10 Christmas songs Germany can't get enough of

What is Germany's favorite Christmas song? The answer to that depends on whom you ask. According to the music-streaming service Spotify, the queen of the Yuletide season is demurely attired American songstress Mariah Carey. Her 1994 hit "All I Want For Christmas is You" tops the list of most-played holiday songs among Germans.

Coming in second on the Spotify list is a song that's unusual in a number of ways. "Holz" - or "Wood" - is the brainchild of German-language rap duo, the 257ers, from the city of Essen. The chorus runs "me and my wood ... wood, wood wood." No sexual innuendo there. The accompanying video has been viewed more than 3.6 million times on YouTube.

Of course, not everyone gets music via Spotify. According to a survey carried out by yougov.com, Germany's favorite Christmas carol is that old warhorse, "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht." English speakers know it as "Silent Night," but like "Holz," it's a German-language original, having made its debut in 1818 in Oberndorf, Austria.

The only song to make the top five on both the Spotify and yougov lists (number 3 and 2 respectively) is the George Michael-penned "Last Christmas" from 1984. The song was originally supposed to be called "Last Easter," but it was wisely renamed and released a bit earlier. Sadly, Michael died at the age of 53 late on Christmas Day 2016.

Another perennial German favorite is the 1895 carol "Leise rieselt der Schnee" (Softly Falls the Snow). It's one of many Yuletide songs to feature the Christkind, or Christ child. In parts of southern Germany and elsewhere, the Christ child plays the role of Santa Claus, visiting children and bringing them presents at Christmas.

Parked right behind "Leise rieselt der Schnee" on many German favorite lists is the Bing Crosby classic "White Christmas." In times of climate change, the lines "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas/Just like the ones I used to know" take on additional poignancy. Composer Irving Berlin allegedly considered it the best song written by anyone ever.

American singer Melanie Thronton is largely unknown in the US, but she had a string of minor hits in Europe as part of the Eurodance duo La Bouche in the 1990s. In Germany, she's best-loved for her 2001 song "Wonderful Dream (Holidays are Coming)," recorded for a Coca-Cola ad. But she didn't get to enjoy its success. She died in a plane crash in November that year.

Bells feature prominently in Christmas carols in many countries, but Germans seem to have a particular affinity for them. Among the traditional top ten are two bell songs: "Süsser die Glocken nie klingen" (Never have the bells rung sweeter") and "Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling" (Ring, little bell, dingalingaling). Perhaps an antidote to "Silent Night"?

Chris Rea is one of that breed of Anglo-American musicians who seem to strike a deeper chord in Germany than in their homelands. The Englishman's 1986 song "Driving Home for Christmas" was a minor hit in the UK, but it was number four on Spotify Germany this year. Of course, what the singer described as a "carol in a car" is natural for the land of the Autobahn.

Another German favorite is "O Tannenbaum," which is (mis-)translated as "O Christmas Tree." The original German lyrics from 1814 don't mention the holiday. Instead, the singer praises the evergreen tree (Tannenbaum) as a model for faithfulness the whole year round. Still, Germans still cite it as one of their favorite Christmas tunes, even if it's not really about Christmas at all.