A Swingin' Christmas Playlist

Other than the fall, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Presents are great, yes, but what I really love is the weather, the atmosphere, the magic and excitement in the air, and most of all, Christmas music. To me, nothing says Christmas like Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song", Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas", or Dean Martin's "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!". Of course, there are many more classic favorites, but these were just the few that quickly came to mind.

I love all those classics but ever since I was young, I've always gravitated to music that makes me want to tap my feet. I credit that growing up with a dad who absolutely loved the the Motown greats, like the Temptations or the Four Tops, and other great oldies music from mostly the 50s and 60s. During almost every car ride to my various sports practices or just around town, the radio was tuned to Oldies 100.3 and my dad couldn't help but tap his feet and just sing and move to the music. After awhile, I caught that same bug and haven't been able to stop. I'm guessing that's why I've been known to dance around the aisle of a store when there's a good song playing or in the kitchen while washing the dishes to the Blues Brothers soundtrack.

So this year, for something a little different, I decided to create a "Swingin' Christmas" music playlist with songs that make me just want to tap my feet and get up and move.

  • Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong
  • Christmas in Harlem - Louis Armstrong
  • Mr. Heatmieser - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
  • Rockabilly Christmas - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
  • Last night went out with Santa Claus - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
  • Run, Run, Rudolph - Chuck Berry
  • Jingle Bells - Michael Buble ft. The Puccini Sisters
  • Rockin Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
  • A Marshmellow World - Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin

This is definitely not an all-inclusive list, but just a few of my current favorites. So I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, and please feel free to add your favorite swingin' Christmas music to this list in the comments!

Update

For those of you on Rdio, I created a "Swingin' Christmas" playist. You can follow me at bmorejoe and subscribe to it!