I had myself a swinging merry Christmas with best big band

These are the opening lines of The Christmas Song: "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

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Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. Folks dressed up like Eskimos." Sung by, no substitutes allowed, Nat King Cole.Walking in a Winter Wonderland, Doris Day version; Sleigh Ride, Ella Fitzgerald; Sinatra swinging Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; Dean Martin begging Let It Snow; Brenda Lee Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and, of course, Bing crooning White Christmas.

Now, that's what I call Christmas music.

Not The Darkness grinding out Christmas Time, Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews turning Baby, It's Cold Outside into a sleaze fest or pop princess Kylie doing YMCA-like actions to a song called Xmas - what's that? Like Slade, everyone knows it's Christmas.

Fairy Tale of New York, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day and their ilk are okay but...

I am sending good tidings to Sky Arts for screening A Swinging Christmas with the Len Phillips Swing Orchestra. It was a feast of festive favourites - of yesteryear - played and sung as they were intended.