Top 10 Christmas Songs You’ve Probably Never Heard

　　Who needs the chart toppers when you have the undiscovered classics to ring out!
　　Following on from last week’s Top Ten Christmas Songs, the debate in our office continued on around the music that had been left out. Of course we all had our personal favourites nobody had ever heard of… and bingo, another gem of a Christmas song list was born!
　　10. Merry Xmas Everybody, Slade Live
　　Still performing to this day are two original members of Slade, Dave Hill and Don Powell. Forget your modern bands like Chemical Romance, the Gods of Christmas have still got it.
　　9. I Don’t Want a Lot for Christmas, My Chemical Romance
　　Just don’t forget about the lads from New Jersey and their attempt to rescue the schmaltz of Mariah Carey’s festive 45. While the song is out there, they never sorted out an official video. Still, that’s what YouTube and your fan-base is for.
　　8. Christmas, by Nanowar
　　Not a typo, but one of Italy’s little gems – think Spinal Tap crossed with Silvio Berlusconi and you have “Nanowar of Steel”,” and their tribute not just to Christmas but the pantheon of stars that they worship.
　　7. I’m Walking Backwards for Christmas, The Goons
　　Most Christmas songs are recorded in a studio in July (or the week before The X-Factor is finished) so Spike, Harry and Peter’s seasonal disc gets an award for being recorded at Christmas. It does mean that it was released at the height of the summer of ‘56.
　　6. Six White Boomers, Rolf Harris
　　Yes Rolf – he’s quite the singer-songwriter you know (and I’m convinced that his Stairway to Heaven is a genuine masterpiece, not withstanding the original). Here’s the audio of another classic retelling – the six white boomers (kangaroos) that pull Santa’s Sleigh in Australia.
　　5. The Twelve Days of Christmas, Bill Barclay
　　If you live in Edinburgh, there’s one true sign that Christmas is here – the local radio station “Forth Two” starts playing the Christmas song of Bill Barclay – one of their DJ’s. But rather than a partridge in a pear tree, these gifts on the twelve days of presents are more Scottish… and alcoholic.
　　4. Song For Ten, by Tim Phillips
　　For many, Christmas Day is no longer about the birth of Jesus, but the beginning of a new era of Doctor Who. As Tennant sails off into the sunset this year, who could forget the Phil Spector closing of his first appearance at Christmas from 2005?
　　3. Faith Noel, The Trans Siberian Orchestra
　　Founded in 1996, the Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO) are a mix of Prog Rock, Symphonic Metal and just a hint of classical music. Their full concert renditions of traditional festive standards are just mind blowing. No footage of this track live, but here is one of their more noted favourites, synced up to some fairy lights.
　　2. One More Sleep Till Christmas, The Muppets
　　Why, in all the appreciation of Christmas music is a Muppets song not in the collections? I’ve no idea either, so let’s sort that right now, with the Singalongtastic opener from The Muppet Christmas Carol.
　　1. White Wine in the Sun, by Tim Minchin
　　Currently making an attempt to get into the 2009 charts, the virtuoso that is Tim Minchin shines through in a song that reaches out to the heart of anyone, and manages to squeeze in “Desmond Tu Tu To” as a lyric. Absolute genius.