Helen Bach Column: My top five(ish) Christmas tunes

Please at least wait until 1st December when we can wrench open our Advent Calendars as we listen to the first of the seasonal songs!

New Year ditties are even more limited - the only ones I can think of are U2's 'New Year's Day', and ABBA's 'Happy New Year'. Of course there's also 'Auld Lang Syne', but not sure that's made the charts lately?!

I totally understand why bands and singers produce them, and even try to sneak in the odd Christmas album here and there - you're almost guaranteed to have them played year after year. Noddy Holder has been honest enough to say that his and Slade's iconic 70s 'Merry Xmas Everybody' is his pension!

Before I sign off for my Christmas break and reach for the obligatory glass or two of Baileys (other beverages are also available), here are my top five Christmas tunes:

Number One - 'Fairytale of New York' by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. A favourite since its release, lyrics have been slightly amended over the years to make it more radio-friendly and less offensive, but a true classic. As I've said before, not everybody has a 'Perry Como'-type Christmas, and this song serves as a reminder of that.

Number Two - 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Shakin' Stevens. Yes, I surprised myself with that choice too. But I love it, it transports me straight back to the 1980s, and I even think I know all the words!

Number Three - I'm going to have to include some 70s, and I'll have both Wizzard's 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' and Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' (even though I dislike that abbreviation!).

Number Four - Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas is You', at one stage the song which took the longest to reach number one from its original release date.

Number Five - David Essex's 'A Winter's Tale', a melancholy tune, usually found on a Christmas compilation CD, I find it quite poignant and calming in the Christmas madness.

Merry Christmas to you all!