Sing we now of Christmas

Without further ado...my top 20 favorite Christmas songs.

20. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)--The Ramones. The Ramones just want some peace on Christmas. While it's hard to imagine a group of punks doling out peace and good tidings on Christmas, somehow the Ramones make it work. And it's an awesome song to dance to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCaaRQ149-I
19. Put the Lights On the Tree--Sufjan Stevens. Sufjan is one of my favorite artists for many reasons, one being that he has one of the best modern Christmas albums. Put the Lights On the Tree is a Sufjan original about why you should call your grandma. Just another reason I love him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gKzXlqsOeE
18. I'll Be Home for Christmas--Elvis. True confession: I used to hate this song, but as it becomes more and more apparent that I may miss a few Christmases with my family, I grow to love this song more and more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdwahHnfa3w
17. Welcome Christmas--the Whos down in Whoville. It's not Christmas until the Whos welcome me.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKagQWqr87Q&feature=PlayList&p=22D807033CE7E750&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=17
16. Wonderful Christmastime--Paul McCartney. How could your spirits not be brightened after Sir Paul describes the wonderful parts of Christmas?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWuKimtUEas
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas--Judy Garland. I have a strong desire to visit the great city of St. Louis. Why? 1. It is the 1st city in the western hemisphere to host the Olympic games. 2. To re-enact key scenes from Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland. My favorite part of the movie is when Judy tries to comfort her little sister by singing. How delightful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g4lY8Y3eoo
14. What Christmas Means to Me--Stevie Wonder. I cannot hear this song without having the urge to run through the mall a la Will Ferrell in Elf.
http://www.last.fm/music/Stevie+Wonder/_/What+Christmas+Means+To+Me
13. Do They Know It's Christmas?--Band-aid. I like things that make a difference. Apparently, so does Bob Geldolf, which is why in the 80s he decided to use his fame to help starving children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEnTSQStGE  
12. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day--Harry Belafonte. I really feel like Longfellow and I would have been friends, had I lived in his century. He manages to put into words all the things that I feel. Add a little Harry Belafonte, and you have Christmas perfection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-O-ENqlJiI&feature=related
11. Silent Night. Who could have known that a little song written at the last minute for a Christmas Eve service in Germany would be one of the most celebrated Christmas songs of all time? I love so many versions of this song, but my favorites are acapella.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNIFYgGTDHM
10. Happy Holiday (Beef Wellington Remix)--Bing Crosby. Love the original, but love the remix a little more. I like to put this on, pretend like I am Ginger Rogers and dance around my room, but maybe that's just me.
Remix: http://www.last.fm/music/Bing+Crosby/_/Happy+Holidays+(Beef+Wellington+Remix)
Original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k_q_UMI3tQ
9. A Great Big Sled--The Killers. It's hard to capture the nostalgia of Christmas in 3 minutes, but somehow the Killers manage to pull it off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzMeZI7fNJg
8. White Christmas--Bing Crosby. Yet another Bing song. I think I could make a list just of his songs. White Christmas stands head and shoulders above the rest though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mjb4yLMeK8
7. Sleigh Ride. For a song written on a hot day in July, Sleigh Ride conjures the feeling of winter like no other song can. While it technically never mentions Christmas specifically, the images that it uses are usually associated with the holiday season, making it, in my mind at least, a Christmas song. There are so many awesome versions of this song, but my faves include Ella Fitzgerald, Boston Pops and Relient K.
http://vimeo.com/2208095
6. Blue Christmas--Elvis. This was number 1 on my melancholy list, but I just can't help loving this song. Christmas just isn't the same without your loved ones!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUyuGFoiWJ0
5. Happy Xmas (War is Over)--John Lennon. Christmas is a time to reflect on the year that has been and the year that is to come. Who better to reflect with than John Lennon?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRBcwufAuQw
4. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming. A traditional German carol, I think the English edited version of the song is far more beautiful and compelling. While the literal translation "A rose has sprung up, from a tender root," makes the same point, "Lo, how a rose e'er blooming, From tender stem hath sprung" has a much nicer ring to me. I love many, many versions of this song, but Sufjan Stevens does one of my favorite.
http://www.last.fm/music/Sufjan+Stevens/_/Lo!+How+A+Rose+E'er+Blooming
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. We all knew Dasher and Dancer and all those other guys, but Robert L. May introduced the world to Rudolph the lovable reindeer who saved Christmas, despite being a little more than different. Although not my favorite version, I am a huge fan of Regis and love this video of him singing Rudolph.
http://www.spike.com/video/regis-philbin-sings/2798021
2. Auld Lang Syne--Straight No Chaser. I love acapella so much, so when I discovered Straight No Chaser, I was ecstatic! Their version of Auld Lang Syne is so awesome. Like really, really awesome. And I love Robert Burns sentiment; it's a new year, let's forget about the past and get ready for the future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUTeICtsQJA
1. The Christmas Song--Nat King Cole. There are certain songs that I could listen to on repeat. And this is one of them. I don't really know why I like it so much, except that it is so honest with its message. There are thousands of ways to say Merry Christmas, but the sentiment is always the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_W7p35SzuI