La neige...

Okay. So now we have finally had the first snow of winter. A few centimetres and suddenly it seems that, yes indeed, Christmas is just round the corner after all. Ergo, I thought that I would list my top ten all time fav, christmas hits! Hurrah!

So what if it's a bit dorky. I care not a jot. Not one iota. Click on the tracks for a wee listen to each one of these Yule gems. Baby.


10: The Pogues - A Fairytale of New York.

It's snowing in the crowded streets just a few days before Crimbo. You are laden down with packages and carrier bags from all kinds of posh shops. There is no room on the bus, you cannot get a taxi for love nor money. Suddenly, you hear laughter and music from behind a frosted glass window, and step in. You are immediately in a world filled with singing, smiling faces, swept along in a sea of holly jolly friendliness. The open fire is roaring, the barman is a rosy cheeked young fella from Donegal. You take a sip of Guiness, bite a mince pie and join in the chorus...

09: Love Unlimited Orchestra - It May be Winter Outside.

You are in your "crib" with your "honey". It's ten degrees below outside and you are drinking fine wine, eating Belgian chocolate and calling each other "baby".

08: The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride.

07: Darlene Love - It's Christmas (baby please come home).

For a moment you can try to forget about all the unpleasant business about homicide, and think back to a time when Phil Spector and his crew ruled yule.

06: The Pretenders - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

At 17 years of age, one tends toward the melodramatic where matters of the heart are concerned. Thus I found myself one cold December day wandering the streets of Bayswater having been unceremoniously dumped by my girl in favour of some schmuck with a motor. A Capri of all things. My recently broken young heart and mildly complaining stomach sought solace in the from of a jumbo hot dog with all the trimmings from a vendor at the edge of Hyde Park. As I pulled my self together enough to request a gerkin; from the hot dog man's transistor radio, Chrissie Hyndes' words fell upon my youthful ears with bitter irony.

05: Dean Martin - White Christmas.

Well, it's a toss up here between Bing and Deano, but Deano wins by a nose. (Possibly one reddened somewhat by the booze)

04: U2 - It's Christmas (baby please come home).

Same song twice? Yeah I know, but I love 'em both. What's a guy to do?

03: Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas.

Ah yes, "The King". This is a classic of course, plenty of Elvesque "Wh-huh-huh" style phrasing, and some nice "Doo-doo-dee-doo" back up singing, which is, let's face it, never out of place.

02: Mariah Carey - All I want for Christmas is You.

Forget all your predjudices and pre-suppositions for a moment. Forget the seven octave range and the vocal showboating and the talk of break-ups, breakdowns, comebacks and bad hair days. This is Mariah as we all know and love her. The beginning is fantastic, the middle stupendous, and the end, sheesh, the end is just ridiculous. Just try to listen to this without getting all festive. It would've been a surefire number one had it not been for...

01: John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War is Over).

- whispered - "Happy Christmas Yoko, Happy Christmas John".

Because of all the talk of peace, because of all the talk of love, because of the long hair, because I sat in my Dad's car outside McDonald's in Kenton aged 13 and heard on the radio one dark pre christmas evening many years ago that he had been shot. Because of all the candles and flowers and Hippies that Christmas. Because I still get a lump in my throat..

So there we have it! Feel free to disagree.

Just not to me.