12 Songs to Get You Through Christmas

Nothing gets me in the holiday spirit like good music. After I’ve finished decorating my Christmas tree, I curl up on the couch with a nice glass of red wine, sit back, and listen to the sounds of the season. Truth be told, most holiday music sucks (“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” anyone?). But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve refined my tastes just a bit. Here are the songs that make me hit repeat, including a sexy new release, a guilty pleasure, and a couple holiday standards.

12. “In the Cold, Cold Night” – Tracey Thorn

Tracey Thorn is mostly known for singing about the deserts missing the rain. Well, she’s been keeping herself busy since 1994, and recently released Tinsel and Lights, a mix of nontraditional holiday songs. In this cover of The White Stripes, she speeds up the tempo and adds instrumentation, giving the song a sexy, bluesy feel.

 

11. “My Favorite Things” – Tony Bennett

This song from The Sound of Music has become a holiday classic, even though the film has nothing to do with Christmas aside from being played on TV every year. Whatever. I’ll take Tony Bennett’s jazzy rundown of his faves … especially if it features a xylophone solo.

 

10. “Boots” – The Killers

The Killers have released a Christmas song each year since 2006. Having listened to all of them, this one from 2010 is the only one that I could listen to year after year.

 

9. “Merry Christmas Baby” – Otis Redding

Want a Christmas song that you can groove to? No one does it better than Otis Redding.

 

8. “Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” – Daryl Hall and John Oates

Hall & Oates covered this tune by soul singer William Bell for their 2006 album, Home for Christmas. It’s sweet and sincere, with a whole lotta soul and just the right amount of schmaltz. Most of all, it might make you forget that they covered “Jingle Bell Rock.”

 

7. “Please Come Home for Christmas” – Fiona Apple

This is my favorite version of the song. It’s simple, and Apple’s soulful voice harks back to the original 1960 version by Charles Brown. Because the live recording is all that exists, her version often gets overlooked for more inferior renditions by The Eagles and Jon Bon Jovi.

 

6. “Christmas Lights” – Coldplay

Coldplay should never do a Christmas song again. Why ruin a good thing? Helped along by an uplifting melody change midway through, the lyrics offer a great balance of holiday sadness and hope.

 

5. “Got It Good” – Jem

Again, there’s no mention of the holidays in this song, but it echoes the same sentiments of peace, unity, and gratitude.

 

4. “Just for Now” – Imogen Heap

Imogen Heap’s smooth, dreamy vocals belie the song’s lyrics, which perfectly describe strained family gatherings: bad gifts, arguments, burned meals and all. She reminds herself to keep it cool, but by the end, she’s begging to get the hell out of there. Who hasn’t felt that way at one time or another?

 

3. “O Holy Night” – *NSYNC

This is my favorite religious Christmas carol, hands down. Say what you will about boy bands, but *NYSNC’s voices could melt butter on this track. It’s heartfelt and beautiful.

 

2. “Last Christmas” – Wham!

This has the makings of an awful song. Synthesizers. Jingle Bells. Cheesy, overly sentimental lyrics. The ’80s. Christmas. And it is amazing. Seriously. I love this song, and no Christmas is complete without it. Just surrender to it and stay away from all other versions (especially Taylor Swift’s).

 

1. “The Christmas Song” – Nat King Cole

You can’t mess with a classic. This is the greatest holiday song ever.

 

Think I got this horribly wrong? What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? Let me know in the comments. In the meantime, have a very merry Christmas!