Tuesday Top Ten: Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist

Back in 2008, when I was spry and unpredictable, I posted my Top Ten Favorite Holiday Songs.  Last year, I came to the conclusion that my top ten list provided little benefit to those of you having holiday parties, other than being given the opportunity to read the brilliant ravings of a naked man on peyote, so I posted my "Ultimate Holiday Playlist," which included 34 songs for you play at your respective parties. 

Music is important to me, and the right or wrong holiday music can make or break a holiday party.  Every year I discover a few more holiday songs, so this list will be longer than last year's 34 songs.  Plus, now that Playlist.com is defunct and I have switched my embedding loyalties to Grooveshark, many more songs are available and embedded below. 

Like last year, this list is geared towards parties, so I tried to keep some slower classic songs off the list (i.e., "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole (or anyone else), Bing Crosby's version of "White Christmas," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "Christmas Time" by Ray Charles, "Silent Night").  And like last year, I also assume your party goers aren't children, so I didn't include "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" or "Nuttin' For Christmas."  Unlike last year, I included multiple versions of the same song, since there are often several worthy renditions of the same song.  As you might expect, it's heavy on songs from the greatest Christmas album of all-time, 1963's A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.  I've sung its praises before, and by God, I'll continue to sing its praises.

So, here are my top ten ultimate holiday party songs, with the rest in "Honorable Mention," and everything in the embedded in the Grooveshark widget below, so that you can hit shuffle at your party, tell everyone to put their keys in the bowl by the door, and get your holiday freak on.

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.

"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

"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

"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