice when I was a wee boy.
Life was oh so much simpler then!


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## rebrascora

I have always loved Chris de Burgh's "A spaceman came travelling...." It fits more comfortably with my beliefs and the melody is so pretty but haunting.


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## Kaylz

Cant say there's a Christmas song I don't like, me and Bruce have the music channels on at the weekends just now listening to all the tunes and singing along, I LOVE it, we used to go to the carol singing every year and it was generally held outside across the road from the church around the big Christmas tree, one year the weather was really bad so it was moved to inside the church, not as many had turned up that year and trying to make it fun the minister was breaking the carols into sections, woman, men etc so she said now children and my voice was the only one to come booming out  I didn't mind too much though as I was in the primary and high school choir xx


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## Northerner

Best ones Greg Lake, and erm, December will be magic again by You-Know-Who <3 Quite like the Kate Winslett one too 






Worst is that Peter Kaye one  I know it's meant to be annoying and it most certainly is!


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## robert@fm

Flower said:


> Can't hack Wizzard I wish it could be Christmas everyday, if it's playing in a shop I head for the nearest exit muttering to myself


And I wish it could be Christmas every da-ay,
With freezing cold and loads of bills to pa-a-ay,
Yes, I wish it could be Christmas every da-a-a--ay,
Let the tills ring out for Christmas.


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## Wirrallass

MeeTooTeeTwo said:


> Forget Microsoft Bing!
> 
> No one does Christmas better than this Bing!!


I love this ~ it reminds me of my late father who would warble like Bing Crosby, and whistle when he played the piano.
Thank you for sharing.
WL


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## Chris Hobson

Sky are advertising their sports channel on the radio just now so we are getting the little effing drummer boy about sixteen times a day arrrrggggh!

On the subject of hating some of the Xmas songs, I think that no matter how good a song is, if you hear it too many times you are bound to tire of it. The little drummer boy has always been vile though.


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## Lucy Honeychurch

I don't like little drummer boy either 

I also like One more sleep by Leona Lewis


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## C&E Guy

Some of the Enya Christmas songs are very relaxing. They never get played on the radio or in shops so you don't tire of them.

There is also a great Aled Jones version of _O Holy Night_. They've duetted him singing it as a boy soprano with the adult baritone voice. It's a great version.


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## Wirrallass

I've just discovered this and I love it.
WL


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## mikeyB

Good grief, wirralass, that’s wrist slitting miserable. So much for the Season of Joy

I have to say, one of my favourite Christmas songs is Last Christmas, if only because it’s a heartfelt gay break-up song, and nobody noticed


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## Wirrallass

mikeyB said:


> Good grief, wirralass, that’s wrist slitting miserable. So much for the Season of Joy
> 
> I have to say, one of my favourite Christmas songs is Last Christmas, if only because it’s a heartfelt gay break-up song, and nobody noticed


Each to their own Mike, each to their own! (smiley face)
WL


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## Lyndzi1

I hate Mistletoe and Whine ( I mean wine, no whine is definitely  right, ha ha ) - Cliff Richard
I love Rocking Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee and Underneath the Tree - Kelly Clarkson. Oh I do love a Christmas song with a tree in it apparently !! Lol


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## Wirrallass

I love this ~ and the video
WL


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## Wirrallass

Ahh little Miss Dynamite
WL


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## Wirrallass

And Erm just for the fun of it! .....




WL


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## Wirrallass

I discovered this last Christmas ~ great for the kids and/or big kids at heart!
WL


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## Drummer

John Connolly's 'I am Christmas' always gets me - in a good way.


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## robert@fm

There's always the perennial favourite...


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

Words fail me with this one


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## Chris Hobson

I'm not really much of a Dylan fan although I often like his songs when they are done by other people. This one though, I really like, a really fun song and a really fun live performance.

On the subject of covers, I've just seen a video of a cover of All I Want For Chrismas Is You by a girl group called Fifth Harmony. It was really similar to the original and I did think, what's the point? The thing about covers is that they will sometimes bring an old song to the attention of a new generation. With Christmas songs they are trotted out every year anyway, so this doesn't really apply.


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## Ditto

Been listening to my two Christmas CDs all day as the telly isn't hooked up and I  haven't got a licence anyways.  I think one of my fave's is Judy Garland 



 and the saddest ever Christmas song is


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## Chris Hobson

Liz & I went to see Katie Spencer last night and she sang a Joni Mitchell song called 'I Wish I Had a River'.


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## Wirrallass

One for the kids ~ big or little! It's jolly.
WL


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## robert@fm




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## Chris Hobson

The thing about Christmas songs, if there is a video then it doesn't matter how bad it is, we will dig it up year after year. So why has Hey Mr. Christmas by Showaddywaddy been overlooked? It isn't brilliant but it is certainly as good as the rest of the Christmas perennials.


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## Chris Hobson

I thought that this thread needed revisiting as I have just compiled my Spotify Xmas playlist. Most of the regular Xmas pop is in there along with classic carols done by very high brow choirs. A few tracks from Jethro Tull's Xmas album and River by Joni Mitchell as mentioned earlier. Wizzard also did Rock and Roll Winter which I've stuck in along with a couple of novelty songs, Right Said Fred and The Laughing Gnome. Hey Mister Snowman by Kim Wilde is a happy upbeat song that seems to be over looked and yes, Showaddywaddy too.


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## SueEK

I have just compiled my Alexa playlist for Christmas and my favourite is Driving home for Christmas by Chris Rea, gets me singing and dancing every day, even the dog joins in, love it.


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## nonethewiser

My opinion better than original, stripped right down with some great banjo fiddle playing


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## MeeTooTeeTwo

nonethewiser said:


> My opinion better than original, stripped right down with some great banjo fiddle playing


What a fantastic version of my number 1 Christmas song.


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## C&E Guy

The fact that we can't visit shops or go out in the car with the radio on may mean that we don't hear as many as we usually do. They're ok once or twice in the background - but not 1,000 times!!!

I like the Leona Lewis one. _One More Sleep_

There is a superb version of _O Holy Night_ with the young soprano Aled Jones duetting with the older Aled who has a deeper voice.


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## Ditto




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## Chris Hobson

Due to my daughter knowing everything that there is to know about musical theatre, I just found out that Mistletoe and Wine is actually a song from a little known musical. I suspect that the writers made more money out of Cliff than they did from the show.


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## Kintigo

Never liked Christmas songs. I really do not know what this is due to, but they cause me disgust! Despite the fact that I do not like Christmas songs, I really like this festive atmosphere. I love Christmas movies, as well as food. One of my favourite things to do is sit under the custom blanket in the evening and watch some old movie with a mug of coffee and marshmallows, while the Christmas tree lights up next to it. This is really very cool! Especially when friends and a loved one are around. Thanks to these factors, you feel very cool emotions, care and warmth. I do not know how to explain it in detail, you should try it yourself!


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## robert@fm

Kintigo said:


> Never liked Christmas songs. I really do not know what this is due to, but they cause me disgust!


Probably because they are part of the subversion of Christmas into Cashmas?


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## robert@fm

My new favourite Christmas song (albeit 2020-specific):


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## robert@fm




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## mikeyB

robert@fm said:


> Probably because they are part of the subversion of Christmas into Cashmas?


Christmas is itself a subversion of the much more ancient Midwinter Festival, long before folk invented shepherds watching their flocks by night in the middle of  winter. The Holly and the Ivy, both evergreen, plus kissing under the mistletoe are all remnants of the earlier festival. The giveaway is that there is not a single mention in the Bible of Christ's date of birth, let alone the time of year.


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