#10 - Top 25 Christmas Songs (According To Me!)

It's Day #16 in the POP CULTURE ADDICT'S ADVENT CALENDAR, which means that we're officially in the Top 10 of my favourite 25 Christmas song countdown!  It's the home stretch everyone, and I have to say that this year, it's starting to feel like Christmas is coming soon!

There are definitely a lot of signs that make it look very Christmasy.  At least where I am living there is a lot of snow on the ground, lights on nearly every house, and lots of decorations up all over the place.  The stores are even filled with wall-to-wall people looking for last minute gift ideas.

Trust me.  I know.  My store was filled with them today.

But hey, what can I say?  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas more and more.  And speaking of that, it happens to be the title of the song that I am featuring today.

Originally composed by Meredith Willson in 1951, "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas" has been a staple in many Christmas playlists over the last six and a half decades.  And certainly a lot of artists have put their own spin on this holiday favourite.

But which version is my absolute favourite?

Well, let me preface this by saying that there is a very significant reason why there are so many songs from the 1980s on this list.  You might have noticed that of the fifteen songs that I have posted on this countdown, five have been from that decade alone.

The reason being is very easy.  I was a child throughout most of the 1980s, and therefore my fondest Christmas memories are from that particular time period.  Or if the song itself is not from the 1980s, then I link the song to an '80s memory (much like when I posted the Chipmunk song earlier this month).

When it comes to this song, Johnny Mathis' version was the one that I heard first (and most).  After all, it was released in 1986 which would have been right around the same year that I started getting really excited about Christmas.  It was just a magical time filled with anticipation over opening up the gifts under the tree, and gorging on Christmas candy and cookies, and just thinking that it was the greatest day in the world. 

And just the way that Johnny Mathis sang the song along to the beautiful musical arrangement.  It just screams joy and excitement.  It was as if Johnny was singing the song from the perspective of a young child who was just as excited about Christmas as I was - a rare feat given that Mathis was fifty-one when this song was released.

The song was featured on his album "Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis", and was also featured on the television special "Home for Christmas" right around the same time.  But it wouldn't be until six years later in 1992 that the song would really gain momentum when it was included in the soundtrack of the film "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York".  And since then, the song has been in and out of the Top 10 for Billboard's Christmas charts.

The video for this song comes from the "Home for Christmas" special, and I have it for you to watch right here.  I hope you enjoy it!

Now, stay tuned for song #9 on the countdown - a song that might be the least traditional tune on this chart - but damn, it's a good one!