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Sleigh Ride is unequivocally the best Christmas song of all time.
Its a song that celebrates the moment, telling you to be present and enjoy whats around you.
Plus, it is eminently cover-able.
I started setting it apart from other holiday classics when I worked in a shoe store in college.
I love it so deeply that at the time of writing,my Spotify playlist titled JUST SLEIGH RIDE.
Sleigh Ride is particularly full of hooks for artists to interpret as they like.
They ride and enjoy the snow, get cold and snuggle together, singing songs.
I also feel comfortable recommending just listening tothe entire playlist nearing 100 versions and letting it wash over you.
Truly something for everyone.
The New Christy Minstrels,Merry Christmas!
(1966)
Oh, the glory of syncopation!
This songs a party.
Their Sleigh Ride has banjo and baritone saxophone, and the drummers clearly having the time of his life.
Lindy hop around the Christmas tree in your finest Gap khakis.
Its the throw in of silly juxtaposition that Christmas music is great at embodying.
Santa has to visit SoCal, after all.
Why wouldnt he surf there?
It reminds me of my grandfather, making class and style look natural.
Sufjan Stevens,Let It Snow: Songs for Christmas, Vol.
Which is exactly what he did, actually.
The completed songs were literal Christmas gifts, first to just his friends, then to humankind at large.
This was a labor of love, and its terrific.
A legend making a legend even more legendary.
I get that string of inspired nonsense stuck in my head year-round.
Its deep Christmas music magic, probably unwittingly invoking ancient Druidic rites.
facts: This record was released the same day that Kennedy was assassinated.
The first run was a disappointing flop.
Itfeelslike a sleigh ride, with the flourishes of strings standing in for flourishes of snow.
Sleigh Ride was conceived by Leroy Anderson just after he left the army.
He was famous for them; his compositions were even used as TV themes.
1, its nearly always in the top ten.
But it doesnt need lyrics.
Giddyup, lets head on a sleigh ride.
