Christmas songs--the good, the bad, and the ugly

I hope all of you in the path of the latest monster storm stay safe and can ride it out at home. Yesterday was the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Few of us were alive then, of course, but I was listening to a radio show in my car that discussed how dramatically different news becomes public today. Pearl Harbor occurred during a Philadelphia Eagles football game, and some of the players later reported that they knew something horrible had occurred, for the stadium PR system suddenly began to announce that some of the fans needed to call their offices immediately—all of them high ranking military men and police officers and politicians. On the same show, someone described how he learned of the capture of Osama bin Ladin. He was at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game, and suddenly noticed that many in the audience were paying more attention to their phones than to the game. He said a buzz swept the stadium as word began to spread, and marveled that people today can often learn of important events even before they are officially announced or the story is reported by the media.
As Christmas approaches, we usually have a discussion of Christmas music, posting about the songs we like the most and those we loathe. So I’ll get us started today. One of my favorites is What Child is This, because it is set to the music of Greensleeves, one of my best-loved songs, followed by Christmas—Sarajevo by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I enjoy listening to The Little Drummer Boy, in large measure because my dad loved it and I think of him whenever I hear it. Along the same lines, I was never a fan of The Twelve Days of Christmas, but I have learned to like it simply because it was my mom’s favorite Christmas song. I stop whatever I am doing to listen to I’ll be Home for Christmas, even though I think it is one of the saddest songs of the season; I interpret it to be a lament for bygone days and loved ones now dead. Who does not like Silent Night? I am not normally a fan of novelty Christmas songs, though I do like Rudolph; after all, he prevails over the bullies in the end! I like Silver Bells and Mele Kalikimaka. I once lived in Hawaii and am still proud that greeting can roll trippingly over my tongue; Hawaiian is a beautiful language. I also have fond memories of decorating a corn plant with big red bows for our Christmas tree and going to the beach on Waikiki on Christmas Day. There are more, of course, that I really like. And then there are the clunkers, the ones I’d ban from the airwaves forever if I ever become Dictator of the World. The version of Santa, Baby by Madonna sets my teeth on edge. I don’t like the song that turns “Christmasing” into a verb—ugh. And I absolutely loathe I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, surely the most obnoxious Christmas song of all time. It always sounds smarmy to me, but I’ve even heard versions where the bratty kid plans to blackmail Mom, making her pay for his silence.
Okay…..your turn, guys. What holiday songs do you love to hear and which ones affect your nerves like chalk on a blackboard?