Christmas future is far away, Christmas past is past — but in Christmas Present, that past is not forgotten. While we all love Mariah and Pentatonix and WHAM — well, some of us love WHAM — there are scores of classic holiday songs that, more than 50 years later, continue to fill listeners with the holiday spirit and that gingerbread feeling. So the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to determine: What is the Best Classic Holiday Song of all time?
Host Eric Rezsnyak and panelists Curtis Creekmore, Derek Mekita, and Kara Austin go back to the happy golden days of yore and debate the best holiday pop songs from the 1940s to 1979. It’s a fun, old-fashioned Christmas debate!
To listen to Round 1, showing how we got to the Seasonal 16 down from the Top 32, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today to access the exclusive Part 1 episode.
Want to listen to the songs mentioned in this episode? Find our Classic Holiday Song playlist here.
The Round 2 match-ups are:
Match-Up 1: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee (1) vs. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry (5)
Match-Up 2: “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole (3) vs. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland (2)
Match-Up 3: “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms (1) vs. “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes (5)
Match-Up 4: “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Thurl Ravenscroft (3) vs. “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (2)
Match-Up 5: “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt (1) vs. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Bing Crosby (4)
Match-Up 6: “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Perry Como (3) vs. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams (2)
Match-Up 7: “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby (1) vs. “Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth” by David Bowie & Bing Crosby (4)
Match-Up 8: “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Jackson 5 (3) vs. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives (2)
Want to play along at home?
Create your own bracket for this episode and play along!
Looking for more related content?
Check out these other episodes from Great Pop Culture Debate:
Best Contemporary Holiday Pop Song (1980-Present)
Best Holiday Album
Have a say in future episodes!
Finally, if you want to have a say in what episodes we tackle next, vote in our Topic Polls! And we would love to have you pick your faves in the polls currently open for your votes!
Love Pop Culture? Subscribe to Our Free Weekly Newsletter!
Every Monday we tell you about the new movies, TV shows, albums, and video games coming up this week, PLUS we spotlight podcast episodes, polls, and more! Subscribe today!
EPISODE CREDITS
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Curtis Creekmore, Derek Mekita, Kara Austin
Producer: Mike Rapin
Editor: Jeffery Perry