Nat King Cole

The Top Five–Iconic Christmas Songs

Inspired by this year’s music-themed “Christmas School,” today I’m looking at what I consider to be the top five (yes, I know…actually six. I had a Rat Pack tie at the end!), most iconic Christmas songs. When I say iconic, I mean the song and singer together…the type of piece where, when you hear it, you think to yourself “no one else needed to record this song ever, because it’s perfect as it is, and there is no topping it!”

  • Bing Crosby–“White Christmas”–No one does Christmas music like Bing, and maybe it’s just because White Christmas is my favorite Christmas movie, but I think this is the song he does best. I’m immediately transported to a different place and time at those opening notes!
  • Nat King Cole–“The Christmas Song”–Second only to Bing, Nat also excels at Christmas, and while I especially love his Toys for Tots song, we all know that Nat absolutely owns “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” (I do also like the rendition they created of him and Natalie Cole singing it together.)
  • Andy Williams–“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”–Another iconic voice at Christmastime, Andy has several songs that he does really well, including “Happy Holidays” and “It’s the Holiday Season,” but “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is my favorite, and so recognizable.
  • Ella Fitzgerald–“Sleigh Ride”–I don’t know if it’s because it’s been used so well in movies (Elf comes to mind), but “Sleigh Ride” is totally Ella Fitzgerald’s song! This is another example of a song I recognize immediately from just the first few notes, because her version was so distinctive.
  • Frank Sinatra–“Christmas Memories”–This is probably the least-known song on the list, and it really captures that sense of nostalgia at Christmastime both in words and music, and Frank sings it with so much emotion, you get the sense he’s really feeling it when he sings “Funny, but comes December, and I remember every Christmas I’ve known.”
  • Dean Martin–“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm”–Between this and “Baby it’s Cold Outside,” Dean is the king of winter songs, but this one is a little less controversial, so I chose it over the other, even though I like both equally well.

What Christmas songs are iconic to you?

The Top Five–Christmas Albums

We’re still Christmas-ing here!

As the season winds down, I thought it would be fun to take a look at my top five favorite Christmas albums. Yes, there are six albums on the list, but in my defense, the last two are fairly short, so I think together, they make up one space!

  • Classic Christmas Carols–This album (actually, a two-disc collection), featuring the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, is my absolute favorite collection of sacred Christmas music.
  • Christmas with the Rat Pack–This is not just one of my favorite Christmas CDs, but also my favorite collection of music sung by Frank, Dean, and Sammy!
  • The Christmas Song–My version of this classical Nat King Cole album is slightly different from the one currently available, which is too bad, because one of my favorite things about it, the “Toys for Tots” song, is one of the most delightful aspects of the album. But I also love all of the different versions of “The Christmas Song,” as well as all of the other Christmas songs on it.
  • A Classical Kids Christmas–This started out as a school album, but I love the way a story is woven into the Christmas music, and how different Christmas traditions are explained.
  • White Christmas–The classic Bing Crosby Christmas album will always be one of my favorites!
  • The Andy Williams Christmas Album–There’s something special about Andy Williams and Christmas, and so many of the songs on this album remind me of my childhood!