Yuletide Favourites

If you like Christmas music then you’ll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation ‘An Indiecater Christmas’, you can buy it here!

With the season of jollity fast approaching it seemed kinda apt to mark the occasion with something that could go down well with a mince pie. So hugger asked a gaggle of artists that he respects awfully much to reveal their favourite Christmas song and why they love it so? More will be added in the run up to the big day and come December you’ll be able to listen a selection of the chosen tracks. Now, if only it would snow……KD

Ciaran McFeely from Simple Kid: “‘Maybe This Christmas’ by Ron Sexsmith is quite sweet and soppy but his voice makes it pretty amazing. No bells or children’s choirs in sight either which can only be a relief……”

Ghosts of Pasha: “Chris – the whole Charlie Brown Christmas record by jazz composer Vince Guaraldi. Milo – I like the classic ‘Little Drummer Boy’ (reportedly the favorite Christmas carol of President Richard Nixon)…but…I’m really only moved by the Rankin/Bass stop motion holiday special version of the song…Also…while we are on the topic of Rankin/Bass…I really like ‘The Heat Miser Song’ from The Year Without a Santa Claus.”

Johan AngergÃ¥rd from The Legends: “Irene’s ‘Christmas On The Beach’. One of few, if not the only, Christmas song in the last 20 year or so that actually sounds like Christmas. It starts like Don Lennon overdosing on Spector’s Christmas album and ends like something Wham and Frank Sinatra could have done together.”

Jim Bob from Carter U.S.M.: “I’d go for ‘Merry Xmas (War is Over)’ by John Lennon. It was either that or ‘Lonely This Christmas’ by Mud. Both records remind me of my youth and the dichotomy of the season’s happy and sad vibes.”

Eli Mardock from Eagle Seagull: “A favorite Christmas song…hmmm. That’s tough. I remember watching this video at the height of my high school Bowie obsession. It’s still good.

Rey Villalobos from The Coral Sea: “I’d have to say my favorite xmas song is ‘Little Drummer Boy. It’s like a classic rock song, a great building melody, and great for harmonies, with awesome phrasing… a good hypnotic layering rhythmic song!”

Benni Hermannsson from Benni Hemm Hemm: “For some absurd reason ‘Pretty Paper’ by Willie Nelson gets the Christmas spirit going for me. I guess it’s just nostalgic, my mother taking the record out of the beautiful cover, and putting on the turntable. Corny, but true….but isn’t that just what Christmas is all about?”

Richie Murphy from Michael Knight: “Hmm. I know you’ll hate this answer, but I don’t actually really have one – boring, I know. Or if I did start trying to pick one, I’m pretty sure it would be one of the obvious ones, for obvious reasons, which isn’t really worth reporting on. Hmm. If I think of something of interest I’ll let you know…”

Peter Adams: “I have to say that I hate – no, despise – most Christmas songs as they are bombarded at us from mid-November to New Year’s. If I had to pick one though, it would be ‘We Three Kings’, because I have fond memories of the segment featuring it in that 80’s Claymation Christmas special.”

Cud: “‘Little Donkey’. We like donkeys. Especially ones wearing fezs.”

Kieran McGuinness from Delorentos: “Christmas songs are generally two things, novelty rubbish or cynical cash in. Finding a good Christmas song amongst these tunes is generally fairly hard, but the old classics have to be the best, and my favourite one is ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby. Especially the crackly 1942 Bing Crosby version, not the cheesy Drifters one. It reminds me of family and fires and laughing, and not of TV, money issues and drunken relations dancing with your girlfriend.”

Shana Levy from Let’s Go Sailing: “My new favorite Christmas song is a cover of Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’ by this guy in the UK called Ingo Star Cruiser. The song just gets me and this version of it is a lot peppier and is like an indie song with a tiny bit of George Michael mixed in-sounds odd but its great.”

Dave Einmo from Head Like A Kite: “‘Frosty The Snowman’. It’s a great chord progression. We transposed it to a minor key and covered it last year when we played at an elemntary school in Seattle. In minor it’s dark, but yet still really playful. Plus it makes me think of snow, which makes me think of snowboarding, which makes me think of fun.”

Jared Van Fleet from Sparrowhouse: “I thought about it a bit and I guess it’s cliched but I’m going to be pick ‘What Child Is This’ simply because the melody (Greensleeves) and its modal harmonies are still so compelling 500 years on, and that beautiful change from minor to major in the choruses gets me every time.”

Jessica del Rio from The Race: ‘I have very happy memories of a team Race family Christmas dinner a few years back…we were just finishing making the roast, and opening a few pressies. Grae had brought an old Doves cd, and ‘Pounding’ was playing. Everytime I hear it now, I remember feeling optimum Christmassyness! The song’s not a traditional Christmas choice, I know, but hey, “I Saw Mo
mmy Kissing Santa Claus” is no ‘Oh Holy Night’,eh?

Ned Collette: “At the moment my favourite Christmas song is definitely ‘The Gentle Elf’ by Kes Band, which you can find on the Mistletone Records ‘Mistletonia’ compilation which has just come out. It’s an impossibly strange and alluring song. You can hear it at www.myspace.com/mistletone”

Will Merriman from The Harvest Ministers: “I have to go for a non song and give you Truman Capote’s ‘Christmas memory’, one of his best short stories, which if you get the chnace to hear him read is the equivalent to any music/song on the subject.”

Neil from Built Like Alaska: “‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’… sang by Judy Garland. It’s a pretty and tearful little song made even more beautiful and tragic when Ms. Gumm sings it.”

Nyles Lannon: “Ha ha, it’s a no-brainer. I had ‘A Charlie Brown Xmas’ on vinyl all through my childhood and loved loved loved it.”

Darren Cross from E.L.F. & Gerling: “My favourite Xmas song is ‘6 White Boomers’ by Rolf Harris. I had to sing this song every year in Primary school when i was a kid and always had a good laugh being a naughty little sod..probably doing fart sound effects while all the posh girls sang it like their life depended on it!!! A song about 6 white giant kangaroos being used for Santas Sleigh instead of reindeers..totally stupendously ecstatic idea and a typically catchy little number from the guy who had 3 legs – Mr Rolf Harris!!!”

Ben Cooper from Radical Face: “Okay. I had to think about this one a bit. But I’m going to go with ‘Carol of the Bells’. It’s probably the creepiest Christmas song, and I appreciate that. But I genuinely like the music on that one, whereas a lot of Christmas songs just slide by because, you know, they’re Christmas songs. You’re not really allowed to hate them. But I’ll go on record saying that ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ is a pile of crap. That song can suck it. Runner up: Little Drummer Boy.”

Renée from Liechtenstein: “I’m really not that good at making lists and stuff like that so I asked the others and two of them felt that The Housemartins ‘Caravan Of Love’ is a lovely Christmas song. There were some discussions whether it’s really a Christmas song or not, but since it was released on a Christmas compilation I guess it is? Anyway, it’s brilliant and people should listen to it and be nice to each other.”

Kjartan Fridriksson from AMPOP: “Last week I got The Beach Boys’ Christmas album from 1964. It’s a really nice Christmas album. My favorite on it is Brian singing ‘Blue Christmas’, by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson. Incredibly beautiful.”

Paul Page from Whipping Boy: “‘Frosty the Snowman’ – The Ronettes. This one transports me right back to my childhood, dredging up memories of being dragged around the shops of dublin working our way through the Christmas present list. That Phil Spector Xmas album was always on, no matter where you went. Still like it though.”

Adam Franklin from Swervedriver: “Probably ‘Fairytale of New York’ by the Pogues cuz it just seems more genuine than any others – poignant booze-soaked reflection at the end of another year and full of one too many mincepies..’I could have been someone, Well so could anyone'”

Vincent Dee from Normandy: “I was surprised to discover that my favorite Christmas song is ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey. She can make 4 sequels to Glitter and climb up the side of the Empire State Building for all I care, that song just gets me right in the spirit.”

Dylan from Antarctica Takes It!: “I’ve actually a couple of favorite Christmas albums (whole albums!). First is James Brown’s ‘Funky Christmas’ which is full of excellent songs including ‘Merry Christmas, I Love You’ and ‘Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto’. And then, Vince Guaraldi’s ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ which is somehow ok to listen to year-round.”

Jenny Hval from Rockettothesky: “I am quite ambivalent to the Christmas thing. I sometimes watch Christmas cartoons or films that i used to watch when I was little, and get that old exciting christmas feeling. But at the same time I don’t like compulsory jollity :) However, I have some Christmas favourites. I like an old, old song that’s called ‘Jeg Synger Julekvad’ in Norwegian (I think it’s Latin originally, the English title is ‘I Am Singing A Christmas Song’). I also listen to a lot of choral music around Christmas, Palestrina, Allegri, Fauré’s Requiem. The Cocteau Twins did a fine version of ‘Frosty The Snowman’.”

Cathy Davey: “I have a weakness for ‘Silent Night’. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus do a great version.. nothing fancy, but it’s quite moving when done well. Also, ‘The First Noel’ by Nat King Cole. I find most Christmas songs pretty depressing but this is too comedic to bring you down.”

Michael Rafferty from Tiberius Minnows: “I have to go for Chris Rea and ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ which is best listened to while, funnily enough, driving home for Christmas. It happened to me a couple of years in a row, as I was driving up the M1 from Belfast to Coalisland, and it’s just a real feel good song. Unlike our own ‘Cheer Up Christmas’ which, despite a sweet catchy melody, is depressing as hell, in true Minnows style.”

Ivan Ramiscal from The Positions: “‘Purple Snowflakes’ by Marvin Gaye. It’s dark and moody, slightly trippy, psychedelic lyrics…gritty city images, ha
unting backing vocals…Washington DC’s favorite son, Marvin Gaye on the mic…What’s not to love? It’s definitely not one of those overplayed Christmas songs that once held some appeal, until you heard it in every store of every mall you’ve ever visited during the Christmas season. Does Purple Rain replace Purple Snowflakes if the temperature rises?

David Smith from Antennas To Heaven: “I have to be honest this is a very difficult question as I generally do not like many conventional Christmas songs, however coming from a slightly different angle being a Sufjan Stevens fan i quite like some of the stuff on his Christmas album. So my answer would be ‘Get Behind Me Santa’ by Sufjan Stevens as it’s typical of his creative songwriting but in a sort of fun over the top type way which probably fits the mood of Christmas quite well.”

James Yorkston: “‘In Dessexshire As It Befel’, which concerns Jesus himself growing out of the ground and striking a farmer paralysed for ploughing on Christmas day. His wife, children & cattle all proceed to die away.”

Thomas Walshe from Pugwash: “Wizzard – ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’. If this perennial Christmas cracker was compared to say…. Crimble dinner, it would be Turkey/Ham/Spuds (roasted, boiled & mashed) /cabbage/sprouts/parsnips/turnips/gravy AND stuffing all piled onto one beautiful POP-PLATE!! Eric Clapton may have been God but Roy Wood was God AND Santa Claus rolled into one!! Genius…..”

Amos Memon from Fanfarlo: “Easy! Vince Guaraldi Trio – ‘Christmas Time is Here’. I made a bad decision and attended a Christmas party when I was feeling quite ill and should’ve stayed at home. The party was terrible, I was sick and fell asleep in a cold bathroom. When I awoke, everyone I knew had gone, so I caught the first train home at 6am, turned on the TV and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was on. Instant tonic! Ok, that’s longer than a line….here’s the truncated version: It reminds me of the warmth of home.”

Mishka Shubaly from Beat The Devil: “‘Blue Christmas’ by Elvis Presley. Why? Jesus, it’s like a cough syrup Martini.”

Keith Duncan from The Chap: “J.S. Bach – ‘Ich Steh An Deiner Krippen Hier’ (from the Christmas Oratorio). It’s very beautiful, bit of a tear jerker. There’s too much kitsch at Christmas, this is a great antidote.”

Rowan from Pocketclock Music: “One thing that comes to mind, from a field of not very many: the Beatles’ Christmas tape they delivered to their fan club in 1968 is an interesting artifact, a bunch of hammy greetings and wellwishing stuck against little jokes, weird tape experiments & song failures. It reminds me of the little play cassette recorder I used to make radio shows of the family when I was a kid.”

Eoin Aherne from Director: “My favourite Christmas song is an unashamed Slade’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’. It’s a song which remarkably cannot be diminished by the process of hearing it in every Marks and Spencers/Penny’s every day in the month and a half before December 25. It’s fun and festive and has a kick ass chorus. It’s also the first song we ever played live (at a Christmas carol service in school) so I know the chords.”

Jeremy Bolen from Chin Up Chin Up: “My favorite Christmas song is the entire Chipmunks Christmas album. It brings back creepy childhood memories.”

Ola Frick from Moonbabies: “At the moment it must be the ‘Just Like Christmas’ song by Low, takes me to a warm cosy place, whenever I hear it. I’m a sucker for uncomplicated songs like that.”

Justin from The Howlies: “I tend to prefer the more unsentimental Christmas songs. Off the top of my head I’d say my favorite is ‘Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer’. Thematically, there’s so much going on in this song: drunkenness, forgotten medication, ‘incriminatin’ Claus marks’, and a grown man’s renewed belief in Santa Claus… the dude who killed his grandma.”

Teitur Lassen from Teitur: “Phil Spector’s Christmas album is the only Christmas album!! No one has ever topped it.”

Mike & Cormac from Super Extra Bonus Party: “Has to be ‘Raining Blood’ by Slayer. Really captures the wonderful spirit of friendship and sharing between family, friends and more during this magical time of year.” 2 minutes later….“Mike’s falling a little short on his knowledge of Slayer there, the tune is ‘Reign in Blood’. I must get on to him about being a smart arse and not even getting his facts right! I’d love to do a mashup (a word that usually makes me cringe) of that Slayer tune and Mariah Careys Christmas tune… now that would be class!”

Jof Owen from The Boy Least Likely To: “My favourite Christmas song ever is ‘Little Donkey’, and every year i make a christmas mix tape but i never put it on any of them cos I don’t have any versions of anyone singing it except for us, and I’d be too embarrassed to put our own song on a mix tape. Even if it was christmas.”

BJ Warshaw from Parts & Labor: “I’m going to sound like something of a Grinch, but I fucking hate Christmas music. There’s something about the sterile, relentless cheer being pumped through every available store speaker and radio station that makes me want to stab out my eardrums. And, worst of all, it seems with every year the holiday buying season starts earlier and ends later. I’m fully convinced that by the time I die it will be Christmas 365 days a year, consumers being brainwashed to buy and buy and buy in order to mask the gross inadequacies of our late-capitalist cultu
re (not to mention the Western and American massive waste of natural resources and exploitation of domestic and foreign labor forces for profit). I find the seasonal music intolerably oppressive, and can’t think of a single song that I *like*, let alone would deem my *favorite*. Holiday shop at thrift stores wearing earplugs! Seasons gratings.”

Sunbear: “Paddy’s favourite – ‘The Power of Love’ by Frankie Goes To Hollywood (xmas in the 80s can’t be beat!). Martin – ‘Baby Please Come Home’ by Phil Spectre/Darlene Love (the Rubies have been described as Phil Spectre does shoegazing so no real surprise there). Paul – ‘White Christmas’ by Bing Crosby (showing his age there!). And Moss -…no word yet (bah Humbug!).”

Rasmus Stolberg from Efterklang: “My favorite x-mas song is ‘Halcyon’ which is a brand new one made by Canon Blue aka Daniel James. A person I admire and like very much but still havent had the chance to meet yet! The song will be on the new x-mas compilation compiled by Ben Eshmade and released on LOAF Records.”

Will Holland from Lost On Purpose: “I gotta go with ‘Silent Night’. It’s pretty badass and when I was little my Mom taught me how to play it on the piano, although I’ve long since forgotten how to do that.”

Joe Kavanagh from Hybrasil: “Our favourite Christmas song is probably Jona Lewie’s ‘Send In The Cavalry’ because we are usually so rip-roaringly drunk around then that the only festive lyric we are capable of singing/slurring along with is the “diddle-diddle-dum-dum, diddle-diddle-dum, diddle-dum-dum-diddle-dum, diddle-diddle-dum” – then we usually fall down… ; )”

Jonas Jonsson from Bedroom Eyes: “Even though I’m not a religious person I’m generally a big fan of Christmas songs, I’m just a sucker for the sentiment! Usually the slower the better, but a secret personal favorite in my mid-teens was Manic Street Preachers’ James Deans Bradfields version of ‘Last Christmas’, which I still love alongside a whole bunch of those 19th century Swedish hymns.”

Julian Gough from Toasted Heretic: “My favourite Christmas song, Is eighty seconds long, Wordless, tuneless, dumb, You make it when you come. The best song ever sung. Best song ever sung.”

James Smith from Exmagician: “Has to be ‘Fairytale of New York by the Pogues. That’s a bit obvious I know, can’t think of any other Xmas songs I like just now.”

Inara George from The Bird & The Bee: “We like ‘Carol of the Bells’ cause it’s beautiful and doesn’t have anything to do with God.”

Abe from Ravens & Chimes: “I really like the record ‘Jingle Cats’. Engineer Mike Spalla recorded all different cat sounds (meows, purrs, etc) and assigned them to tonal pitches via a midi controller. Then he played your standard Christmas tunes with cat Meows. According to Wikipedia, Mike Spalla worked on the Beatles Anthology which is pretty cool.”

All @ MGMT: “‘Wonderful Christmas Time’ by Paul McCartney and Wings. What is Christmas without synthesizers and Paul McCartney? Everybody’s gonna dance…tonight!’

Si from Si Schroeder: “‘No Christmas’ by the Wedding Present, the last of their twelve singles in whatever year it was… 1992? … because it suits the miserable melancholy feeling experienced by people who don’t enjoy Christmas. To be honest, I kind of like ‘War Is Over’, too. And staying on that theme, a recording of Kaiser Wilhelm II wishing the German soldiers a happy Christmas at the front in 1917, accompanied by some sentimental strings in the background, is another thing I play a bit at this time of year…”

Bryan Garza from Scissors For Lefty: “Tell you what, I’m usually a fan of Ray Charles’ ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’, but this year it might very well be our own track of ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas’. You be the judge–> A Foggy Holiday, our track is the last 5th song down the list :)”

Aurelio Valle from Calla: “That’s a tough question, Christmas music is for the most part beautifully depressing, which is great. I guess I’d have to go with Phil Spector and Darlene Love’s ‘Christmas, Baby Please Come Home’. Alongside David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and I can’t leave out The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s ‘Fairytale of New York’. Sorry but there are just way too many great songs to just pin down one of them.”

Jordan R. Johns from Sound Team: “Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas is an all time favorite. ‘Skating’ makes me wish I lived somewhere where it snowed.”

Chris from Escape Act: “Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’, cause it makes Christmas seem special.”

Cathal Coughlan from Microdisney/Fatima Mansions/Himself: “Er…difficult. I normally incline towards the slightly manicured at that time of year. But last year it was most of Luke Haines’ back catalogue. Usually, I listen to Christy Moore’s version of ‘The Ballad Of Wandering Aongus’, because it’s true and honest. This year, the very great Lisa Knapp album will be in there somewhere. But as for ‘dedicated’ Xmas music, don’t be daft…I realise that this is dissembling and not very pertinent. You could say ‘anything by Paul McCartney that has Boyd Rice playing kazoo on it’. Sorry, I just ain’t snappy this weather.”

Estelle and Ido from Elephant Parade: “‘Do they know it’s Christmas’ by Band Aid. It’s a warm, sad song and it feels like a sweater, and it has Duran Duran in it.”

Rob Barbato from Darker My Love: “‘Christmas All Over Again’ by Tom Petty…it’s got that Spector thing going for it along with Petty’s dead pan vocal. It’s a winner…plus it was in ‘Home Alone 2’.”

Johnny Daukes from All Our Good Friends: “I’ve always ‘held a (Xmas) candle’ for Greg Lake’s ‘I Believe in Father Christmas’ ever since I was given a copy (for Xmas) at my Nan’s and it melted on the car dashboard on the way home. I was recently surprised to hear that Lake wrote it in protest at the ‘de-religionification’ of Christmas. I was however shocked to discover that the lyrics were written by Pete Sinfield. Given that the music is lifted from Prokofiev it rather begs the question ‘just what the fuck did Greg Lake do?’ And so on that basis I must join everyone else and say ‘Mistletoe and Wine’.”

Greg Bertens from Film School: “Anything off The Muppets Christmas Carol soundtrack because it’s the Muppets!”

DJ Boudreau from Dirty On Purpose: “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Silver & Gold’ as recorded by Burl Ives. For me Burl’s voice represents classic Christmas like no one else. And ‘Silver & Gold’ will always remind me of my favorite childhood holiday movie ““ Rudolph, The Red Nose Reindeer.”

Joe Jurewicz from Dirty On Purpose: “‘Fairytale of New York’ is my favorite Christmas song. It’s depressing as hell. Just like Christmas.”

Jon from Jon Hardy & The Public: “‘Mary Had A Baby’ puts me to my youth. The version on Christmas Spirituals, by Odetta, comes closest to the crisp sanctuary nights I remember.”

Paul Archer from Burning Codes: “I think my favourite Christmas song would be ‘Little Drummer Boy’, I really like the melody!”

Scott from Frightened Rabbit: “Ooooh, there’s the obvious indie one by Low which is splendid, but I’m not going to do that. It would be too obvious… so instead I’ll pop for the David Bowie and Bing Crosby duet of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ (is that what it’s called?), if only for the supersoft focus knitwear and extra hard hair in the video. Also, something about that song always reminds me of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The same sense of menace is tangeable throughout. I am now babbling like a Santa.”

Shaun Robinson from Oppenheimer: “Greg Lake – ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’, it’s a great song! or…..The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale of New York’, brilliant songwriting!”

Ray Weiss from Le Rug: “I never really listened to much Christmas music but out of all of them, the one that sticks out to me is ‘Merry Christmas’ by Wesley Willis on the album ‘Rock and Roll Will Never Die’. The reason I chose this is because it is obvious this guy is apeshit crazy, and he sings probably the most heartfelt Christmas song I’ve ever heard.”

Ronan Gaughan from Dark Room Notes: “White Christmas by Bing Crosby – I like its old muffled sound and its innocence – plus it sounds magical”

Antoine Bédard from Montag: “Well, I grew up with Christmas songs that were all in French. My favorite song is definitely “Holy Night” (Minuit Chrétien, is the version I would listen to with my family). The reason I like it comes from that epic choir moment in the middle – my uncle would get totally emotional, my mom would sing along, everyone would sing it out loud half laughing, half crying…it was pretty intense. Québec used to be extremely religious and that song brings back collective memories of our past I think. In French, it literally says: “People, on your knees, wait to be freed. Pretty intense”

Philip Price from Winterpills: “Always been weirdly, disturbingly inspired by the entire Christmas canon, from a melodic standpoint. but I would have to say ‘O Christmas Tree’ as sung by the Peanuts gang in the TV special really got me first. It’s sandwiched in between the Beatles, X, and the Go-Betweens in my mind. I don’t know how or why.”

Daniel Lawson from Venice Is Sinking: “Lucas’s favorite christmas song is Darlene Love’s ‘Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)’. He didn’t say why. I really like the religious Christmas songs best for some reason. I think my favorite would have to be either, ‘What Child Is This?’ or “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ – both of which have this minor chord / dirge-like quality to them. I respond well to that i think. Johnny Cash’s version of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ isn’t bad either.”

Asher Lack from Ravens & Chimes: “Any of those medieval choral songs like “Carol Of The Bells” are great because they evoke winter and castles and stuff like that. I always liked the song “Silver Bells” because it has a fantastic melody. But I think everyone in the band would agree that the hottest Christmas jams are those Charlie Brown songs. Unless there’s some “A very Motown Christmas” that I’m forgetting. My mom also reminded me how good that Run DMC Christmas song is. I hope that makes it in there.”

Sally from Sally Shapiro: “It must be ‘Anorak Christmas’ by Nixon, that’s why we made a cover version of it. There’s not anything about Christmas in the lyrics except “cold Decemb
er night”, but it’s Christmassy and an incredibly sweet song with a cute singer.”

Dale Grundle from The Sleeping Years: ” It has to be ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ for me. ‘Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone’. I know it’s more ‘winter’ than ‘xmas’ but what lyrics! :)”

Johan AngergÃ¥rd from Club 8: “My recent favourite is Irene’s ‘Christmas On The Beach’. It’s one of few new Christmas songs which actually sounds like a Christmas song – complete with jingle bells, castanettes and a sentimental Christmas-ballad ending.”

David Wingo from Ola Podrida: “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Little Drummer Boy’. It’s a pretty weird song; it’s got this tone of a kind of static serenity throughout…not to mention, the repeated refrain is Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum, which I think is pretty cool. And “me and my drum” is a pretty bad-ass closing line to a song in my opinion.”

James Levy from Levy: “The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, because that boy can sing with feeling.”

Tom Bromley from Los Campesinos!: “That’s easy, it’s Low’s ‘Just Like Christmas’. It’s uncharacteristically peppy for a Low song, but the lyrics are still reassuringly downbeat in a lot of ways. But I think it characterises the Christmas spirit perfectly, evoking the season of doom and gloom in these snowy Scandinavian landscapes, and then throwing some pretty sleighbells over the top. Mmm. I bet everyone suggests Low though…”

Ronan Hession from Mumblin’ Deaf Ro: “I suppose I’ll be a party pooper and say ‘River’ by Joni Mitchell as its the only Christmas song I listen to all year ’round. Otherwise it would be the carol ‘The Holly and the Ivy’. I usually spend Christmas telling everyone that Last Christmas has the same melody as Daydreamer by David Cassidy, but my campaign has yet to build momentum.”

David Best from Fujiya & Miyagi: “My favourite christmas song is David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s ‘Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy’. I like the bah ram bah bum bum bit.”

Philippe Guérin from Harvee: “I don’t know if ‘Strangest Tribe’ counts as a Christmas song, but when I was young I received this song from Pearl Jam as a christmas gift. That song is awesome! But if it doesn’t count, say Jingle Bells.”

Paddy from Grand Pocket Orchestra: “That’s a tough call, but being a Christmas junkie it would have to be Wizard’s ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’. Only a drugged up hippy could spread such festive cheer.”

Pietu Kaipainen from South Ambulance: “‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ is at least the bass players favourite song in the language of English, it brings a tear to my eye everytime 24th of December. Otherwise Finnish Christmas songs in minor are great, like one called ‘Sylvian Joululaulu’ (Sylviás Christmassong). Sweden isnt that “jolly” when it comes to Christmas, the country falls into darkness around October (and stays there until spring) and so does the people too. In my opinion it’s a time for diving in the dephts, feeling blue and remembering what really matters.”

Mike Cleare from My Brother Woody: “I love Christmas songs but having said that this is an easy one for me. ‘Morning Christmas’ by Dennis Wilson, Christmas soul music at its finest.”