Song #1 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

No better way to kick this off than with "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." I hate to break my rules on the first post, but this song really does have a number of iconic versions.

Classic Version: Originally written by Meredith Wilson in 1951, this Christmas classic was popularized by both Bing Crosby and Perry Como (feat. the Fontane Sisters) in the same year it was written.  In 1986, Johnny Mathis recorded a version for his Christmas album. After appearing in the 1992 film, Home Alone 2, Mathis' recording gained wild popularity and is still frequently played on the radio. If I had to pick a winner, I might say Bing, but there's something undeniably jolly about the Mathis version. (I've left Como's off here for the sake of brevity, but I highly suggest giving it a listen).

Bing Crosby

Johnny Mathis

Modern Version: I was worried that this might be an equally hard decision, but to my surprise, not many artists chose to cover It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. Fortunately, Michael Bublé (Bing Crosby Reincarnate) did cover this one and it's so well done that I'm comfortable saying it would've beaten the competition regardless. Here's a live version (YouTube uploads were not great quality), but be sure to check out of the actual recording on Spotify/GooglePlay/etc.

Now I know what you're thinking: "Isn't this just going to turn into a daily Bing Crosby/Michael Bublé song blog?" No. It wont. (Not that you wouldn't all enjoy it). But just as it makes sense to start off with It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, I think it makes sense to start off with two of the biggest powerhouses in holiday music.

Is there someone you think did it better? Any die-hard Como fans? That's what the survey is for; Vote now for your favorite!

Who did it best?

-Jesse