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The Sunday Magazine·THE SUNDAY EDITION

The good, the bad and the very ugliest Christmas music

Robert Harris on the joys and sorrows of this ubiquitous expression of seasonal jollity
CBC Radio ·
Robert Harris, on the joys and sorrows of this ubiquitous expression of seasonal jollity. (Shutterstock)

It is that time of year — when our radio stations, malls, elevators, iPods, phones, and who knows what else, are full of the music of Christmas.

For some of us, Christmas music is one of the season's great joys. For others of us — its great scourge, nay, the bane of our existence, nay, the closest thing to grounds for justifiable homicide we know. 

But the music of Christmas is ubiquitous. It has been with us, in one form or another, for about 1,300 years. On this last Sunday before Christmas, we thought we'd investigate the horrors, wonders, and joys of all things Christmas and musical, with our man abut music, Robert Harris. 

Here are Robert's picks for the worst Christmas music: 

  • Carrie Underwood, "The First Noel"
  • The Three Tenors' cover of John Lennon's 'Happy Christmas/War is Over"
  • Bob Dylan, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" 

    • Here are some of his picks for the best Christmas music:

  • Aaron Neville, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow"
  • Gene Autry, "Here Comes Santa Claus" 
  • Duke Ellington, "The Nutcracker Suite" 
  • B.B. King, "Merry Christmas, Baby" 
  • Mel Tormé, "Christmastime is Here" from "A Charlie Brown's Christmas" 
  • Maureen McGovern, "The Christmas Song" 

    • To hear all of Robert's picks, and learn more about how he made his selection, click 'listen' above. 

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