You know Christmas is just around the corner when you hear Jingle Bells Rock or Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas on the radio or in the store, but there’s something magical about Christmas that makes so many people want to write songs and sing about it.

Everyone has their own opinion of what makes a great Christmas song, some love the crooning voice of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, others like the swinging tune of Frosty the Snowman and then there are those that like the modern classics like Wham’s Last Christmas and Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime. In this list of the top 10 Christmas songs I will try and combine old with new, traditional with modern.

Last Christmas – Wham

For a song that is so depressing, Last Christmas is a surprising dance floor filler at Christmas time as millions of revellers announce that they gave their heart away last Christmas. Also a great tune for all the lonely hearts out there on Christmas day.

It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams – 1963

Released back in 1963, Andy Williams’ powerful vocals is a Christmas time treat and the perfect accompaniment on Christmas day when everyone is opening presents or while preparing the Christmas dinner.

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee – 1958

A fantastic upbeat song that has been featured in numerous movies like Home Alone, the most surprising thing about this song is that despite the mature sounding voice, Brenda Lee was just 14 when she recorded it! Even 50 years later it still gets huge amounts of airplay on the radio.

Merry Xmas Everyone – Slade – 1973

Slade were a glam-rock band from the UK in the 1970′s and this rocking song is one of the most popular Christmas songs in England according to a 2007 poll and based on the amount of airplay it has received.

All I Want For Christmas – Mariah Carey – 1994

Although it is relatively new compared to some of the other songs on this list, All I Want For Christmas became an instant classic. The song has become a Christmas party favourite with many adults pointing fingers on the dance floor and has probably led to more office romances than any other song!

Do They Know It’s Christmas Time – Band Aid – 1984

What happens when you bring together nearly 50 of the biggest selling artists of all time to create a Christmas song for charity? You get the biggest selling song in UK chart history. It will bring a tear to your eye and make you think about the meaning of Christmas all over again.

White Christmas – Bing Crosby – 1942

Covered more times than a hotel bed, White Christmas is the quintessential Christmas song. Only very few people are able to enjoy a white Christmas but that doesn’t stop us from dreaming about it. The song conjures up everything we love about Christmas day; the food, the presents, the hot fire, making snowmen and of course reminiscing about times gone by.