Perfect Christmas playlist

And I know now that “I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus” by the Jackson 5 is about the dad dressing up like Santa to deliver the presents, but I was traumatized as a kid since I thought both Santa and the mom were cheating. I also don’t recommend “Frosty the Snowman” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” since they are a bit hokey and eerily similar. I mean, are they the same song?

Of course Christmas music should not be played before Dec. 1, but can be played on the sly the day after Thanksgiving. But it’s best to hold out for a full run of Christmas music without any guilt or shyness. So on with the list.

The first song is of course, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” by Andy Williams. No other version comes close. This is the song you should absolutely play first and at high volume. It requires every listener to immediately be in the Christmas spirit. You could also get away with “It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas,” by Bing Crosby, but that is best as your second song. You could also play the Perry Como version, just not the Michael Bublé version, because, well, it’s just not as good. Then it’s “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, which just kicks in the holiday spirit so well and puts you in a good groove. For your Perry Como fix, put on “(There’s no place like) Home for the Holidays” but then you have to put on the Drifters’ version of “White Christmas” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra is a standard.

Then it’s good to go a bit current for “All I want this Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey, because it’s fun and amazing and so good. Even more current is “Santa Tell Me,” by Arianna Grande. But back to classics, with “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes, which is by far, the absolute best Christmas song ever made. Once the party is starting, you can play “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee, and Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run,” which are fun to dance to and also sing along. “Merry Christmas, Baby” by the Beach Boys fits in this realm. Optional songs are “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber, “Christmas Time is Here” (AKA the Peanuts song) by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, or better yet, “Linus and Lucy,” which is not really a Christmas song but associated with the Peanuts specials, and thus, Christmas. “Donde Esta Santa Claus” is fun, and I didn’t know it existed until this year when I complained that the only Spanish-language Christmas song that ever gets any air time was “Feliz Navidad,” which is fun and great. Any others out there? You let me know.

And you may not have heard of “What will Santa Claus say when he finds everybody swingin’” by Kermit Ruffin. You should though, since Ruffin is one of the finest artists alive today. But only if you like good music done well in the way it should be done.

After this, you may want to wind down, and the best way to do this is to listen to the Kelly Clarkson version of “Silent Night” and the Carrie Underwood version of “O Holy Night.”

“Baby it’s cold outside” may offend sensibilities, so perhaps go for the later refreshed version with Clarkson and John Legend. But if you feel you can handle flirtatious lyrics that are derived from an earlier time, go for the original or Dean Martin’s version. Or just throw on the whole Dean Martin’s Christmas Album. It has a version of “Let it Snow” but the best version is from “Die Hard” (yes, a Christmas movie) by Vaughn Monroe. This is a surefire way to end the night, with your seasonal drink of choice, either apple cider, mulled wine, eggnog or just plain bourbon with one rock. You can fire up “Die Hard,” “Christmas Vacation,” “White Christmas,” or even “Elf,” but hold off on “It’s a Wonderful Life” until closer to the actual holiday. Just don’t ever watch “Love Actually.” Trust me. Merry Christmas!