Out of all the holidays, major or minor, Christmas has by far the most songs associated with it. Thanksgiving? Well, there’s Over The River And Through The Woods and… Hanukah? There are two that I know of. Great songs, but still only two. Halloween? There are quite a few songs that we hear on and around October 31, but most of those are about spooky things unrelated to Halloween and not actually about the day itself. For holiday songs, Christmas has it hands down.

When considering artists who’ve recorded Christmas albums it’s easier to think in terms of who hasn’t done one. From William Shatner to Frank Sinatra and all points in between, virtually every well known musician or celebrity has at one time or another made their musical statement regarding “the most wonderful time of the year.” Christmas songs run the gamut from the mundane and maudlin to the joyous and transcendent.

As a kid, my mom always had music playing around the house and she doubled down at Christmas. From the day after Thanksgiving until our heads hit the pillow on 12/25, our family was served a steady diet of holiday classics. By far the number one record on my mom’s holiday hit parade was Johnny Mathis’ Merry Christmas. Mathis’ smooth as silk crooning on such classics as Winter Wonderland and Silver Bells are forever etched into my childhood Christmas memories. Released in 1958, this album still gets its fair share of airplay. Not far behind Johnny was Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song, Frank Sinatra’s Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, and Andy Williams’ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.

Christmas is such an emotionally charged time of year. There’s a lot of pressure to be happy and to get into the spirit of the season. While I generally look forward to and enjoy the holiday, I’m definitely not always happy around Christmas. The mixed feelings of joy, sadness, melancholy and ambivalence are often hard to reconcile. The most enduring Christmas songs manage to take into account all of these conflicting emotions and produce some truly great music. Vince Guaraldi’s original compositions on the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas is a prime example. Guaraldi’s shimmering piano work throughout this record perfectly captures the emotional rollercoaster that is Christmas. You don’t have to celebrate Christmas in order to enjoy all of the wonderful songs. There are 500 recorded versions of White Christmas, it is widely considered one of the greatest holiday songs of all time. It was written by Irving Berlin, a Jewish man.

Which brings me to my favorite Christmas song. Choosing one is like trying to pick a favorite Hawaiian sunset; there are just so damn many great ones. The Phil Spector produced A Christmas Gift For You is loaded! From the Ronettes rollicking rendition of Sleigh Ride to Darlene Love’s desperate plea on Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) there’s not a dud on the entire album. Karen Carpenter’s achingly beautiful take on Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas sends chills up my spine. The Roches, sister trio from New Jersey, affect heavy Bugs Bunny style Brooklyn accents on their hilarious and unique send up of Frosty The Snowman. Bruce Springsteen’s ebullient Santa Claus Is Coming To Town is enough to make Ebenezer Scrooge himself get up and dance. Last Christmas by Wham! is a dreadful song. The insipid vocals and vapid 80’s synthesizer make this one of the cheesiest Christmas songs of all time, but for a couple of weeks every year my teenage daughter and I laugh ourselves silly every time we hear it. So many songs, so little time.

So drumroll please. My favorite Christmas song is: Keith Richards’ recording of Chuck Berry’s Run Rudolph Run. This bare bones arrangement features in all its raunchy glory Keith’s unique guitar playing that is the trademark of the Rolling Stones sound. While not usually regarded as a great singer, Keith’s “ragged but right” vocals here perfectly captures the rollicking rock and roll spirit of Chuck’s original. I bought this record when it came out on 45rpm in 1978 and it’s been in my holiday rotation ever since. When no one’s home, I crank up the volume and do the air guitar bop around our Christmas tree!

Music is as integral to Christmas as Santa, Rudolph, family and that intoxicating, fresh cut fir tree smell. Thanks to the advent of music streaming, there’s now a nearly endless supply of holiday classics at our fingertips. Pick your favorite playlist and fill the air with the sounds of Christmas.