Another Tystenac staff song countdown: Top five Christmas songs of all time

by BRANDON UTLEY, JESSICA HOLLAN, and NICK BUCHANAN
Tystenac staff members and co-editor

We enjoyed making our lists of the top ten songs of the year so much that we decided to make lists of our favorite Christmas songs, as well! Get ready to jingle your bells and deck your halls to our Christmas favorites!

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BRANDON'S LIST

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5. "Merry Christmas, Kiss My [expletive]"
by All Time Low

This hard-hitting punk song proves that not everyone is jolly at Christmastime. The powerful lyrics, mixed with All Time Low’s signature punk sound, make this not only an amazing song, but also a true Christmas masterpiece in an ironic fashion. 

4. "All I Want For Christmas is You"
by Mariah Carey

The mere fact that this song returns to the top of the charts on iTunes every holiday season is enough to make this list in my opinion. It helps that it’s a catchy song that everyone loves to sing (even if they don’t admit it).

3. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
by Michael Bublé

Leave it to Michael Bublé to create one of the best Christmas albums in history. His amazing vocals add a new spin on this already beautiful Christmas classic.

2. "Winter Dreams (Brandon's Song)"
by Kelly Clarkson

Okay, first off, I would like to point out that this song was clearly written about me. But that is not why it made my list. It truly captures the feeling of having your loved one beside you during the holidays like only Kelly Clarkson can. 

1. "Mary, Did You Know?"
by Pentatonix

Pentatonix is perfect. That’s all I have to say. Just go listen to this and you will understand why it is my number one. 

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JESSICA'S LIST

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5. "Mary, Did You Know?"
by Pentatonix

This song has never been one of my favorites, it was much too slow for my personal taste. However, Pentatonix does such an incredible cover, I found myself wanting to listen to it all the time. And so will you.

4. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" by Michael Bublé

Michael does an incredible job making sure this song feels as strong into the Christmas spirit as ever. And I adore him for it.

3. "White Christmas"
by Bing Crosby

If you ever want to get that beautiful nostalgic Christmas feeling you had as a child then look no further than this 1944 classic. It’s all kinds of beautiful. 

2. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"
by Mariah Carey

I love this song. Mariah's angelic voice definitely matches the spirit of Christmas.

1. "Baby It's Cold Outside"
by Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé

This has always been my favorite Christmas song. The back and forth is incredible. And while a number of artists have done this song wonderfully, Idina’s is my favorite. You should definitely check out the music video while you’re at it; it’s incredible and I could watch it on repeat for ages.

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NICK'S LIST

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5. "Oh Holy Night" / "Tuning Out"
by Bastille

Originally released on the band’s Other People’s Heartache, Pt. 2 mixtape as “Oh Holy Night” before being reworked for the band’s All This Bad Blood album re-release as “Tuning Out,” this is easily one of the most important renditions of the Christmas carol. A single layer of dreary synthesizer chords trudge behind Dan Smith’s vocal line until, voila: an entire chorus composed of Smith’s vocal stems. That whole chorus part is a glorious, extremely important 30 seconds or so. If you don’t know just how important this is, you clearly haven’t heard the best of his voice (and no, “Pompeii” does not count).

4. "My Favorite Things"
​by Kelly Clarkson

Not going to lie, fam: I hate musicals, including The Sound of Music. However, I have a soft spot for well-performed versions of American standards -- so enter Kelly Clarkson, who can effortlessly slay us up, down, and all around with those vocals of hers. Like on most of the tracks from Wrapped in Red, her voice melts like butter over warm, lush brass, and she executes the style perfectly. I cannot give her enough props for her voice's versatility and the justice that she did to this song, as well as the others on the album.

3. "Good News From Heaven"
words: Luther // music: Schumann, Bach

I couldn’t find a recording of this specific arrangement anywhere except for one lone video of this choir doing it with a shaky start, but it’ll have to do. In my high school’s a cappella choir, we performed this processional every year as a crowning tradition (alongside the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah). Our choir took the tempo down to a dirge, giving the song more of an ethereal feel and the vocals more time to resonate. 

2. "All I Want for Christmas is You"
by Mariah Carey

December is the one month every year that Mariah Carey can guarantee her career will revive itself without any effort or cheap compilation album re-release on her part. But when you created one of the most beloved Christmas songs in the history of recorded pop music, I guess it’s well deserved. I, with my weak little baritone voice, still try to hit that A5 and fail every time… just like Mariah herself.

1. "Linus and Lucy"
by Vince Guaraldi Trio

I own the A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack and listen to it avidly around this time of year. It’s smooth jazz at its finest and most tolerable. I can’t explain my attachment to the soundtrack or this song in particular; perhaps it has been the annual re-watching of all of the Peanuts specials or the many visits to Cedar Point (where this song is shoved in your ear holes at every turn) every summer that has concreted my appreciation.