Katie Hamann ’25, Social Media Manager
When the holiday season comes around, Christmas music can be heard everywhere you go. But which holiday songs are the most memorable? Rather than just being immensely popular, these are the songs that are older than every student at SLHS and have been around since our parents were kids or, for some, even before they were born.
“Last Christmas” by Wham, from 1984, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee, from 1958, and “Christmas, Baby Please Come Home” by Darlene Love, from 1963, are just a few examples of some of the best holiday classics; all of these songs are extremely popular and appear in almost every Christmas music playlist and are some of the catchiest songs that everyone can sing along to.
The older holiday songs are the best of the best. While there may be recreations of the classics and new Christmas music released yearly, nothing replaces the nostalgic feeling of the older, original songs. It is easy to know a song is amazing when there are a million remakes, but none of them will live up to the original.
The Christmas classic “Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht”, or, as it is better known “Silent Night”, was originally sung in 1818 by Joseph Mohr, a young German priest. This song has since become the most-recorded Christmas song of all time having been recorded more than 137,000 times. This song is not the only one that has been recorded over and over again. “Winter Wonderland” by Richard Himbler from 1934, has since been recorded over 200 times, and “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby has been recorded over 500 times since its release in 1942.
Sophomore Anya Woloch said, “My favorite Christmas song is ‘White Christmas’ because I grew up listening to it with my grandparents, so the song is very nostalgic.” Many other students also feel this nostalgia and remembrance of a time when they were little when listening to holiday music. From staying up to hear the reindeer on the roof and listening to the jingle bells on Santa’s sleigh, these songs bring up memories of childhood and spending time with family and friends, opening presents, playing in the snow, and many other special winter activities.
There are numerous holiday classics everyone loves, they bring the feeling of joy and remembrance of childhood and family. Listening to these songs with family and friends in the comfort of home, sitting by the fireplace, or while decorating the christmas tree. These initial recordings are often the best holiday songs out there. Sticking to the originals is the way to go forever.
Lyon Life 