Without a doubt, Halloween is my favorite holiday. But I have to admit that x-mas isn’t too bad either. In fact, some of the very best songs ever written are played during the holidays. Which makes this time of year especially cool. Holiday music just puts a good vibe in the air, you know?
Everywhere you turn, there’s a good song on the radio. Stores are filled with catchy melodies. And people are even singing in the streets. If you think about it, music is what makes the holidays special. For some reason, all the great songwriters kicked it up a notch when they composed their holiday classics.
For example, the song “Happy X-mas (War is Over)” is one of John Lennon’s best melodies. Irving Berlin struck gold with “White Christmas.” And Mel Tormé totally got it right with “The Christmas Song.”
And Johnny Marks was inspired to write a ton of classics like “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Run Rudolph Run.” See what I’m saying? This season brings out the best in musicians.
One of my new favorite holiday songs is performed by the master, Louis Armstrong. It’s got kind of a weird feeling to it. (And it kind of reminds me of Halloween—which is why I like it.) The lyrics are sort of creepy, but it has a fun melody. It’s called “Zat You, Santa Claus?” … check it out: