Best Christmas Carols

OK, I gave in. Yesterday morning I listened to 'the 20 best carols' on one of the freview channels, might have been E4. Much to my surprise they were - not bad!. Destiny's Child's  8  days of Christmas was the closest to a trad carol. It kept the original tune and the key line 'On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me etc'. The video, ah yes, these carols truly brought home to me the power of pop videos, showed a happy Beyonce and pals prancing about what looked like an Argos but with wrapped parcels in the aisle and being giving loads of prezzies ​by her boyfriend. Forget the allegory of the 12 days, the partridge being Jesus, the 3 French hens Faith Hope and Charity and the whole shebang being a canny way to keep the faith alive without Oliver Cromwell cutting off yer head because he banned Christmas carols and pantos (theatres were banned too) surely Destinys Child bring to life the true significance of Noel. Anyhow I liked it.

And the rest? Paul MacCartney 'Simply having a wonderful Chrismas Time' - straightforwardly good. The same for Wizzard and I wish I could be Christmas Everyday.

Christmas pop videos pose a dilemma. How on earth does one portray all that boozy hedonism and still keep it good family entertainment?Slade's Merry Christmas Everyone, nails it. 'Did your granny ever tell you that the old songs are the best. And then she's up and dancing with the rest?''

For good dodgy drink spiking fun Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews 'Baby it's cold outside' is a must. The video is essential. After she swallows the stuff, Cerys sheds her pure white dress and turns into a slinky black leather clad vixen whose hair gets all punked up and then she gets the better of dodgy old Tom, the old lech who could be her grandad. What was that sparkly stuff he put in her cup? Has the co-op got it on special offer?

One line that showed contextual depth (or was I simply on overload by now) in Chris Rea's Driving home for Christmas 'take a look at the driver next to me - he's just the same'. It worked well for me in a non-preachy way, can someone else watch and listen please, I would like a second opinion.

And now the big ones. Band Aid 'Do they know it's Christmas' came in at a worthy no 4 and Fairy tale of New York at 2. Well done the makers of this top 20. I can just about forgive you for omitting Gaudete and I think my daughter might forgive you for forgetting her childhood favourite Mariah Carey 'All I want for Christmas is You.' Maybe.

And it's number one, it's the Chrismas number one.. Well it's got to be Greg Lake 'I believe in Father Christmas' now posthumously creeping up the Facebooks. What - Wham? Oh fer Crissakes!

Christmas? Ta - peppermints! And a happy New Year.