You may not believe it, but it's crept around again – December is here and so, too, is Christmas.
And amongst presents, advent calendars, Christmas jumpers and, of course, all the food and drink, that means one thing – endlessly repeated Christmas songs.
Some of them, we'll admit, are more annoying than others. But that's part of the charm, right? (Unless you work in retail and have to listen to them ten thousand times a day, in which case: we're very sorry).
We've whittled them down to the top ten – and don't forget you can vote on our lists if you're outraged about where something's been placed.
- Best toys for Christmas: the ultimate in festive fun
The best Christmas songs of all time
It's pretty much the definitive Christmas song, isn't it? It's poignant, it's sad, it's moving – and it's a total banger to boot. There's a reason it's a classic, folks.
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Alright, you're probably sick of it by now – you've heard it 9,000 times a year every year since before time began. But it wouldn't be Christmas without it, no matter how annoying.
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3. Last Christmas by Wham!
Download from Amazon nowIt's always been part of the Christmas rotation, but Last Christmas has really come into its own over the last few years, and it's now considered to be the best of the bunch across the board. And why? Because it's really bloody good, that's why.
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Another old favourite, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without this retro classic. Get your mulled wine, wrap yourself up on the sofa and whack on the Top of the Pops Christmas special.
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When you think of Christmas, you probably think of Mariah Carey. Every year this starts flying up the charts – and every year Mariah becomes more and more the complete embodiment of Christmas. Frankly, the song's so good she deserves it.
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Given its status as a rock-solid Christmas ear worm, you might be surprised to hear Happy Xmas (War is Over) wasn't a huge hit at its original US release in 1971. There's real charm to the Harlem Community Choir backing vocals. It's pure Xmas spirit syrup, if your ears are game for it.
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The obvious choice for rockers out for something released later than the 70s, Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) was released in 2003. It narrowly missed out on a Christmas number one, beaten by a cover of Mad World by Gary Jules & Michael Andrew. But for operatic rock Christmas songs, this has to be no. 1.
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Bit of a weird combo, we'll allow, but somehow it just... works. You might not have initially seen them as a particularly likely pair, but Bowie and Bing croon and soar with the best of them.
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Heavy on the sleigh bells, as the name suggests, there's nothing better to get you in the mood for Christmas than this cool 1963 Ronettes tune written by composer Leroy Anderson.
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There have been multiple updates in the years since, but there's not much that can beat the 1984 original by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure of Ultravox. Its star-studded lineup is also great for playing 'guess that singer'.
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Christmassy without being too... Christmassy, this is the ultimate bop for the festive season. Much cooler than many other songs of the genre, it's since been covered by a multitude of artists – but the original simply can't be beaten.
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It may be a less obvious choice, but the Pet Shop Boys are one of the most consistent acts out there – and their Christmas offering is no different. Plus, it references Bing Crosby – how much more traditional do you want?
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