Christmas the season when we try to make good on all the crap that happened in the last year. It’s also a hint that we live in the upside down world for at least a month when you consider fans who hate elevator music will dig the Ray Conniff singers belting out “Jolly Old St. Nicholas”

Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Idina Menzel and Michael Buble do a bang up job and the video is amazing with their little selves playing big parts in the clip but Dean Martin’s 1959 version from “A Winter Romance”an album that was more about winter than Christmas. It’s a call and response song meant as a conversation between two people but Dean’s version was him and a choir

Blue Christmas – It was first recorded by Doye O’Dell in 1948 and country artist Ernest Tubb the following year the King of Rock and Roll truly owns this song. It was on Elvis’ fourth studio album “Elvis’ Christmas Album” from 1957.

“The Christmas Song” It was written by Mel Torme and Robert Wells on a hot summers day it’s sometimes called ‘Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire” and subtitled “Merry Christmas To You” Though many have scored with this song including Torme’s own version it’s Nat King Cole who came up with the most memorable rendition. In fact he recorded the song several times but it’s his 1961 take that still gets loads of airplay around the world each December.

“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” from 1949. Written by Johnny Marks who also wrote “Run Rudolph Run” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958 and adapted Henry

Longfellow’s words into “I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day” two years earlier. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was based on a poem by Marks brother in law, Robert May, who

wrote the “Rudolph” story 10 years before as part of an assignment for the department store Montgomery Ward. We salute Gene Autry on this one. He took it to #1 the week of Christmas in 1949.

Marks also wrote “A Holly Jolly Christmas” for that same 1964 Christmas stop-motion animated television special. Like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” from 1965 and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” from 1966 the Rudolph Christmas special has stood the test of time and no one does “A Holly Jolly Christmas” like Burl Ives who was the voice of Sam the Snowman who also sang”Silver and Gold,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Rudolph shared the bill with another late bloomer Hermey, an elf who dreams of pursuing a career in dentistry.

“Christmas, Baby Please Come Home” written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector this is not a song for the weak. You have to have pipes to tackle mountain of a song with it’s trademark “wall of sound” production from Spector. It was released in 1963 and originally intended for Spector’s future wife Ronnie and The Ronettes but according to Darlene Love Ronnie had problems getting the right emotion on the song. In 2010 Rolling Stone magazine called Love’s version #1 in their “Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs” of all time.

“Sleigh Ride” was originally an instrumental and written in the late 40’s by Leroy Anderson. Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops had a hit with it in 1949 and like any Christmas classics, even thought this was not originally a Christmas song, it was recorded by many. Bing Crosby in 1952, Ella Fitzgerald in 1960, The Ronettes three years late, Andy Williams in 1965, in 1978 The Carpenters did a very popular version as well as Amy grant in

1983 but we choose a version from the album “Merry Christmas” from 1958 by Johnny Mathis. His bouncy vocal smoothness serves as a perfect narrator for the tune.

The oldest song on our list, “Silent Night” was composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town in Austria. One of the most recorded Christmas songs of all time. Bing Crosby’s version is still one of the biggest singles of all time. It’s been translated in over 300 languages around the world. We have a tie on this one. As much as we love Crosby’s version there is an instrumental take that’s made the phones ring off the hook more than almost anything else I’ve ever played on radio – an instrumental from Mannheim Steamroller’s first holiday album simply titled “Christmas” from 1984. It was around the time when New Age music was starting to get traction. It was still a few years away from 1987 when The Wave format started in Los Angeles.

All I Want for Christmas Is You – Though Michael Buble, Justin Bieber, Newsboys and a few other have recorded the tune this one is owned by Mariah Carey and she also co-wrote the song. It was originally released in 1994 and featured in the Christmas classic “Love Actually” from 2003. It’s also one of the biggest singles of all time.

Bing Crosby comes up on our next tune, “White Christmas.” Written in 1942 by Irving Berlin Bing’s version, at the time of this taping, is the biggest selling single of all time. He first performed the tune in 1941 and recorded it the following year. Featured in the movie “Holiday Inn” from 1942 and starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Berlin wrote twelve songs specifically for the project. The movie was also the 8th biggest money maker, in the U.S., in 1942 and “White Christmas also won “Best Song.” at the Oscars.

Watch for our other Holiday videos on this channel including our special on “Love Actually,” “The Nutcracker,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “WKRP’s Turkey Away” episode and many different videos on Christmas music. – by John Beaudin

Favorite Christmas Classic Songs, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Michael Buble, Dean Martin, Blue Christmas, Elvis Presley, John Beaudin, The Christmas Song, Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Johnny Marks who also wrote “Run Rudolph Run, A Holly Jolly Christmas, Christmas, Baby Please Come Home, Darlene Love Ronnie, Sleigh Ride, Johnny Mathis, Silent Night, Franz Gruber, Bing Crosby, All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey, White Christmas, Irving Berlin, Holiday Inn,

Classic Christmas Songs,

Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Idina Menzel and Michael Buble do a bang up job and the video is amazing with their little selves playing big parts in the clip but Dean Martin’s 1959 version from “A Winter Romance”an album that was more about winter than Christmas is simply perfect.

Blue Christmas – It was on Elvis’ fourth studio album “Elvis’ Christmas Album” from 1957.

“The Christmas Song” It was written by Mel Torme and Robert Wells on a hot summers day it’s Nat King Cole who came up with the most memorable rendition. In fact he recorded the song several times but it’s his 1961 take that still gets loads of airplay around the world each December.

“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” from 1949. Written by Johnny Marks. We salute Gene Autry on this one. He took it to #1 the week of Christmas in 1949.

Marks also wrote “A Holly Jolly Christmas” for that same 1964 Christmas stop-motion animated television special. Burl Ives who was the voice of Sam the Snowman who also sang”Silver and Gold,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

“Christmas, Baby Please Come Home” written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector ..Darlene Love easily did the best version

“Sleigh Ride” was originally an instrumental and written in the late 40’s by Leroy Anderson. We choose a version from the album “Merry Christmas” from 1958 by Johnny Mathis. His bouncy vocal smoothness serves as a perfect narrator for the tune.

The oldest song on our list, “Silent Night” was composed in 1818 by Franz Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr. As much as we love Crosby’s version there is an instrumental take that’s made the phones ring off the hook more than almost anything else I’ve ever played on radio – an instrumental from Mannheim Steamroller’s first holiday album simply titled “Christmas” from 1984. It was around the time when New Age music was starting to get traction. It was still a few years away from 1987 when The Wave format started in Los Angeles.

All I Want for Christmas Is You – This one is owned by Mariah Carey and she also co-wrote the song. It was originally released in 1994 and featured in the Christmas classic “Love Actually” from 2003. It’s also one of the biggest singles of all time.

Bing Crosby comes up on our next tune, “White Christmas.” Written in 1942 by Irving Berlin Bing’s version, at the time of this taping, is the biggest selling single of all time. He first performed the tune in 1941 and recorded it the following year. Featured in the movie “Holiday Inn” from 1942 and starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Berlin wrote twelve songs specifically for the project. The movie was also the 8th biggest money maker, in the U.S., in 1942 and “White Christmas also won “Best Song.” at the Oscars.