Ladies and good gentlemen of Blogtown: All week long you've been voting for the "Best Xmas/Holiday Song EVARRR!!!" in our Blogtown poll, and I have to say—while I may not have chosen this particular one—what you decided on was pretty freaking great. Thanks for playing along! I've discovered a lot of great new Xmas songs in the process. And with that, here it is: According to YOU, the Blogtown reader, this is your ""Best Xmas/Holiday Song EVARRR!!!"

"Heat Miser" (from The Year Without a Santa Claus)

And in second place, and also great:

Fairytale of New York (by The Pogues).

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all, from your always pals here at the Mercury. (Oh, and hit the jump for a special holiday wish from your old college roommate, Humpy.)

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This is the great, great Clarence Carter's excellent Christmas tune, which also probably has the best title for a Christmas song of all time: "Back Door Santa." I could never figure out why Carter isn't regularly mentioned in the same breath as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, as his deep-fried Southern soul—sorry to use such a clichéd phrase, but it applies here—is certainly their equal. "Slip Away"? "Patches"? And this: "Back Door Santa," which also features the single greatest "Ho ho ho" ever committed to record.

And if that horn break in "Back Door Santa" sounds familiar, it's because Run-DMC sampled it for their (also classic) "Christmas in Hollis." (And fun fact! Run sports a Portland Trail Blazers jacket in the video.)

End Hits: The best ho's, and more.

TODAY... IS THE DAY! After a week of mind-numbing polls, voting on every possible genre of Xmas/holiday song, today is the day when we pick the best of the best and make our final decision: "What is the best Xmas/holiday song EVARRR???"

But first a quick recap of this week's journey:

You voted on FOUR CATEGORIES! Secular (Non-religious stuff written before 1970-ish, and after 1900-ish), Traditional/Jesus-y (Stuff glorifying god and/or Jesus or written pre-1900), Animated (Songs either written for, or used in, animated holiday specials), and Commenter's Choice (songs that commenters bitched and moaned were neglected from previous lists).

NOW we'll take the top two from each list (plus "Heat Miser"—because of a near tie, and "Father Christmas"—because c'mon... it really should be on the list) and combine them all to form the HOLIDAY CHEER MEGA-POLL in which we decide once and for all what exactly is the BEST XMAS/HOLIDAY SONG EVARRR!!!

(Note: Perhaps your favorite song wasn't chosen. But can you for once please put your anger aside, hold your nose, and vote for the best song on this list? Because a) It's a pretty goddamn good list, and b) It's the holidays. YOU'RE THE BEST!!!)

SERIOUSLY, THINK HARD ON THIS ONE: The songs and their links are all posted after the jump if you want to make a truly informed choice! The winning song will be posted on Christmas Eve, so we can virtually give each other drunken hugs and express emotion that is normally too hard to expend. Okay? Okay! Annnnnnd... LET'S VOTE!

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Hurrah! It's finally here! It's Day Four of the "Best Xmas/Holiday Song EVARRR!!!" poll, which means YOU the Blogtown commenter finally get your say about what's the best holiday song, and I get to mercilessly troll YOU for a change. Unfortunately, you all came up with some pretty good suggestions, goddammit. But quickly! A recap of how "Best Xmas/Holiday Song EVARRR!!!" works:

FOUR CATEGORIES! Secular (poll is now closed!), Traditional/Jesus-y (vote here!), Animated (vote here!), and Commenter's Choice (vote today!). The top two from each list will face off on Friday in one big mega poll, and HO! HO! HO! We'll have chosen the "BEST X-MAS/HOLIDAY SONG EVARRRRRR!!!" (which of course no one will be satisfied with, because that's the nature of the internet).

And so today is Commenter's Choice, which basically means if a song didn't make my top ten in previous lists, OR there's a great secular song written after the 1970s, that goes into today's list of choices. And since you came up with so many good suggestions, we're going to have 15 choices today instead of the usual ten. Did yours not make the list? It could be because we just didn't have room for everyone's, or that you were a big dick to me. Try attracting flies with honey next time.

OKAY! Ready to vote? You may not be super familiar with some of these songs, so hit the jump for helpful links to jog your memory! READY... STEADY... AND VO-HO-HO-HOTE!

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And we're back! It's day three of the most important voting experience of your life: "BEST X-MAS/HOLIDAY SONG EVARRRRRR!!!" And today is my personal fave of holiday song genres: The Best Animated Special Song (or "Creepy Wooden Puppet Music," such as those featured in those awesome Rankin/Bass specials or holiday cartoonies of yore).

So to quickly catch you up: FOUR CATEGORIES! Secular (vote here!), Traditional/Jesus-y (vote here!), Animated (vote below!), and Commenter's Choice (vote tomorrow!). The top two from each list will face off on Friday in one big mega poll, and HO! HO! HO! We'll have chosen the "BEST X-MAS/HOLIDAY SONG EVARRRRRR!!!" (which of course no one will be satisfied with, because that's the nature of the internet).

Okay, on to today's ANIMATED category! (And remember, put your favorite song in the comments from any genre, and it may be chosen for tomorrow's Commenter's Choice!) THREE IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

1) I included the "Linus & Lucy Theme" below, because even though it's not strictly an Xmas/Holiday song, it did premiere in A Charlie Brown Christmas, and if I didn't include it, you'd shit your pants. I think "Christmastime is Here" (from the same special) is far superior, but whatever. I don't care anymore.
2) You should vote for "Jingle Jingle Jingle." Watch it here. It's the best fucking song that's ever been written by anyone.
3) Can't remember some of the songs? I posted each with a musical link to jog your memory after the jump!

NOW LET'S VOTE FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST(mas)!!!

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Welcome to day two of the most important poll you will ever take: Deciding what is the "Best Xmas/Holiday Song Evarrrr!" Yesterday, we voted on best "Secular" song (Still wanna vote? Click here now!!!!), and today we'll be deciding which is the holiest of all "Religious/Super Old-Timey" numbers. But first? THE RULES!

Starting yesterday and through Friday, I'm breaking all Xmas songs down to their TOP TEN in each of the following categories (I'll decide what the top ten is. If you don't like it, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below.): SECULAR (Non-religious stuff written before 1970-ish, and after 1900-ish), RELIGIOUS/SUPER OLD-TIMEY (Stuff glorifying god and/or Jesus or written pre-1900), ANIMATED (Songs either written for, or used in, animated holiday specials—yes, Rudolph and Frosty will be included here, rather than in "secular," and if you don't like it, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below), and COMMENTER'S CHOICE (Stuff you think should have been included in the top tens of previous lists AND/OR cool original songs—not versions of existing songs—like Chuck Berry's Run, Run Rudolph, or George Michael's "Last Christmas [I Gave You My Heart]".)

Every day you'll vote for the best song in that category, and on Friday we'll put the TOP TWO vote-getters from each category into one HOLIDAY MEGA-POLL, vote on that, and VOILA! We'll have the "BEST XMAS SONG EVARRRRR!!" (If you don't like the way I'm running this, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below.)

OKAY! Ready to vote for best "religious/old-timey Xmas/Holiday song"? (I have all the following songs listed below the jump with musical links, if you need a memory jog!) OH! But first...

A special NOTE FROM HUMPY*: "Complaints? I am ill-prepared to give a shit."

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"What's the best Xmas/holiday song evarrrrr?" This question needs to be decided once and for all! And who better to decide it than the annoyingly opinionated denizens of Blogtown? SO THIS IS HOW IT'S GONNA WORK:

For the next four days I'm gonna break all Xmas songs down to their TOP TEN in each of the following categories (I'll decide what the top ten is. If you don't like it, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below.): SECULAR (Non-religious stuff written before 1970-ish, and after 1900-ish), RELIGIOUS/SUPER OLD-TIMEY (Stuff glorifying god and/or Jesus or written pre-1900), ANIMATED (Songs either written for, or used in, animated holiday specials—yes, Rudolph and Frosty will be included here, rather than in "secular," and if you don't like it, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below), and COMMENTER'S CHOICE (Stuff you think should have been included in the top tens of previous lists AND/OR cool original songs—not versions of existing songs—like Chuck Berry's Run, Run Rudolph, or George Michael's "Last Christmas [I Gave You My Heart]".)

Every day you'll vote for the best song in that category, and on Friday we'll put the TOP TWO vote-getters from each category into one HOLIDAY MEGA-POLL, vote on that, and VOILA! We'll have the "BEST XMAS SONG EVARRRRR!!" (If you don't like the way I'm running this, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below.)

Okay, ready to vote? Today's Xmas/Holiday Song category is "SECULAR" so vote for which you think is the best song... not the best version of the song, got it? YOU GOT IT. (If you're unfamiliar with any of these songs, or need a reminder, I've posted the names after the jump with links, cuz I'm sweet, and I don't want to hear any bullshit excuses.) Did I not include your absolute favorite in the top ten? Put your suggestion in the comments for possible inclusion in Thursday's "Commenter's Choice" Poll. Otherwise, see special NOTE FROM HUMPY* below.

Before we vote, a special NOTE FROM HUMPY*: "I don't give a shit."

LET'S VOTE!!

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