It’s the holiday season again—almost. As soon as Halloween was over, stores started stocking up on trees, holiday treats, decorations and the like. With the holiday spirit in mind, the Daily Wildcat has put together an essential music playlist that’ll have you rocking around the Christmas tree in no time at all.
“Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
This song gets you in the Christmas spirit, as the lyrics feature Christmas decorations, far away relatives, singing and mistletoe. This song is featured in a few different Christmas films, including “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” as Macaulay Culkin listens to this song without realizing he’s boarded the wrong plane. Take a beat from Tom Petty and add this to your playlist; after all, “Christmas is a rocking time.”
“Christmas Vacation” by Mavis Staples
Featured as the opening song in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” this song is a must-have for your playlist. Soon, we’ll be finishing up the semester and getting a much-needed break, so “hip, hip hooray for Christmas vacation” because “everybody knows there’s not a better time of year.”
“White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra
One timeless symbol of Christmas in the Northern Henisphere: snow. We may not see much of it unless we head up to Mount Lemmon or leave the state, but we can at least be “dreaming of a white Christmas” and imagining the “tree tops glisten” as we sing in tune to Crosby’s croon.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Dean Martin
This is a timeless Christmas classic brought to you by one of the greats of the infamous Rat Pack. While Tucson isn’t exactly known for its subzero temperatures, we’re slowly but surely cooling down this holiday season. Take a jacket everywhere you go, because “baby, it’s cold outside” — well soon, anyway.
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” by Bruce Springsteen
Of course we had to include The Boss himself in our Christmas playlist line-up. Rock ‘n’ roll spirit amps up this classic Christmas song, which includes a fun intro with Springsteen talking to an audience and his band. So…“everybody out there been good, or what?”
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“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
Soon, there’ll be Christmas parties left and right. There are different versions of this song, but this is the original version recorded in 1958. Take a beat from Lee and go “rockin’ around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop.”
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Thurl Ravenscroft
If you’re more like the Grinch when it comes to the holidays, “cuddly as a cactus” and “charming as an eel” this time of year, then this song is for you. There are a variety of reasons not everyone enjoys the holidays, and that’s okay—just don’t go taking our presents and decorations away.
“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” by Dean Martin
This is another essential for any holiday playlist. While the weather outside isn’t exactly “frightful,” we can throw in a Christmas movie and “let it snow” anyhow. Hot cocoa and “some corn for poppin,’” and we’re good to go!
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“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland
Garland sweeps us away with Christmas spirit. So, “have yourself a merry little Christmas” and “let your heart be light” because “next year on, our troubles will be out of sight.”
“The Chanukah Song” written by Adam Sandler, Lewis Morton and Ian Maxtone-Graham
Funnyman Sandler has performed this since its debut in 1994, and its lyrics have since undergone various updates, with references to figures such as Winona Ryder and Harrison Ford. Sandler reminds us that Hanukkah has “eight crazy days” — all the more reason to keep the holiday celebrations going!
“Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms
Last, but certainly not least, is a holiday playlist necessity. Released in 1957, this song has bombarded our radios and stereos throughout the Christmas season ever since. After all, “what a bright time, it’s the right time, to rock the night away.”
There are many more holiday songs, such as “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” to include in your playlists, but the above tunes are enough to get you immersed in the holiday spirit. Before we know it, the semester will be over and we’ll be free for winter break — happy holidays, Wildcats!
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