“I love the version by Charles Brown. He’s got that lyric “I’m all lit up like a Christmas tree” – that line alone practically makes this my favorite Christmas song.

“To me, a truly great Christmas song should have a bit of a dark edge to it. Merry Christmas, Baby has sensuality, it’s fun, and it's kind of sly. It’s definitely not typical.

“Songs like Frosty The Snowman are creepy. Think about it: It’s about a snowman that comes to life. That's really creepy. Can you imagine coming home and having to call your parents? ‘Uh, Dad…This snowman outside is talking to me. He’s got a carrot for a nose, some button eyes, and he’s walking all around.’ Your dad would be like, ‘Yeah, right.’

Just as an aside, there was always something fascinating to me about Christmas songs. By and large, there were recorded during the summer months. All these studio people in California had to come in from the hot sun and make believe it was Christmas.”

Listen: Merry Christmas, Baby - Charles Brown