Favorite Christmas Songs

I talk about favorite things a lot - favorite foods, TV shows, movies, Christmas decorations...the list goes on. But we're in the middle of the Week Before Release Week - for my book Christmas in a Small Town, and that has me thinking about one specific set of favorites - my favorite Christmas songs, and yes, a few of them are from Christmas specials.

Y'all know by now that I adore Christmas music. I start listening to it sporadically around July and once Halloween is over, it's playing pretty much non-stop in my house and on my radio (SIRIUS/XM Holly is my favorite radio channel. Like, ever).

My favorite songs of the season vary by year and week and, sometimes, by the day. But as I'm writing this blog on Monday night, after spending most of the day watching bebe swim and looking out the window and wishing I was seeing lots of snow on the ground, these are the three that are giving me the most feels. So they're my (current) favorites:

Wham! "Last Christmas" -- this one has been re-done until it's almost overdone...and none of the new versions is as good as the first. At least, in my opinion. George Michael singing about holiday heartbreak is just...sighworthy. Here's the video:



Bing Crosby "White Christmas" -- I love the musical, which is probably why I really love this song. The melancholy of Bing's voice, though, just takes me away. And I'm right there with him, wishing for yesterday, hoping for...something, I'm not quite sure what. A close runner up to 'White Christmas' (naturally) is Judy Garland's version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". I just saw the movie 'Meet Me in St. Louis' a couple of years ago (I know, where have I been?!?), and that movie made me love this song even more. When she sings Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to her sister, I just melt. I also love that these are two of the most-used Christmas Special songs - be those specials special holiday episodes of favorite shows or straight-up, music-only special events.

Josh Groban "Believe" -- I adore Josh Groban. I love the way his voice can hit the highs and just destroy those low notes, and I love that most of his music seems to have a message. Believe is my favorite of his songs, and that's partially because I also adore 'The Polar Express'. I think, especially these days, that the message of believing in and having faith in something that is bigger than we are is important. I also feel like part of the message of this song is about believing in ourselves, and who can't use a little more of that kind of belief?

Here's the video:



And then there is my favorite (at least this year) and it's from what is probably my favorite Christmas Special of my childhood: the Muppet's 12 Days of Christmas. I adored the Muppets when I was a kid, and their Christmas Specials were definitely must-see-TV. This one is filled with Fozzy being a little fuzzy on his part, and there is Piggy making a spectacle of herself and John Denver looking a little bit surprised through the whole thing. It's just perfect - as a Christmas Special and as a favorite song. Here's a little video (you knew I had to find one, didn't you?):



So, that's my list. A few of my favorite Christmas songs - and we didn't even get to the carols - "Silent Night" is a particular favorite, along with "The First Noel" and "O Holy Night".