Agh!! Like last year, I sent you here instead of the vote page! Christmas music combat was never meant to be easy!!

Now i’m going to make a coffee… cause i need it.

The wrestling. The juggling. The back and forth and back.

It is done and the finalists are confirmed! Another cracker bunch of submissions for 2021. Thanks to all who sought, secured and submitted! It was truly a pleasure to listen to them all!

Without further ado, the nominees for 2021 Christmas Carol of the Year are …

• Be With You On Christmas Day – Nate Williams
• December Lights – Joe Stilgoe
• Angels We Have Heard on High – Phil King
• This is My Wish – Heather Headley
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Aimee Bayles, Matt Sucich
• Angels We Have Heard (Glory Be) – Jordan Smith

New to CCOTY is the ‘KiDs cHoiCe’ nominations – for the young and young at heart!

Nominees for 2021 CCOTY ‘KiDs cHoiCe’ are …

• Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Ben Rector
• Santa’s On Vacation – David Pomeranz
• Angels we Have Heard on High – Phil King
• A Very Merry Christmas – Planet Shakers
• You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Jordan Smith

The nominees for Best Driving Around Looking at Christmas Lights Christmas Song are …

• This Christmas – Kinga Glyk, Donny Hathaway
• Driving’ Round Town – Gabe Dixon
• It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – The Collingsworth Family
• Go Tell It on the Mountain – Dave Barnes
• Joy to the World – Micah Stampley

KiDs cHoiCe nominations for Best Driving Around Looking at Christmas Lights Christmas Song are …

• Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Pentatonix
• Sleigh Ride – Tori Kelly
• Go Tell It on the Mountain – Dave Barnes
• O Come, All Ye Faithful – Matthew West
• Angles Medley – Andrae Crouch, Kristle Murden

Tips for your BEST CCOTY experience!

• Get GOOD speakers (and give it some volume – you want to hear every bit!)
• Purge cynics from your surroundings (Zero grinch policy – unless they are on the verge of enlightenment. NB: No cynics were harmed in the collation of these CCOTY finalists)
• Listen to the ENTIRE song! (Are these songs full of suprises? YES THEY ARE! Like many of the submissions were too. Do yourself a favour!)

Spotify lists are below, YOUTUBE playlists are on the blogsite (on the right and up if you’re on your computer.)

Voting Opens on Thursday, December 16!

Keep scrolling down for a brief tour of some of this years submissions from some of CCOTY’s committed …

Didn’t get to tour the Submissions? Here’s a round up of some of the CCOTYs favourite submissions:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Paul Gilbert:

“WELL, WELL, WELL, what are we about to have here?” was the first thought I had when the playlist clicked over to this little gem. This thought was swiftly followed by:

• “Okay, alright, I see what you’re doing here…nice!”
• -“Oh, hold up, turns out I didn’t see what you were doing here…”
• “Ooooo, alrighty… this is excellent!”

And thoughts remained good – very good – for the rest of the song. Well, well, well, Mr Gilbert, what we had here was an unexpectedly warm and lovely Christmas song with a dynamic, funky twist (much like a good cheese left out in the sun on a Christmas charcuterie board). –JR

IF YOU LIKE shredded guitar with your Christmas coleslaw, Paul Gibert’s ‘TWAS album is exactly what you need! It’s an absolute hoot and a ‘must listen’ at least once in your life. –ME

Be With You On Christmas Day – Nate Williams

The discovery of 2021. Hands down. –AJ

Light of the World (Sing Hallelujah) – We the Kingdom

THIS STARTS OFF all twinkly-and-folksy and transforms into a bigger, more dramatic number. I’m a sucker for vocals that sound like the singer has thrown back their shoulders, tilted their chin and just gone for it, sans fancy trills and smooth edges. This has you ‘singing hallelujah’ along with them and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It just sounds like the season!  –JR

Slow Down Christmas – Peter Cincotti, Jim Brickman

NEVER HEARD OF Peter Cincotti? Well now you have! With a voice like Lucas Pawpaw Oinment, this song will sooth your frantic soul and calm your Christmas nerves. But it’s not all fruit and ice-cream – there’s some serious pork crackling in this song. And like all good crackling – it’ll leave you wanting more. –ME

You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch – Jordan Smith

SWEET, SWEET, ACCOMPLISHED vocals matched to exceptional musicians – who could ask more from a Christmas song? At under 3 minutes, this one is here for a good time, not a long time. And we’re all the richer for it because the journey we go on in those 3 minutes is an incredible feat pulled off by Jordan Smith. He has orchestrated (pun intended) a magic trick of the festive variety. Although it seems wrong for the CCOTY to be about a Grinch and to contain lyrics like, ‘your brain is full of spiders’, it does sound like Christmas somehow. ‘Your heart is full of unwashed socks’ is a highlight and one this reviewer will be using next report card season. I wonder what Jordan Smith was thinking when he pulled off smooth and sweet falsetto on a line like, ‘you have termites in your smile?’ Kudos to Mr Smith because he made it sound like a compliment. The three words that definitely don’t best describe this one are as follows and I quote – “stink, stank, stunk!” –JR

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Ben Rector

CAN THIS ONE be in it, Aunty Amy? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Can it pleeeeaaaase? We really, really like it. It’s five stars times 10! —The Children

Driving Home for Christmas – Newton Faulkner and Cat Rea

THIS IS GOING to sound like shade but isn’t – this song is so smooth, you sort of forget you’re listening to it and this is perfect for driving around, looking at Christmas lights!! This song totally nailed the brief – it’s a festive but unobtrusive background to the twinkly and magical stars of the show!  –JR

Season of My Heart – Emma Pask

I REALLY LOVED this one. It’s SO SMOOTH. It’ll be in my Christmas playlist for sure this year! –PL

December Lights – Joe Stilgoe

This one was a suprise. Initially I was against its existence. But the more I listened the more I loved it! It is a beautiful song with so much to enjoy! Listened to in the right surrounding – it can bring you to tears. (Perhaps if you’re over-tired and see lots of pretty Christmas lights and the little kids choir comes on … you’ve been warned!) –ME

Santa’s On Vacation – David Pomeranz

What assurances can you give me that this one will win? —The Children