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Chart Watch Extra: Top Holiday Hits  
Mariah Carey's zesty "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has sold more copies than any other holiday song in digital history. The song has sold 1,794,000 downloads since she introduced it in 1994.

Nielsen SoundScan maintains a list of the 200 holiday songs that have sold the most digital copies. I have extracted the top 30 for today's blog. Trans-Siberian Orchestra is the only act with more than one song in the top 30. The ensemble has three: "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" at #3, "Christmas Canon" at #4 and "Wizards In Winter" at #20...  

http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/70333/chart-watch-extra-christmas-greatest-hits/ (http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/70333/chart-watch-extra-christmas-greatest-hits/) 

1. Mariah Carey, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," 1,794,000. Carey was 24 in 1994 when she introduced this song on her album Merry Christmas. A remix featuring Jermaine Dupri and Lil Bow Wow was released in 2000.

2. Alvin & the Chipmunks, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," 780,000. This novelty smash topped the Hot 100 for four weeks in 1958. It won Grammys for Best Comedy Performance and Best Recording for Children. In 1962, it was featured on the album Christmas With The Chipmunks. A new version from the 2007 animated movie Alvin And The Chipmunks gave the song new life. (See The Fine Print, below.)

3. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24")," 763,000. Savatage released this instrumental recording in 1995. The following year, Trans-Siberian Orchestra built an album (Christmas Eve And Other Stories) around the song and re-released the recording under its own name.

4. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, "Christmas Canon," 590,000. The ensemble introduced "Christmas Canon" on its 1998 album, The Christmas Attic. The song borrows the melody of Johann Pachelbel's "Canon In D Major." A rock version, dubbed "Christmas Canon Rock," appeared on its 2004 album The Lost Christmas Eve. (Nielsen/SoundScan's tally combines sales of the two versions.)

5. Brenda Lee, "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," 572,000. Lee was not quite 14 in 1958 when this song was released. It reached #14 in December 1960 and returned to the charts in each of the next two years. In 1964, it was featured on the album Merry Christmas From Brenda Lee. Alabama had a country hit with it in 1999.

6. Adam Sandler, "The Chanukah Song," 548,000. Sandler was 29 in 1995 when he introduced this good-natured song. It was a top 10 airplay hit that year. The following year, he attempted a brand extension with the moderately successful "The Thanksgiving Song."

7. Faith Hill, "Where Are You Christmas?," 535,000. Hill was 33 in 2000 when she sang this song on the soundtrack to Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Mariah Carey is credited with co-writing the song with James Horner and Will Jennings.

8. Jose Feliciano, "Feliz Navidad," 482,000. Feliciano was 25 in 1970 when he introduced this song. The song put a much-needed dash of spice in the holiday eggnog. Country star Clay Walker covered it in 2003.

9. Bobby Helms, "Jingle Bell Rock," 469,000. Helms was 22 in 1957 when he introduced this song. It reached #6 on the pop chart. The smash was featured in the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost In New York and in the 1996 movie Jingle All The Way, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. Helms died in 1997.

10. Bing Crosby, "White Christmas," 451,000. Crosby was 39 in 1942 when he introduced this song in the movie Holiday Inn. It brought Irving Berlin an Oscar for Best Song. Crosby's version logged a total of 14 weeks at #1 in the ‘40s. It was the key track on his 1945 album Merry Christmas, which was the first holiday album to hit #1. Crosby died in 1977... 

Neil Diamond covered the Chanukah Song on a recent Christmas Album he made.  I had forgot about the Adam Sandler connection so the song came across as obnoxious and completely ridiculous, but once I figured out the Sandler connection the song made a whole lot more sense.

He also had a 'Diamond Original' christmas song on it called 'Cherry Cherry Christmas' in which he talks about many heartfelt things, and then mentions how people like to sing his hits at christmas time.  Odd album...