Zane’s Picks, Five Christmas Songs You Need to Hear This Year

This is a fairly new Christmas song that came out in 2000 by the gospel group Newsong. It's one of the saddest but most heart-touching Christmas songs you will hear. It brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. It's about a little boy that wants to buy a pair of new shoes for his sick mother because he wants her to look beautiful if "momma meets Jesus tonight."

Mannheim Steamroller has been around since the 70s, but it wasn't until 1984 that they really found success and popularity via the song "Deck the Halls" from their very first Christmas album. For years, "Deck the Halls" was essentially the only Christmas song from Mannheim that you would hear on the radio, but more great, dynamic yuletide selections would come like "Joy to the World", "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," and this masterpiece, "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." For maximum enjoyment, you will want to listen to this at the highest level of volume possible.

For a lot of years, my favorite version of O Holy Night has been by Phantom of the Opera singer "Michael Crawford." It still is, but Face Vocal Band does an amazing job on this classic. Anyone who loves Christmas music and loves vocal harmonies is going to love this.

So, Natalie Cole has always been one of my favorite singers, and through the years I have grown more fond of this song each and every year. I love the message of the song - a message of peace on Earth, goodwill to men. Kelly Clarkson, Amy Grant, Barbara Streisand and others have made great versions, but my vote goes to Natalie.

Of course, I love the music of John Denver, but this song is clearly about the Muppets. Sometimes, you just want to have some fun, a smile, a laugh, and this cast of characters delivers exactly that. A lot of us have some great memories of the Muppets, including the 1979 television broadcast that introduced us to their mixed up version of a classic song. I hope it brings a smile to your face.