#25 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According to Me!)

I'm back!!!  Didya miss me?  I know I sure missed all of you!

To say that the last couple of months have been challenging would be the biggest understatement of the year.  I know I've missed a lot...such as half of the people I've written blogs about have now been fired for sexual harassment.  And good on those who spoke out against it, as that sort of stuff has no place in this world. 

But for now, it's time to do what I have done every December for the last few years.  It is time for...

...THE POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR!!!

And welcome to Day #1 of the calendar at that. 

So the theme of the advent calendar is music.  In particular, we'll be taking a look at some of the holiday music that has made me smile over every Christmas I have experienced.

But we're going to be doing things a little bit differently this year.  We're actually going to start off with number 25 and go backwards to #1.  Hey, I figure if Rick Dees and Ryan Seacrest can do it, why can't I?

Because this year, I'm going to be sharing (in my opinion, of course), my Top 25 Songs of Christmas Past.  After listening to Christmas music for the last three weeks (seriously, working in retail, I have literally no choice), I've compiled my list of 25 favourite songs.  Some are contemporary, some are classic, and some are really obscure.  But the one thing that these songs have in common is that at some point, they've made an impact on my enjoyment of the holiday season, and Christmas to me wouldn't quite be the same without these tunes.

But I will say this.  There will be no Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, or Madonna's "Santa Baby" on this list.  That much I can promise.  And the list of songs that I have is quite eclectic.  The newest song is from five years ago, and the oldest song is from the 1800s! 

So, let's kick it all off with song #25!

Now, this song is actually a medley that was performed in one of my favourite Christmas specials of all time.  Will Vinton's "A Claymation Christmas" was first shown on television in 1987, and it has since become a bit of a forgotten show.  I haven't seen it air in at least twenty years.  Luckily, I bought the DVD of it so I can watch it whenever I want - even in June if I choose to!

Anyway, in between the special performances by ice skating walruses, bells that hammer themselves in the head, and raisins singing about red-nosed reindeers, there were news reports hosted by a pair of dinosaurs.  And they were trying to talk about the Christmas carol "Here We Come A-wassailing", but neither one of them knew what the word wassailing meant.  And every time they tried to explain the meaning, they were always interrupted by groups of people who misinterpreted the meaning.

First we had a group of dogs singing about how they were going a waffling!  Of course, we had the dogs giving the dino hosts free waffles.

Then we had a group of beautiful geese warbling about how they were going a waddling.  And while I think they would have been more appropriate for Easter, they were handing out eggs to share.  

And then we had the group of pigs who sang about how they loved to go a wallowing.  And yes, they too brought lots of goodies and treats to share.

It actually wasn't until the end of the show that we learned what wassailing was from a group of tiny elves...or maybe they were leprechauns.  It was really hard to tell as a six-year-old.  Anyway, they explained that wassailing was when you went around the neighbourhood greeting your neighbours, wishing them well, giving them treats and singing Christmas carols. 

It was a great way for us kids to learn about the meaning of a Christmas tune (and it was cool to learn what wassailing really was).  And as a result, I'm starting the countdown with this tune.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a video of the medley...but I did find a link to the whole Claymation Christmas special.  Click HERE to watch it.  And I'll tell you right now, this is not the only song you will hear on my list from that special.

Coming up tomorrow - song #24 is a tune that was belted out by a thirteen year old that was dubbed "Little Miss Dynamite!"