Best Classic Holiday Song
Christmas future is far away, Christmas past is past -- but in Christmas Present, that past is not forgotten. While we all love Mariah and Pentatonix and WHAM -- well, some of us love WHAM -- there are scores of classic holiday songs that, more than 50 years later, continue to fill listeners with the holiday spirit and that gingerbread feeling. So the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to determine: What is the Best Classic Holiday Song of all time? “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”? “The Christmas Song”? “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”? “Sleigh Ride”? “Jingle Bell Rock”? “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”? “A Holly Jolly Christmas”? “Santa Baby”? “Feliz Navidad”?
Host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Curtis Creekmore, Derek Mekita, and Kara Austin go back to the happy golden days of yore and debate the best holiday pop songs from the 1940s to 1979. It's a fun, old-fashioned Christmas debate!
Want to play along at home? Click here for the listener bracket. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with our own!
To listen to Round 1, showing how we got to the Seasonal 16 down from the Top 32, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today to access the exclusive Part 1 episode.
RELATED CONTENT
Best Contemporary Holiday Pop Song (1980-2020)
Round 2 Match-Ups:
Match-Up 1: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee (1) vs. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry (5)
Match-Up 2: "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole (3) vs. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Judy Garland (2)
Match-Up 3: "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms (1) vs. "Sleigh Ride" by The Ronettes (5)
Match-Up 4: "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" by Thurl Ravenscroft (3) vs. "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano (2)
Match-Up 5: "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt (1) vs. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Bing Crosby (4)
Match-Up 6: "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Perry Como (3) vs. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams (2)
Match-Up 7: "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby (1) vs. "Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth" by David Bowie & Bing Crosby (4)
Match-Up 8: "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" by Jackson 5 (3) vs. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives (2)
Want to listen to the songs mentioned in this episode? Find our Classic Holiday Song playlist here.
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EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Curtis Creekmore, Derek Mekita, Kara Austin
Producer: Mike Rapin
Editor: Jeffery Perry