"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
I actually only learned recently that one of my favorite Christmas songs, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," came from a musical. Now known as one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time, it originated from a 1940's film. I finally saw the Judy Garland classic Meet Me in St. Louis last week and I quite enjoyed it. The original lyrics for the Christmas tune were much darker and Garland as well as other cast members and the director asked for the lyrics to be changed into something more uplifting. The lyrics were adjusted again for Frank Sinatra when he recorded it later. The song became a hit and it was very popular among the troops during World War II; it's understandable with touching lyrics such as "Here we are as in olden days/Happy golden days of yore." I love this song because it does make one feel very nostalgic and happy during the holidays. In Meet Me in St. Louis, Garland's character Esther is moving with her family and she and her sisters are very sad about it. To try to cheer her little sister up, Esther sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." It's a really nice moment in the film and it makes you realize that what's really important during the holiday season is spending time with those you love.
"One More Sleep 'til Christmas" from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
In all honesty, I could write an entire post on The Muppet Christmas Carol soundtrack. It not only has some of the best original Christmas songs, it's one of the greatest musical scores of all time. Penned by Paul Williams, who wrote many other Muppets songs, The Muppet Christmas Carol soundtrack has many great songs that could have made this list. One of the songs I want to include is "One More Sleep 'til Christmas." It's sung by Kermit the Frog (as Bob Cratchit) as he closes up Scrooge's counting house and heads home on Christmas Eve. The lyrics so perfectly describe how it feels to go to bed on Christmas Eve when you're a kid, as well as portray the true meaning of Christmas in a way that's also relatable to adults. "There's magic in the air this evening," "The promise of excitement is one the night will keep, "There's something in the wind today that's good for everyone" - just a sampling of some of the beautiful lyrics in this song. No song will lift up your spirits and bring a happy tear to your eye like "One More Sleep 'til Christmas."
"Where Are You Christmas?" from How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
A live action, feature length version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas could have gone horribly wrong but it turned out to be a fun, entertaining movie. Jim Carrey makes a wonderful Grinch and young Taylor Momsen (now the lead singer of the rock band The Pretty Reckless) plays an adorable and intelligent Cindy Lou Who. The Ron Howard film includes some songs from the original television special but one was added that was new. "Where Are You Christmas?" is sung by Cindy Lou Who, who is facing a Charlie Brown-esque crisis when she feels she doesn't understand what Christmas means anymore. It's sad to think that a child can feel so despondent about Christmas but that's what makes this song so good. It's beautifully sung and the lyrics can apply to anyone of any age who may be feeling like they've lost the magical feeling of Christmas. While the song is quite sad, we can be happy to know that Cindy Lou Who realizes that while Christmas may seem commercial and fake at times, its true meaning can lie within us all year round.
"Somewhere in My Memory" from Home Alone (1990)
There is nothing John Williams can't do. When Home Alone was released in 1990, it soon became the third highest grossing film of all time, right after E.T., the Extra-terrestrial and Star Wars - two films that were also scored by Williams. The music for Home Alone is great. It's merry, it's mischievous, and it puts spins on Christmas classics. The score was nominated for an Academy Award and the theme from the film "Somewhere in My Memory" was also nominated for Best Song. Williams wrote the music for the song and Leslie Bricusse wrote the lyrics. It's a very short song - only fourteen lines long - but it's a lovely number. The lyrics portray the remembrances of Christmases past: family gathered round, candles in the window, the magical feeling that comes with holiday nostalgia. When you put those lyrics as the backdrop for Kevin realizing how alone and sad he is on Christmas Eve, it turns Home Alone into a more touching film that one could have thought. That's the power of "Somewhere in My Memory."
"Christmas Vacation" from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road" has been in every National Lampoon Vacation film since the first one was released in 1983. It's a great song, but it didn't fit with the third installment in the series. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation isn't about a road trip; it's about a fun old-fashioned family Christmas at home. The film opens up with another song instead: the upbeat tune of Mavis Staples' "Christmas Vacation." It's a fun song that sounds like it could fit in with any of the Christmas music playing on the radio. The lyrics discuss Santa, snowmen, and lights - all the things that make you excited for Christmas. And one particularly clever lyric - "Gonna make this holiday as perfect as can be" - really lines up with the plot of this movie. A lot of the songs I have included on this list are more somber or thoughtful. This is a Christmas song that will you make you want to dance and add some fun to your Christmas vacation.
"I Believe in Santa Claus" from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
This is the one song on this list that I feel like most people won't know but they really should. When people think about this Rankin/Bass TV special, they mostly remember the Snow Miser and Heat Miser numbers. My favorite song occurs when Santa Claus arrives to Southtown in disguise and tries to convince young Ignatius Thistlewhite (some name, huh?) that Santa Claus is real. You wouldn't think a song from some silly Rankin/Bass production could make you cry but this song makes me cry almost every time I hear it. One of the reasons I love it is that it gives more depth to Santa Claus. Whenever I hear a kid today say they don't believe in Santa, it makes my heart ache. It's sad to think that a lot of people think of Santa as the epitome of the commercialization of Christmas, the thing that takes away from the religious or deeper meaning of the holiday. I see Santa as a metaphor for the true meaning of Christmas and if you listen to the lyrics of "I Believe in Santa Claus," it's very easy to see the similarities between what Santa represents and what we learn about during Christmas church services. The last line, "Just like love, I know he's there waiting to be missed" sums it up very nicely while tugging at your heartstrings like there's no tomorrow.
"What's This?" from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
No song could more perfectly sum up the collision between the dark village of Halloweentown and the bright and colorful winter wonderland of Christmastown than "What's This?" Jack Skellington has just discovered the Christmas land and is very excited. He sees snow for the first time, marvels at children sleeping soundly with no nightmares, and watches the town prepare for Christmas. You wouldn't think a Christmas song should include lines such as "There are children throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads" or "The children are asleep/But look, there's nothing underneath." But Danny Elfman can make it work. This song has the dark imagery and macabre humor of Halloween as well as the whimsical and happy feeling of Christmas. If you're wanting to listen to something a little more twisted this season, you should listen to "What's This?" and also the entire soundtrack of The Nightmare Before Christmas because it's so good. And if you really want to get Hot Topic about it, Fall Out Boy has recorded a cover of this song.
"White Christmas" from Holiday Inn (1942) and White Christmas (1954)
Guinness World Records states that Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the best-selling single of all time. Before selling over 100 million copies, this song was included in two different films. "White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin and debuted in the 1942 musical Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. Initially the song wasn't as popular as other songs from the film. But by the end of 1942, the song was a success. Like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," the song was extremely popular with troops serving during World War II. "White Christmas" won the Academy Award for Best Song and twelve years later became the main theme for another musical film. Named after the popular song, White Christmas was the highest grossing film of 1954 and is now considered a holiday classic. It's easy to see why this song resonated with the troops and why it remains a classic. "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas/Just like the ones I used to know" are the lyrics that allow the happy memories of past Christmases to come flooding in. "White Christmas" reminds us of how magical Christmas was when we were young and helps keep the magic of Christmas alive as we grow older.
"It Feels Like Christmas" from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
Yes, I added another song from The Muppet Christmas Carol. How could I not include this one? Several of the songs I have listed here have lyrics that sum up what we love about the Christmas season. No song does this better than "It Feels Like Christmas." The song is so good that it was powerful enough to uplift Ebenezer Scrooge and melt his icy heart. The Spirit of Christmas Present takes Scrooge throughout the town on Christmas Day and shows how happy everyone is, even the poor and unfortunate. Scrooge learns through this song that Christmas is about love, peace, and friendship and that all the money in the world could never bring true happiness. "It Feels Like Christmas" has a merry tune and touching lyrics. It can make you laugh and cry. It's a perfect song for the holiday season, one that will remind you what's most important in life. These lyrics say it best - "A part of childhood we'll always remember/It is the summer of the soul in December/Yes, when you do your best for love it feels like Christmas."
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