by GeniustoBurn

Created on: December 27, 2009   Last Updated: December 28, 2009

I love Christmas. I'm a total sucker for the whole shebang, commercialism and all. Whether you're shopping, channel hopping or listening to the radio, from mid-November onwards you can't avoid the carols and festive pop - so you might as well enjoy it. I do recall one year when I would happily have throttled George Michael - but it was mostly for the irritating way he says "gev" when he means "Gave" ("Last Christmas, I gev you my heart...") Not since Verucca Salt's "It's my bar of chock-lit" have I found someone's pronunciation so annoying.

Having a freeview box for the TV means a constant supply of music videos at any time of the day or night, so I can get my fill of "top 100 Christmas songs" and the like, although frequent channel hopping is required for the all too common "funny" / "novelty" acts.

I don't know if it's because I'm a child of the 80s, but the music from this era seems to be effortlessly happy-inducing. The videos, too, are refreshingly home-made looking and ropey compared with the super-slick professionalism of the ones released today.

Christmas songs seem to split into two categories; exuberant, childlike joy (Wizzard, Slade, anyone singing "Let it snow") or schmaltzy tear jerkers (Judy Garland, Bing Crosby). Some might even straddle both types, depending on how much of a sentimental fool you are. (I can't hear a single bar of "Mary's boy child" without becoming a little teary eyed). When I had my year as a "Christmas orphan" in Australia with a lot of other gap year types, several people dissolved into tears on the dance floor of our big Christmas eve night out. The song that got to me was the Pretenders "I can hear people singing... it must be Christmas time..."

Similarly I never fail to be moved by the oddly spiritual "Power of love" from Frankie goes to Hollywood; complete with the only Nativity scene I ever recall seeing in a music video. Kirsty MacColl's untimely death seemed all the more poignant for being at Christmas, when "Fairytale of New York," was all over the airwaves.

If you're looking for a more cheerful soundtrack to your festivities, you can't go wrong with the classics. Only Elvis could make lyrics like "Santa Claus is comin' down your chimney tonight" sound as dirty as they do in his version of "Santa Claus is back in town." (I highly recommend his Christmas album, every track is a cracker. 'Scuse the pun.)Likewise the rat pack are quality all the way- I especially like the rarely played Sinatra version of Jingle

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