My Top 10 Song Numbers from Christmas Movies & Specials

 

    One of the many staples of the Christmas season are hearing familiar songs, and they usually enhance both the joy and wonder of the season. We all know the classics in the vein of “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the Halls” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, but equally special to me are the songs featured primarily in our favorite annual Christmas themed movies and specials. 

One of the many qualities that bring me back to my favorite holiday specials are the songs that we don’t commonly hear playing on the radio, but still maintain the same magic and charm of the season. So, for this season, I wanted to count down my own personal favorite musical sequences from either Christmas movies or specials. Now to clarify, I’m focusing more on scenes as opposed to songs that happen to be part of a film’s soundtrack. For example, "Let it Snow" is a song memorably featured in the 1988 movie "Die Hard", but only as part of the soundtrack, and not really a scene from the film. 

Lastly, they need to be musical numbers, and not scenes that just happen to feature characters singing. For example, the ending of “It’s a Wonderful Life” is probably one of my all-times favorites ever put to film, and while it features characters singing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”, I also wouldn’t call it a musical number either. With all that said, here are my 10 personal favorite song-numbers from either Christmas movies or Specials.   

 

#10 “Snow” from “White Christmas” 

While Bing Crosby’s iconic “White Christmas” song is universally regarded as one of the all-time greatest songs of the season, I’ve always associated it more with the 1942 movie “Holiday Inn”. As for the 1954 movie musical “White Christmas”, my favorite song comes in the form of a quartet between our four principal characters … and it’s simply titled “Snow”. There are so many cheerful songs that describe the holiday and the season, but aside from “Let it Snow”, there really aren’t too many songs that highlight our favorite Christmas weather. Well, this song covers all the bright spots and great cheer that comes with a snowy day, and it makes for a catchy tune in the proses. 

#9 "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" from “Glee: Ep.9 of Season 3" 

While I’m mostly focusing on songs from either movies or specials as opposed to episodes from TV shows, I just couldn’t help including at least one Christmas song from “Glee”. For years, I’ve enjoyed listening to the holiday themed music from this popular show, and if I was to pick a personal favorite, it actually comes in the form of an original song called “Extraordinary Merry Christmas”, from the season 3 episode of the same name. If a relentlessly upbeat and cheerful musical number is up your ally, this song will give you your fix, and keep bouncing in your head through the season. There’s no other way to describe it other then infectiously up-beat, and never failing to put me in a good mood.   

 

#8 “Invisible” from “Klaus” 

When a self-centered Postal man meets a broken-hearted toy maker, the two find themselves bringing joy to a secluded little Northern Town as a toy delivery service. As the town slowly comes back to life, the two men grow into better people. The moment that typifies their respected reformations is a little segment in which the two silently construct a sled, which is then presented to a little girl as a gift. It’s a mostly visual sequence, with Zara Larsson’s song “Invisible” carrying the emotions and importance of the scene. Maybe a touch gimmicky, but still a wonderful song that compliments the visual storytelling on display. It’s simply one of those special little movie music moments that touched my emotions, and assured me I was in for a great new Christmas movie.    

 

#7 “One More Sleep Til Christmas” from “The Muppet Christmas Carol” 

Like many musicals on my list, there’s a number of great songs that could have made my countdown, including the sentimental ballet of “The Love is Gone”, and the jubilant celebration of “It Feels like Christmas”. Yet, as far as I’m concerned, the Christmas season isn’t complete until I hear Kermit the Frog singing about how “It’s a season to be jolly and joyous!”. In general, my personal favorite event of the season isn’t Christmas day itself, but the build-up to it on Christmas Eve. In this cheerful little musical number, Kermit and friends celebrate how the most magical of holidays will be coming with the dawn of a new day. It’s a simple, yet upbeat song that always assures me … that on Christmas Eve … “There’s magic in the air!”.     

 

#6 “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from “Meet Me in St. Luis” 

While I’ve personally never viewed this classic 1944 musical as a real “Christmas Movie”, it certainly has its memorable holiday moments, with Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” being the bright spot that everyone remembers. With moving day approaching, little sister Tootie is noticeably having a glum Christmas Eve, and thus, big sister Esther cheers her up with a merry little song we’ve all heard around the holiday season. It's a moment that's melancholy in tone, yet comforting in it's simplicity. Naturally, we all remember Judy Garland as Dorthey, and I’ve seen her in a number of musicals … but I don’t think she ever sounded more beautiful then in this moment when she sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. It’s my favorite cover of the song by far, and the scene packs an emotional punch all these years later.    

 

#5 “Welcome Christmas” from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” 

While most would point to the more famous villain song “You’re a Mean One Mister Grinch”, my personal favorite song from this holiday classic is the “Welcome Christmas” song heard at both the opening and closing of the film. Like most kids, I was introduced to all those popular Christmas songs we hear every holiday season, yet I distinctly remember liking the Who’s “Welcome Christmas” more than any of them. There’s just something warm, and inviting about this song that’s suck with me through the years. Right from the opening title card, the music starts chiming, and it instantly wins me over. The opening scene introducing the Who’s decorating the town for Christmas might actually be one of my favorite little animated sequences put to a Christmas cartoon. Again, it’s the combination of this music with these colors that carries this infectious appeal, and just gets the ball rolling for a great special.

 

#4 “When Christmas Comes to Town” from “The Polar Express” 

“The Polar Express” has gotten mixed reactions over the years, but it’s remained a personal favorite of mine that I love to watch every year. I just adore the animation, the atmosphere, and the simplicity of the experience. For some reason, the scene that always stands out to me is when a lonely boy sings about the simple joys he desperately wants to feel around Christmas. This leads into a duet between him and a young girl, as they sing "When Christmas comes to Town". It may seem just a little corny to have these children signing, but I just love this song, I love the melody, and really love all the colors and visuals that are displayed in this moment. It’s simply a touching little scene with these two kids, and it just adds a little more magic to the experience.

 

#3 “What’s This?” from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” 

While I’ve only ever watched this movie around the Halloween season, the film obviously isn’t without its share of great Christmas material. When the King of Halloween town gets tired of his own holiday, he finds himself whisked away to the colorful world of Christmas … resulting in one of my favorite songs to ever be tied to the holiday. Seriously, when Jack Skellington first arrives in Christmas Town, we get the outstanding musical number … “What’s This, What’s This” … and the detail of the setting is outstanding! It’s probably the greatest looking Christmas world I’ve ever seen in a movie. Beyond that, it’s the concept of someone discovering the holiday for the first time, and exploring all its wonders that make it especially cheerful. I may only like watching this movie around Halloween, but this segment has a secure placement among my favorite Christmas songs.   

 

#2 “Walking in the Air” from “The Snowman” 

With its light as air storytelling and rich atmosphere, the 1982 short titled “The Snowman” is simply one of the greatest holiday gems of all time. The story revolves around a snowman that’s brought to life through the magic of Christmas, and he spends the night with the young boy who created him. The highlight is a scene in which the snowman actually flies the boy through the night sky, all set to a magical song titled “Walking in the Air”. It’s a simple, yet powerful musical piece that carries an awe-inspiring sense of wonder and grandeur. The peaceful melody mixed with the singer’s voice give the scene an almost dreamlike atmosphere, which is fitting. It’s just a beautiful segment, the music is so warm and uplifting. Plus, it’s just awesome that this kid gets to fly around the world on Christmas in a way that’s unique, but also in the spirit of the season.

 

Before I reveal my Number 1 Favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …

“White Christmas” from “Holiday Inn”   

The Reprise of “As Long as There’s Christmas” from “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas”

The “Christmas Vacation” Theme from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

“Last Christmas” from “Last Christmas”

“Rockin Around the Christmas Tree” from "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July"

 

#1 “God Bless us Everyone”, “Christmas Together” and “A Place Called Home” from “A Christmas Carol: The Musical” (2004) 

  Once again, I find myself admitting that I could have filled my entire list with songs from this one musical alone … but instead, for my number one spot, I’ll just round up my three personal favorite songs from this musical adaption of my favorite Christmas tale. While escorted by the ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, the once bitter Mr. Scrooge finally learns to embrace his fellow man, discovers the beauty of the holiday, and finds love in his heart again. 

When looking back at his childhood, he’s reminded of the love he shared for his sister, which is effectively utilized through their childhood song “A Place Called Home”. The song comes back a second time as a romantic duet between the teenage Scrooge and his beautiful love interest played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, and it really is a wholesome romantic piece. The song “Christmas Together” is a straightforward celebration piece, showing how all the people London come together, and spread the joy of the season … and it’s hard not to have a big smile on my face whenever this one plays. 

Of course, the main highlight is Scrooge’s reformation, which is punctuated by the song “God Bless us Everyone”. This triumphant musical number effectively captures both the tone and message of the original Dicken’s classic, and I love how this too is utilized more than once in the film. First, it’s a dramatic baled sung by Scrooge’s mother, which is sung effectively by Ruthie Henshall. Then finally at the end, this song makes for a triumphant climax to Scrooge’s journey, as he reforms and becomes a better man who’s ready to celebrate the Christmas season. The line “God Bless us Everyone” was already the most famous line from the source material, and it’s only fitting to stand as the best song in this musical adaption … as well as my personal favorite song from any Christmas movie or special.

Thanks for reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the Christmas and Holiday specials you Love!