Christmas Top 100 for 2021

 Welcome to my annual Christmas list....my Top 100 for this year.   

It's been another difficult year for all of us, with COVID-19, and its various variants continuing to wreak havoc on our everyday lives.   But, as the lyric of one song suggests, "we'll have to muddle through somehow", we survived another year of this.

For eleven years, I had counted down, on my Facebook page, my top Christmas songs...in some years, it was the entire one hundred songs, others it was the top 40, 30, 20, etc. This was the first year since 2009 I didn't not do this for several reasons.

I've really cut down on my postings this year, and posting YouTube links, sometimes five a day is too much.   Posting too many causes that FB algorithm, or whether it's called, to take them off the News Feeds.   And year after year, you begin to repeat yourself.     Also, interest has waned; those who have followed this in years past, stopped doing so.   

Sometimes, you need to stop doing something for people to "miss" this.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here.    During the past few weeks, one person wanted me to share the countdown with a deejay friend of hers in Florida, not aware that I wasn't doing it this year.    Another former follower remarked that she couldn't find my song posts, unaware that I wasn't doing it anymore.   Only one person recently said they "missed' my countdown this year.    Lastly, I felt that I encroached on another friend who had loved to post Christmas songs on his timeline.   Sadly, my friend Paul Hibbit passed almost two years ago, and I really didn't want to erase his memory of posting those songs that we grew up on.

For those friends' part, nobody really posted any Christmas song this year.... I saw a couple of posts, but that was basically it.    We hear them all over the radio this time of year, so it probably would be redundant to post them on Facebook. 

I wasn't sure I'd have time to post this year's edition, but it looks like that I got a moment to do so.  This list departs from prior years in that I just compiled it today.   Normally, the list is updated right after Thanksgiving, as I usually start posting my countdown right after that.    This year has enabled me to include newly released songs.    The ranking takes into effect, not only my favorites, but others that friends have either referenced or posted, and now that Billboard has included holiday songs on their Hot 100, which in recent years have dominated the number one and top 10 positions, that affects the ranking as well.  

So, without further ado, here is my Top 100 Christmas Songs, 2021 Edition.   I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!!

Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves  Holiday 100 Playlist

This Week	Last Week	ARTIST-Title	Year Released
1	1	NUMBER ONE: THE WAITRESSES "Christmas Wrapping¨" Album: A Christmas Record (15 years at #1) This marks the 40th anniversary of this rock/new wave classic.  Sadly, this season also marked the 25th of lead singer Patty Donahue's passing.   Writer and band member Chris Butler once again held his "Wrappie" award to the first person to hear the song on the radio, or at a public place, with the award donated in their name to the Akron Ohio Children's library.	1981
2	3	Bing Crosby & David Bowie - Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy This perennial favorite had two posts this year, and retook the runner-up position after dropping to #3 last year.	1977
3	7	Brenda Lee - Rockin Around the Christmas Tree Another big favorite, the song actually came  out in 1958 but didn't expplode until two years later.   Nowadays, people remember this from the movie "Home Alone".  The song has peaked at #2 (behind Mariah Carey) on the Billboard Hot 100 for the past three years.	1960
4	6	Dean Martin - Baby It's Cold Outside It's been a few years now since this song raised fury about its lyrics in this #MeToo world,  but it has subsided somewhat.   It's still a favorite and you stilll hear the song on radio and streaming services.	1959
5	4	Bing Crosby - White Christmas¨ Bing's classic (from two of his movies) is still a heartfelt classic after all these years.   It is still the all-time best selling songg.	1942
6	2	Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Many have covered this song, but it's Ms. Loves rendition that is the most popuular.   It was the only new original song on the landmarark 1963 set, A Christmas Gift For You.	1963
7	5	The Royal Guardsmen - Snoopy's Christmas You don't really hear this song anymore, but it's a personal and sentimenttal favorite of mine.   The Peanuts character's are still popular lo these many years.   And while "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is no longer on commercial TV (it's available via streaming, and PBS broadcasted it once.	1967
8	9	Andy Williams - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Growing up, this was thought that this crooner wasn't "hip" enough, so it's great to see that this is one of two songs of his that gets played regularly, but that this also has been in the Billboard top 10 the last two seasons.	1963
9	8	Leroy Anderson - Sleigh Ride One of three versions on my list this year (a fourth, by Debbie Gibson, dropped out this year), this is my favorite.  Just listening to it evokes being out there in a winter field, watching a horse-drawn sleigh got through the countryside.	1950
10	10	U2 - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Two versions of this in the top 10.  Actually this was the first version I heard (yes, before Darlene Love), and loved it.  Say what you well about U2, but their rock version is sung with heart and stands out from other versions.	1987
11	11	Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas Is You While Mariah has hit #1 the last week Christmas seasons, setting many Hot 100 records in the process, she still can't quite crack my Top 10.   Still, like it or hate it (and there are many in each corner, you probably can't escape hearing this one at least once a day.	1994
12	14	Katy Perry - Cozy Little Christmas Love this song and the tempo of this song.   It's the highest-ranked of any post-2000 song on the list.  Sadly, I haven't heard this anywhere this year, while slowed its ascent this year.   I still think this can become a holiday perennial.	2018
13	18	Kelly Clarkson - Underneath the Tree Unlike the Katy Perry song, this song has become a recent standard, probably the most popular song since Mariah's came out almost twenty years prior.   It definitely has that holiday charm, and might crack my top ten next season.	2013
14	12	Nat King Cole - Christmas Song One of the classic songs I grew up with, this was written by Mel Torme and delivered by the incomparable Mr. Cole, one of the best all time crooners there was!	1953
15	15	Darlene Love - All Alone For Christmas Before "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" became commonplace, this was my favorite Darlene song.  Originally coming out via Home Alone 2, it features members of the E Street Band.	1992
16	13	Elton John - Step Into Christmas Sir Elton is back in the public conscious once again, between his Rocket Man biopic and is current duet with Dua Lipa, as well as his new holiday song with Ed Sheeran (which debuts at #122 this year, sure to enter next year), there is renewed interest in this classic song.	1973
17	19	Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad Another song which seems to get more popular every year.  I remember the first year it came out, 41 years ago....I was taking Spanish I in high school, so I recognized some of the lyrics in Spanish.   It's popular more than ever; many cover versions of it, and it's been in Billboard's top 10 the last two years as well.	1970
18	23	TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE SEASON PERRY COMO "Home For the Holidays" Album: Seasons Greetings from Perry Como Similar to Andy Williams, the holiday season has brought this classic crooner back to the spotlight.  Another song that gets played a lot these days, and is currently in Billboar's top 20	1954
19	29	Gwen Stefani f Blake Shelton - You Make It Feel Like Christmas Probably next to Kelly Clarkson's song this is the most popular recent Christmas song involving two other coaches from The Voice.  Very catchy and listenable.	2017
20	16	Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Originally recorded in 1975 in the light of his Born to Run breakthrough, this song, although played on the radio back then, didn't see actual release until the next decade.   There are many versions of this classic Christmas tune, but Springsteen's is rather unique from the others.	1975
21	20	Dan Fogelberg - Same Old Lang Syne	1980
22	41	MOVER OF THE SEASON BURL IVES "A Holly Jolly Christmas" Album: Have a Holly Jolly Christmas Way before his role as "Sam the Snowman" in the classic "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" he has a distinctive career, but it was that special that made him beloved.   The year after the special, he recorded a Christmas album containing many of  the songs featured in the special.   This one, a then-original by Johnny Marks (who also wrote "Rudolph..." and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", is very popular again, currently at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.	1965
23	30	Andy Williams - Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season	1963
24	27	Paul Czekaj - Christmas Is Forever	2013
25	22	Mavis Staples - Christmas Vacation	1989
26	25	Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime	1979
27	17	Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24	1996
28	36	Sia- Candy Cane Lane	2018
29	31	Johnny Mathis - Winter Wonderland	1958
30	32	Bad Attitude - Merry Christmas Anyway	2013
31	28	Ray Conniff  Twelve Days of Christmas	1962
32	24	Vince Vance & the Valients - All I Want for Christmas Is You	1989
33	21	John & Yoko - Happy Xmas (War is Over)	1971
34	26	Carpenters - Merry Christmas Darling	1970
35	47	Ronettes - Sleigh Ride	1963
36	34	Jackson 5 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus	1970
37	44	Jimmy Buffett - Mele Kalikimaka	1996
38	49	Wham! - Last Christmas	1984
39	45	Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick	1963
40	40	Stevie Nicks - Silent Night	1987
41	33	Josh Groban - Believe	2004
42	57	Michael Buble - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas	2011
43	50	Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby	1953
44	46	Celine Dion - O Holy Night	1998
45	42	Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Christmas All Over Again	1992
46	35	Darlene Love - Winter Wonderland	1963
47	39	John Cougar Mellencamp - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus	1987
48	37	Jim Croce - It Doesn't Have to Be That Way	1973
49	38	Mannheim Steamroller - Deck the Halls	1984
50	70	Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock There have been numerous versions of this song, and while in the past, Hall & Oates have successfully recorded this (and a great new version by Christina Taylor and friends (debuting this year), this is thedefinitive version, which has been in Billboard's top 5 the last three years.	1957
51	43	The Raveonettes - Christmas Song	2004
52	53	Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland	1987
53	63	Randy Bachman - Taking Care of Christmas	2003
54	62	Band-Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas	1984
55	51	Tommy James - It's Christmas Again	2008
56	77	Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!	1959
57	61	Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas	1957
58	52	Bing Crosby - It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas	1951
59	48	Us Commoners - Christmas & Hannukah	2015
60	56	Darlene Love - Marshmallow World	1963
61	66	Gene Autry - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer	1949
62	55	Wendy and Carnie Wilson - Hey Santa	1993
63	78	Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas Time Is Here	1965
64	71	The Crystals - Santa Claus is Coming to Town	1963
65	69	Dropkick Murphys - The Season's Upon Us	2012
66	64	Bing Crosby - Do You Hear What I Hear?	1963
67	59	Pretenders - 2000 Miles	1983
68	73	Ronettes - Frosty the Snowman	1963
69	---	TOP DEBUT: KRISTIN CHENOWETH "Why Couldn't It Be Christmas Every Day?" Album: Happiness Is...Christmas My favorite song of this year's holiday season, from his longtime actress and singer.	2021
70	74	Eagles - Please Come Home This Christmas	1978
71	67	Sarah McLachlan - River	2006
72	60	Lou Monte -Dominick the Donkey	1960
73	65	Mannheim Steamroller - Silent Night	1984
74	54	Amy Grant - Grown Up Christmas List	1992
75	76	Fitz and the Tantrums - Santa Stole My Lady	2010
76	72	Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis	1987
77	79	Percy Faith - We Need a Little Christmas	1966
78	100	Joni Mitchell - River	1971
79	86	Faith Hill - Where Are You Christmas	2000
80	97	Molly Burch - Holiday Dreaming	2019
81	75	Pretenders - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas	1987
82	92	Coldplay - Christmas Lights	2010
83	83	Frank Sinatra -  Mistletoe and Holly	1957
84	---	Shannon Marsyada -  Hear the Angels	2021
85	---	Christina Taylor, Haley Mae Campbell and Brenna Bone ft. Kaylee Rose - Jingle Bell Rock	2021
86	91	Under the Streetlamp - Here We Come A Wassaling	2012
87	84	Elmo 'n Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer	1979
88	58	Daryl Hall & John Oates - Jingle Bell Rock	1983
89	---	Ian Roberts - Christmas at Our House	2015
90	111	Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus and Lucy	1965
91	108	Sarah Jean with the Hounds of Winter - River	2015
92	101	Gene Autry - Here Comes Santa Claus	1947
93	81	The Kinks - Father Christmas	1977
94	120	Taylor Swift - Christmas Tree Farm	2019
95	95	Straight No Chaser - Christmas Can-Can	2009
96	87	Elvis Presley - Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me	1957
97	85	Mary J. Blige - This Christmas	2013
98	98	The Ventures - Sleigh Ride	1965
99	80	Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas	1975
100	68	Rod Stewart & Dolly Parton - Baby It's Cold Outside	2004