'Worst' Christmas song is a real dog

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Two U.S. research companies created lists of Christmas songs ranging from favorites -- "White Christmas" -- to hated -- the dogs that bark out "Jingle Bells."

Edison Media Research and Pinnacle Media Worldwide used review panels comprised of representative samplings of radio listeners to create their lists, but the two companies' compilations of the most-hated songs only agreed on one tune -- "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," by Elmo and Patsy Shropshire, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Edison's list of the most-loathed seasonal songs also included "Jingle Bells" by Barbra Streisand, the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and a rendition of "O Holy Night" by Eric Cartman, an animated character on Comedy Central's "South Park."

The list named "Jingle Bells" by the Singing Dogs -- literally a group of dogs that bark the notes to the seasonal standard -- as the most-loathed of all Christmas songs.

Both companies also compiled lists of the most loved Christmas songs and both cited Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," and Burl Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas" as being among the cream of the Christmas carol crop.