Editor's Picks: Top 5 Christmas Songs

We're getting into the holiday spirit at Monmouth Shore Patch and presenting you with the Editor's Choice Top 5 Christmas Songs. Click the links to listen to the songs on YouTube.

5. "Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC. This new school holiday classic comes from a group of old school hip hop legends. The song originally appeared on the 1987 compilation "A Very Special Christmas" and has become a favorite. 

4. "Christmas in Killarney" by Bing Crosby. While it's not Crosby's most famous Christmas number, no self-respecting Irishman would let the season go by without hearing this song's signature pipes and drums. The song has been recorded by a number of artists including The Irish Rovers.

3. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Bruce Springsteen. The Boss and his E Street Band turn this holiday classic into a yuletide powerhouse. 

2. "Christmas in New Orleans" by Louis Armstrong. Satchmo's signature vocal sound lends itself perfectly to this Christmas anthem about his hometown, the Crescent City of New Orleans. 

1. "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues. Irish folk group The Pogues pay tribute to New York City in this Christmas anthem. This song is a hilariously profane epic that is also surprisingly sweet. Kirsty MacColl duets with Shane MacGowan as a couple on the brink of a meltdown. The opening line, "It was Christmas Eve, babe. In the drunk tank an old man said to me 'won't see another one'" pretty much says it all. [ADVISORY: This song contains lyrics that some may find inappropriate.] 

Honorable Mentions: The Drifters' doo-wop take on Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song," and "Christmastime is here" by The Vince Guaraldi Trio, from the soundtrack of "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown"