The Ultimate Christmas Playlist

Christmas parties can be cheesy, pre-conditioned affairs when it comes to the music. Stick on Now That's What I Call I A Crappy Christmas Compilation With All The Same Songs As On Every Other Crappy Christmas Compilation 42 and let Wizard and Wham! bludgeon your brain to a tinsel covered, mince pie overload meltdown. There's a world of great yuletide sounds that don't get played anywhere near as often as they should. From classic crooners to indie jigs, here's our pick of the festive tunes that you should really be getting down and merry to this year... Home For The Holidays Again by Emmy The Great and Tim Wheeler A perfectly charming slice of standard UK Christmas pop, but one that you've unlikely to have heard as often as the others. What marks this one out from Ash frontman Tim and singer-songwriter Emmy, are the forlorn lyrics of the annual return to the home town local on Christmas Eve, seeing your old flame and finding nothing has moved on. I Wish It Was Christmas Today by Julian Casablancas The Strokes frontman's solo break back in 2009 didn't set critics or the charts alight but this slice of Crimbo-indie will get toes twinkling at even the dullest of office-dos. A Christmas Duel by The Hives and Cyndi Lauper There can't be many more Christmassy countries than Sweden. Snow covered wood cabins, frozen lakes and a noughties post-punk band duetting with an 80s American pop icon. Originally a Sweden-only release when it came out in 2008, now thanks to streaming services, the whole world can enjoy. Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses Party like it's 1981! When female-fronted post-punk bands discovered the joys of 'rapping'. (See Blondie and Tom Tom Club). Hence the supreme word play of this festive funk. Winter Melody by Donna Summer Not strictly a Christmas track but certainly a lovely, snowy groove from the Queen of Disco. Put this on for the perfect slow dance under the mistletoe. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love If you do just want to put one long Christmas album on, you'll be hard pushed to beat legendary record producer Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You. Featuring many of the artists he put his famed Wall of Sound touch to such as The Ronettes and The Crystals. This track by Darlene Love has all the jingle bells and whistles thrown at it. And it's merry marvellous. Last Christmas by Wham! Because no matter how many compilations this is on, it's just bloody great. Now hand me a copy of Now That's What I Call I A Crappy Christmas Compilation With All The Same Songs As On Every Other Crappy Christmas Compilation 43! Still looking for the perfect present for the special man in your life? Been drawn someone who you actually care to impress in secret santa? Browse our collection of grooming gifts to make a festive statement.