Tuesday Top Ten: Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist

Many apologies for not posting a Tuesday Top Ten yesterday.  I was two busy contemplating how to crack a 2-3 zone.  I could come up with nothing, although I did devise a clever way to misspell "too."

Alas, I shall make up for my misgivings by posting my annual edition of the Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist.  Like I mentioned last year, the playlist is geared towards adult parties where people will not want to fall asleep, so it does not contain some slower holiday classics like Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song," Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas," or any of the many version of everyone's favorite holiday date rape song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside."  Also, it does not contain kiddie songs, like "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" or "Nuttin' For Christmas."  What it does contain are 44 holiday-themed songs -- old and new, rocking and blue, cheesy and creepy, and soulful, but not sleepy -- that will make your holiday party one to remember.  Or not remember if you get a keg of Great Lakes Christmas ale.

For your convenience, here is a list of the songs on the embedded widget below, with my honorable mention in alphabetical order and my top ten in awesomeness order.

Honorable mention (in alphabetical order by song title):

"Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter

"The Bells of St. Mary" by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

"Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley

"The Chipmunk Song (Please Christmas Don't Be Late)" by The Chipmunks

"Christmas All Over Again" by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

"Christmas In Hollis" by Run-D.M.C.

"Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness

"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid

"(Everybody's Waiting For) The Man With the Bag" by Kay Starr

"Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday" by William Bell

"Frosty the Snowman" by The Ronettes

"Here Comes Santa Claus" by Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by The Jackson 5

"Jingle Bells" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

"Last Christmas" by Wham!

"Little Saint Nick" by The Beach Boys

"Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby

"Merry Christmas Baby" by Lou Rawls

"Merry Christmas, Baby" by The Beach Boys

"A Party for Santa Claus" by Lord Nelson

"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby and David Bowie

"Please Come Home For Christmas" by Charles Brown

"Rock and Roll Christmas" by George Thorogood & The Destroyers

"Rock-a-Billy Christmas" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by The Crystals

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by The Temptations

"Run Rudolph Run" by Lemmy Kilmister (my daughters' favorite Christmas song, by the way)

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" by The Crystals

"Santa's Beard" by The Beach Boys

"White Christmas" by Darlene Love

"White Christmas" by The Drifters

"White Christmas" by Otis Redding (my favorite version of "White Christmas")

"Winter Wonderland" by Darlene Love

"'Zat You Santa Claus?" by Louis Armstrong & The Commanders

10. "Jingle Bells" by Wayne Newton

9.  "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms

8. "What Christmas Means to Me" by Stevie Wonder

7. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee

6. "Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry

5. "The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler

4. "Sleigh Ride" by The Ronette

3. "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey

2. "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" by Bruce Springsteen

1. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love