It's the holiday time of the year. For many people, it's Christmas time. Political correctness shouldn't (and thankfully doesn't) stop Christmas songs being played in public.

Here are a few of my favourites.

The song: Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley

I heard this song for the first time when it came in at number seven in the Solid Gold Christmas Special 1982 countdown [1]. Needless to say, I like it enough to remember exactly when I heard it for the first time.

Where to buy:  or Amazon.com

The song: Riu Riu Chiu - The Monkees

According to Wikipedia, this is a "Spanish Vilancicico" [2]. I don't really know what the words translate to, but the tune is great. Again, I first heard this at the Sydney University Musical Society [3] Carol Fest in 2009.

This song is a recent favourite of all choirs. The version I have selected is interesting because it highlights the sometimes overlooked talents of the Monkees. 

Where to buy:  or Amazon.com

The song: Winter Wonderland - Harry Connick Jr.

This is a very upbeat version from the movie 'When Harry Met Sally;. This piece blended in to the movie score, and didn't stand out until I heard it on the movie soundtrack album. It's one of my favourites.

Where to buy:  or Amazon.com

References

1. http://www.tv.com/shows/solid-gold/solid-gold-christmas-1982-959026/recap/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%ADu_R%C3%ADu_Ch%C3%ADu
3. http://www.sums.org.au/