Sweet Silver Bells (C-23)

Without a doubt, "Carol of the Bells" stands as my favorite Christmas song. Its always the first I download every season, and its usually the one that gets played the most frequently and lasts the longest before final deletion (until next year).

Back in grade school when I had dreams of alto saxophone virtuosity my school played an annual concert on the Newbury Town Mall (New England-speak for a park where we used to graze cows) next to the frozen pond. Being a grade school saxaphonist wasn't all the glitz and glamour that one associates with high-school or college-level saxophoning, most songs leave you nothing but bass support to the hooty-tooty flutes and clarinets. "Carol of the Bells" offered one of the few chances to really bellow out, and to do that while standing in the cold as scores of (obligated) parents watched on, well, its a good memory.

Plus few people know the words to "Carol of the Bells," and if you do, you know that they are nothing profound or outstanding. But they are certainly not annoying or excessively saccharine. I'm a fan of "Dominik the Christmas Donkey" as much as the next guy, but I prefer the majesty and awe that "Carol" instills within. Musically it is quite simple, nothing more than a layered canon, but that makes it all the better for whistling.

Runners up included: "Good King Wenceslas," "We Three Kings," and the theme from "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown." Not even considered were: any celebrity/artist Christmas album post-"A Very Special Christmas Vol 1," "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth," and "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."