On its first release in 1988, Driving Home For Christmas barely dented the UK chart at number 53, only to slightly better itself 19 years later in 2007 with a re-entry at 33. Despite this, no Christmas compilation worth its weight in salt grit should be without Chris Rea’s classic, which cunningly turns something as monotonous as “driving home” through “top-to-toe tail-lights” into a magical quest to “see those faces”. Ahhhh, bless.
"For me it's Chris Rea and 'Driving Home For Christmas'. It has a great Rhythm, some great piano and guitar work plus Chris's distinct rich voice, and it's one of those Christmas songs that is actually a real pleasure to listen to any time of the year." (Thanks, Midnightminstrel)