Pop Christmas

Look, there's no way around it being "the most wonderful time of the year" . . . again, so why don't you start making a list and checking it twice. While you worry about the presents, we'll ready some merry sounds for the trip to the shops — from jingle bell-shaking pop spins on Christmas standbys like "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (a ballroom duet between Jessica Simpson and her ex, Nick Lachey), to modern originals including Mariah Carey's mistletoe teaser "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and Ali Lohan's surreal blend of R&B and seasonal expectation, "Groove of Christmas." Need to make numerous shopping trips? Don't worry — our Next Steps will keep you jolly despite all those maxed-out credit cards.

Here, Christmas pop-pickers, we've tossed a ton of Christmas songs into the hands of today's popsters, including Gabriella Cilmi ("Warm This Winter"), and American Idol semifinalist Kimberley Locke (the playful pleas of "We Need a Little Christmas"). Ring the changes (and the bells) as you take in the synth-guided shuffle of Christina Aguilera's "This Year," the toasty chill-out of Groovecatcher's "O Come O Come Emmanuel," and the unstoppable seasonal randiness of Girls Aloud on "I Wanna Kiss You So (Christmas in a Nutshell)." Whether our Yule-pop stars are belting out covers or originals, their whiffs of fresh holiday cheer carry over into our Deep Cuts.

Our Christmas pop tunes are as tempting as a stack of well-wrapped presents — check out "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (the irresistible bounce of PureNRG), "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Cyndi Lauper, exuberant as ever) and "The Magic of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone)" (Céline Dion, raising a glass — and a couple of octaves — to family and friends). Leigh Nash delivers a lovely acoustic cover of Wham!'s "Last Christmas," Australian Idol star Paulini belts out a brilliant a cappella rendition of "Silent Night," and Human Nature show Santa their soul on "Jingle Bells."

Nothing against the chestnut-roasting classics of Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole, but it doesn't hurt to hear a new Christmas song or cover tune from time to time — keeping things contemporary as you hang stockings by the fire or weigh down every branch of this year's tree with glittering baubles. To make sure there's something for everybody at your house this Xmas, we've pulled a staggering variety of songs from the past couple of decades, including several tracks from Top 40 favourites, like Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, and Katy Perry, as well as choice cuts of kids pop (Crazy Frog), soft rock (Air Supply), and R&B (Babyface) that's smoother than a tub of crème de menthe ice cream. Christmas goes pop right here.