SURVEY SAYS: Favorite Holiday Song

Although our Favorite Holiday Movie survey has been very popular with readers over the years, I decided to switch things up this year.

Last week, I asked NewsDash readers, what is your favorite holiday song? Readers could choose from a list or submit their own.

Eighteen percent of responding readers chose their own, with the most popular choice Mary, Did You Know?, followed by All I Want for Christmas Is You. Readers also listed:

  • Tennessee Christmas
  • Merry Christmas, Darling
  • Snow Miser and Heat Miser Song
  • Greensleeves
  • This is My Wish by Kevin Ross
  • Celebrate Me Home
  • I Wonder as I Wander, John Jacob Niles
  • We Need a Little Christmas (I prefer the Johnny Mathis version)
  • All Alone on Christmas
  • Christmas Rapping by the Waitresses!
  • A Baby Changes Everything
  • Mary’s Boy Child by Boney M
  • Dominic the Donkey
  • Snoopy’s Christmas
  • Fairytale of New York
  • This Christmas
  • Little Drummer Boy / Peace on Earth Duet by Bing Crosby & (I forget)

 

Among the list, the following songs received less than 1% of votes:

  • Angels We Have Heard on High
  • Ding Dong Merrily on High
  • Frosty the Snowman
  • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  • Here We Come A-Wassailing
  • It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
  • Jingle Bells
  • Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas

Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Feliz Navidad, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, Here Comes Santa Claus, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Santa Baby and Silver Bells each were chosen by 1.33% of readers. Do You Hear What I Hear?, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, O Come All Ye Faithful, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and The Hannukah Song by Adam Sandler were chosen by 2%.  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Joy to the World received 2.67% of votes. O come O come Emmanuel, The Little Drummer Boy and What Child Is This? received 3.33% of votes.

And the top five holiday song as chosen by responding readers, are:

4. Carol of the Bells – 4%

3. The Christmas Song ("Chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . .") and Silent Night - tied at 5.33%)

2. White Christmas" ("I'm dreaming of a . . . ") – 7.33%

1. O Holy Night – 19.33%

 

In verbatim responses, readers shared irritation with how early holiday day songs start to play on the radio. Many shared how it was hard to choose just one favorite, and a few shared what songs they dislike. Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who snuck his or her favorite holiday movie pick into this year’s survey: “Here Comes Santa Claus is my favorite BECAUSE it plays such a clever place in my favorite holiday movie (Christmas Vacation)!”

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey!

 

Verbatim 

And if it isn't too politically incorrect, "Mary Did You Know" is also an amazing song for the Christmas season!

Love the songs of the season! I live where it would never snow and even today the "high" is projected to be at least 80. But it's not Christmas unless I hear Merry Christmas, Darling (Carpenters), Hey Santa (Carnie & Wendy Wilson) and Christmas Time is Here (Ray Parker, Jr) - and I need to hear them on the radio. Last year I didn't hear them at all; this year I heard them early in the season. All is well!

Don't start playing them on the radio until after Thanksgiving!

Very hard to pick just one song!

Actually, they're all my favorites!

Sandler's Hannukah Song is the best. Second and not on the list is Ray Charles' Little Drummer Boy

Wow! This is a hard question to answer! do I choose a more traditional song, a more modern song...religious or secular...Yikes! I love the song "Mary, Did You Know", always sing along with "Feliz Navidad", and giggle my way through "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas", and "The Christmas Can-Can"! Basically, I gorge on holiday music for the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and make no apologies for bursting into random song at work! Deal with it, my little Grinchies! ...and a very Merry Christmas to All....

My favorite album is called Smokey Mountain Christmas it is upbeat and mellow at the same time. I just love it.

I truly love holiday songs! Picking only 1 was quite difficult.

It was painful to pick only one!!

 

Verbatim (cont.) 

Hard to pick one. White Christmas, Mean One Mr. Grinch and Grandma got run over by a reindeer are tied. Drummer Boy I will change channels very quickly. I also hate when the arrangement of a song that should be fast and merry is made into a funeral dirge. Might like it one way but will hate it the other.

I also love Jingle Bell Rock. It's a toss up and Adams Sandler's songs.

all pretty nice

Picking one is so hard, I have about 10 favorites that I love for different reasons. Mostly though, I am grateful that people with beautiful voices share their gift of song for me to enjoy.

There are some terrible holiday songs out there!

Ok in small doses. The same ones over and over and over are constantly are really annoying.

I love holiday songs. Christmas hasn't always been a fun time in my family, which is maybe why I enjoy it so much now. There is an app called TuneIn and from that app I can listen to Christmas songs every day of the year. I don't necessarily do this all the time, but whenever you need a lift a Christmas song can do exactly that. Merry Christmas!!

Let There Be Peace On Earth, though not necessarily a Christmas song, has been playing more often throughout the Christmas season. It still brings tears to my eyes.

I LOVE Christmas songs and find it very difficult to pick a favorite, but The Twelve Days of Christmas tops my list as the WORST song!

Hard to pick just one as a favorite!

 

 Verbatim (cont.) 

From when I was a little girl this was sung in Midnight mass at church. I still love hearing it.

Also - do yourself a favor and look up the version of We 3 Kings "sung by" D.W. the animated younger sister of Arthur.

Someone at our Church sings this every year and it is so beautiful!

My grandfather and I always enjoyed singing "Grandma got run over by a reindeer," but only when she wasn't in the room!

It's too hard to pick just one!

I love most of these and especially enjoy listening to the various renditions from all types of artists!

"Frosty the Snowman" has absolutely nothing to do with "the holidays". Read the lyrics.

Second favorite is definitely Springstein's version of Santa Claus is coming to town. Not the Christmas season until I've heard both!!!

love the classics

I love listening to them after Thanksgiving, not before. I do not understand why radio stations play them earlier than that. 

 

Verbatim (cont.) 

Really would like to pick more than one. My favorite song changes with my mood!

I'll Be Home For Christmas sung by Karen Carpenter has to be my favorite. However, I have to admit that I've been humming and singing I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas a lot the last few weeks.

No Little Saint Nick? It's not that great a Christmas song, but you did list Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer! If I never hear that again it will be too soon.

I enjoy most holiday songs but prefer the religious ones that celebrate the reason for the season.

Can I pick 5?

They start playing them in stores and on the radio too soon. Listening to them being played at full volume starting just after Halloween makes me crazy.

I do like Christmas songs, I really really do - just not starting at Halloween.

Had Mariah Carey not recorded that song, my favorite would be Feliz Navidad. Both are so upbeat and fun to sing!

Andy Williams is (was) the best!! It's just not Christmas w/out hearing Andy sing!!

Here Comes Santa Claus is my favorite BECAUSE it plays such a clever place in my favorite holiday movie (Christmas Vacation)!

 

NOTE: Responses reflect the opinions of individual readers and not necessarily the stance of Asset International or its affiliates.
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