Christmas Music

I've been listening to my old Christmas albums lately and realized that unless I buy a "kiddie" CD, my babe won't learn the old classic "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" until she's in kindergarten.

So I did some investigating and found Coolest Kidz Bop Christmas Ever ($14) with all of the cherished Christmas ditties and carols. Now my lil one can bop and dance along to music that's more kid-friendly. And, it's easy listening for me, too!

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

Over on Spinner they've compiled lists of the top 12 Worst Christmas Songs and the 12 Best Christmas Songs, limiting the choices to pop/rock songs (so, not including your average carols). As with any list, there are some bizarre choices on both lists, and some that totally hit the nail on the obnoxious-holiday song's head.

I totally agree with John Denver's "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)" being number two on the Worst Christmas Songs list (seriously, there's nothing heartwarming about that diddy), though I must say I really like Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." And some of this has to do with mere repetition: I used to love Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" . . . until it was burned into my brain over and over again. This is also why I would add the Waitresses' boppy-tune "Christmas Wrapping" to that Worst Christmas Songs list. If I hear that song one more time I will be sent into a terrifying rage, and nobody wants that at Christmastime.

As for the Best Christmas Songs, it's an interesting mix. Of course Joni Mitchell's "River" and Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" are there, but Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" is number one? Really? What do you think? Are there some glaring omissions on these lists? Were songs like "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Mariah Carey) and "I Saw Mama Kissing Santa Claus" shafted from both lists? To see the full lists and discuss, read more

If you're at work and counting down the days to Christmas, you should try tuning in to the online radio station Merry Christmas Radio. Don't let the somewhat cheesey name fool you: This really is a hip holiday station, playing everything from old standards to rock-and-roll renditions of the classics.

To listen, you can either open the radio player in your browser window or download the file to stream through your iTunes. Just be warned: Because the radio station is free (yay!), it isn't always available at peak hours. If too many "free accounts" are using the service, just check back later. (This happened to me earlier today, but now it's working fine.)