Sand Mountain Reporter

Chances are you have heard enough Christmas songs by now to last you until Thanksgiving 2012.

But Christmas isn’t Christmas to me without the songs.

And no, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” by Elmo & Patsy, is not one of my favorites. By the way, Elmo followed up with a sequel called “Grandpa’s Gonna Sue the Pants Offa’ Santa.” Seriously.

My first memory of Christmas music is Elvis Presley. “Blue Christmas” is still one of those songs I randomly sing out loud for no apparent reason.

Here’s a list of my top 10 yuletide carols:

1. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” U2’s Bono delivers an aching plea to his lover to return home for the holidays.

2. “Please Come Home for Christmas.” The Eagles’ Don Henley delivers the same plea but without as much ache.

3. “Santa Can’t Stay.” Dwight Yoakam rips into this honky-tonk scorcher about a drunk father dressed as Santa trying to see his children for Christmas.

4. “Brightest Star.” Chris Isaak sings a beautifully simple thank-you to the Savior.

5. “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Lisa Layne emotes in a piano-laden throwback to the 1960s by one-hit wonders Vince Vance & the Valiants.

6. “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Same title, different song. Mariah Carey’s voice never sounded better.

7. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” A powerful 1980s charity tune with some passionate vocals by Boy George, George Michael, Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon, Sting and Bono.

8. “Feliz Navidad.” Jose Feliciano keeps the mood peppy in the Christmas song most likely to stick in your brain.

9. “Santa Claus is Back in Town.” Elvis snarls through this bluesy number.

10. “What Child Is This? (Greensleeves).” Charlotte Church’s hauntingly angelic version of this traditional song still gives me goosebumps.

Lionel Green is a staff writer for The Sand Mountain Reporter. His e-mail address is lgreen(at)sandmountainreporter.com.

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Serving Albertville and the Sand Mountain region

Publisher: Ben Shurett

1603 Progress Drive
Albertville, Alabama 35950

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