15 Alternative Christmas Songs That Will Still Make You Feel Festive

9. River - Joni Mitchell

Granted, this is something of an obvious pick but it is Joni after all. And only Joni Mitchell can half-inch the basic melody from Jingle Bells and turn it into one of the greatest songs ever written. From those dancing piano keys in the opening bars through to the heart-breaking lyric; the beautifully anguished vocal, and the gentle, forlorn coda, this is song-writing perfection in its entirety.

That this poignant story of lost love is set around Christmas and all its joyful effusions makes it all the more tear-jerking. But that back-shivering melody and crystalline vocal push it into the realms of €˜oh excuse me, I have something in my eye€™ territory. Despite some ignorant mutterings of River not actually being classed as a proper, bona fide Christmas song, it is, in fact, definitely, without doubt, 100%, a Christmas song. So there.

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Chris James Peet says hello. His interests include hoping for the best and sitting in chairs. He much prefers moaning to counting his blessings and suffers fools gladly. He also likes to look out of the window and check what's in the fridge but he hates standing up, dripping taps and reality.