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 grabbing the perfect gifts for him, her . . . and Mom, we'll ready some holiday music for the ride to the mall — from jingle bell-shaking pop spins on Christmas standbys, like "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Hannah Montana), "Baby It's Cold Outside" (a duet between Jessica Simpson and her ex, Nick Lachey), and "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" (gift-wrapped to silky perfection by Michael Bublé) to such ultra-modern originals as Mariah Carey's mistletoe teaser "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

Need to make numerous shopping trips? Don't worry — our Next Steps will keep you jolly despite all those maxed-out credit cards.

There's something strangely familiar yet oh-so-exotic about the following songs, from Diana Krall's sultry version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" to the merry mariachi melodies (spiced up by the Cheetah Girls) of "Feliz Navidad." The reason being that we've tossed a ton of traditional Christmas songs into the hands of today's pop stars, including One Tree Hill star Tyler Hilton (the spare, fireplace-sparking "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"), Kelly Clarkson (a high note-nailing "Oh Holy Night"), and Jimmy Eat World (the shimmering snow-globe chords of "Last Christmas").

The heady scent of holiday pop wafts over into our Deep Cuts.

Roch Voisine puts a mellifluous French spin on a classic here, with "Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver," while "Silver Bells" — introduced to the world by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in 1951's The Lemon Drop Kid — is given a haunting a cappella treatment by Take 6. That's the beauty of our Christmas pop tunes: they're as unpredictable as a stack of well-wrapped presents, including the synth-guided shuffle of "This Year," the string drifts of "Joy to the World," the smoky-lounge ambiance of "Peace," and an unforgettable version of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" by Sarah McLachlan.

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 fill every crevice of this year's tree. To make sure there's something for everybody at your house this holiday season, we've pulled a staggering variety of songs from the past couple of decades, including several tracks from Top 40 favorites, like Destiny's Child, Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, and Kelly Clarkson, as well as choice cuts of ska-punk (No Doubt), modern rock (the Fray, Snow Patrol, Relient k), and R&B (Jagged Edge) that's smoother than a tub of crème de menthe ice cream.