Christmas songs are much more than background music for the holidays. Each song brings back childhood memories, when as blurry-eyed kids we’d pad down the hall in pajamas, hoping to find the Christmas tree lit up with the presents we dreamed about all season.

One may remind us of baking cookies with grandma and another might take us back to a simpler time when we could spend all day rolling the snow in our front yards into giant crooked snowmen. We each have our favorites, but what are the most popular Christmas songs in Utah?

With more than a million listeners during the holidays, FM100.3 radio in Salt Lake City has been taking yuletide song requests for decades. Here’s the top 10 Christmas songs according to Utah’s Official Christmas Music station.

1. “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole

Natalie Cole was 6 years old when she first sang on her father’s Christmas album. After Nat King Cole died, his Christmas hit was remastered adding his daughter’s voice, creating this beloved Christmas duet.

Although this rendition isn't with her late father, Natalie Cole performs this timeless piece with Andrea Bocelli in this video.

2. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby

Still listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the best selling single of all time, this hit is an all-time favorite of Utahns who look forward to snow covered Christmas mornings and white caps on the Wasatch Front.

3. “It’s Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas” by Johnny Mathis or Michael Buble

This 1950 classic is requested most often at the beginning of the holidays with two popular releases. Johnny Mathis’s for the holiday movie Home Alone 2 and Michael Buble’s off his best-selling album Christmas in 2011.

4. “Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow” by Dean Martin

This playful 1959 hit is Dean Martin’s most famous Christmas song. Though a favorite in Utah, the original song was written in Hollywood in the middle of a heat wave in 1945.

5. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry

Both kids and adults frequently call to request this song recorded by Gene Autry in 1949. Though the story of Rudolph first began as a children’s coloring book, it became the second biggest selling Christmas song of all time.

6. “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives

In 1964 the TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer featured famous actor Burl Ives singing this song as Sam the Snowman. It's still a family favorite.

7. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by Kurt Bestor

Utah has its own unique tradition when in the 1980s local composer Kurt Bestor began rearranging beloved Christmas songs and performing them in concert. His instrumental, New Age, and jazz arrangements featuring are radio favorites.

8. “Where Are You Christmas” by Faith Hill

In 2000, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" became a favorite family Christmas movie and its tender song "Where Are You Christmas" sung by Faith Hill rose to the top of radio charts. It’s message of finding the true meaning of Christmas resonates strongly with Utah listeners. 9. “Mary, Did You Know” by Pentatonix

Written in the 1990s, this newer holiday favorite has been recorded by Utah’s Donny Osmond, Kenny Rogers, Wynona Judd, Clay Aiken, and many others. But the 2014 recording by the a cappella group Pentatonix has swiftly replaced those as the most frequently requested.

10. “Angels From the Realms of Glory” by The Piano Guys, David Archuleta, Peter Hollens, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Originally recorded in 2014 as a music video featuring the world’s largest nativity scene in Provo, the audio of this song was released for free as part of the LDS Church’s #ShareTheGift campaign. Featuring The Piano Guys, David Archuleta, Peter Hollens and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, this powerful Christmas song is quickly became a new Utah favorite.

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