1. Connie Francis - "Baby's First Christmas"

 

1961

Francis churned out several platters of cozy fireside Christmas tunes. This rather special single celebrated the holiday from the perspective of an infant. It reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Image: MGM / Discogs

2. Freddie King - "Christmas Tears"

 

1961

Despite the abundant cheer, some people have the blues on Christmas. The electric guitar ace made this an R&B hit in 1961 — and also charted on the Christmas Singles chart in '64 and '66.

Image: Federal / Discogs

3. The Marcels - "Merry Twist-mas"

 

1961

The Twist craze was hotter than Furby at the start of the decade. This trend-surfing single came from the Twist Around the Clock.

Image: Colpix / Discogs

4. Bobby Vee - "A Not So Merry Christmas"

 

1962

The teen idol sadly passed away last month. He, too, took a darker route on this weeper. There were a lot of sad Yuletide tunes that decade, come to think of it.

Image: Liberty / Discogs

5. Ray Bolger - "L'il Elfy"

 

1963

The Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz charmed children on this whimsical track. It spent a mere week on the Christmas chart.

Image: Armour / Discogs

6. Toni Wine - "My Boyfriend's Coming Home for Christmas"

 

1963

You might not know Wine by name, but her music has aged amazingly well. She wrote "A Groovy Kind of Love" and Tony Orlando and Dawn's "Candida." That's her singing the female parts on the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," too. This early teen-pop recording reached No. 22 on Billboard's "Best Bets For Christmas."

Image: Colpix / Discogs

7. Bobby Vinton - "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle"

 

1964

"It had nothing there inside," Vinton crooned in an extended metaphor that gets stretched like a Christmas caramel. Burt Bacharach co-wrote this tune, which climbed to No. 23 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart.

Image: Sony / Discogs

8. Brenda Lee - "Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day"

 

1964

Best known for her spirited "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Lee cut several other jumping rockabilly noels. Despite the melancholy title, this upbeat number still lifts spirits with its sleigh bells. It charted for one week.

Image: Decca / Discogs

9. George Jones & The Jones Boys - "My Mom and Santa Claus"

 

1965

Jimmy Boyd may have seen "Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," but George Jones saw much more. This country mom was dancing with Santa in her nightgown.

Image: United Artists / Discogs

10. Becky Lamb - "Little Becky's Christmas Wish"

 

1967

In perhaps the most depressing Christmas recording you'll ever hear, a little girl laments that her big brother won't be coming home for the holidays. He has died in Vietnam. The spoken word record sparked controversy, and stations banned it, which didn't prevent its climb to No. 2 on the Christmas chart.

Image: Warner Bros. / Discogs

11. Clarence Carter - "Back Door Santa"

 

1968

Most will recognize the sample used in Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis," but the original ditty deserves some love, too. Who says Christmas can't be funky? Certainly not our next artist…

Image: Atlantic / Discogs

12. James Brown - "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto"

 

1968

The Godfather reached No. 9 on the Christmas chart with his funky number. It charted again in '69… and in 1998. Danceable Xmas tracks are underrated.

Image: King / Discogs

SEE MORE: 14 STRANGE AND SINCERE CHRISTMAS ALBUMS BY TV STARS

 

It's just not Christmas without the Bonanza boys. READ MORE