Christmas Song Bracket Challenge

 And the winner of the 2023 Christmas Song Bracket Challenge is.... O Holy Night!! Not a particularly close final.  But this year's bracket had plenty of surprises and storylines, and now a new champion to cap it all off.  I think it was a great tournament. Thanks to all who participated, and I hope to see you all again next year.  Merry Christmas to everyone from Santa Fe!

Click here to vote in the Final Round We started just after Thanksgiving with 64 songs.  It has all come down to this.  This year's Final Four was summed up by one letter: O O snap!  O no you didn't!  OMG!  We have an All O Final! We also are guaranteed our first sacred song champion...cuz, y'know, "O Sleigh Ride" would be kinda weird. But now it's up to you!  One last matchup.  The O Bowl.  Help us crown the 2023 champion by voting one more time below. Click here to vote in the Final Round The final results will be announced on Christmas Eve.  Maybe we'll even do a live stream from Canyon Road or the Plaza.  Regardless...thank you all for participating and I hope you join us again next year for the 2024 edition.  

Click Here to vote in Round 5! We have reached the Final Four!  All the previous champions are OUT!  The fifth round is underway.  Click below to cast your vote  for the best Christmas song in each matchup! Help decide who will face off in the final round! This round will close on  Wednesday, December 20 at 8am EST .  Results will be announced shortly after, and the finalround will begin.   Please share this link and encourage others to do the same!!!   Interesting matchups in Round 5: Night of Nights :  Silent Night  vs. O Holy Night Sacred vs. Secular Part 3 : O Come O Come Emmanuel vs. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Click Here to Vote in Round 5

Round 4 is now closed!  Thanks to all who participated.  Round 5 will be open later today.   Ladies and gentlemen, we will have a new champion this year after all! Results and comments below! No surprise here, considering the strong Zinzinnati slant to the electorate. I personally found this to be a fascinating matchup, but it turns out it wasn't even close.   O Holy Night advances to the Final Four. This one was tied until late last night when someone realized they hadn't voted yet.   And no, it wasn't me.  Last year's champion is out! And the champion from 2020 is also eliminated! (sad horse sounds) Stay tuned for Round 5 later today!!!

  Click here to vote in Round 4 The fourth round is underway.  Click below to cast your vote  for the best Christmas song in each matchup! If you don't know one of the choices, we encourage you to look it up! This round will close on  Saturday, December 16 at 8am EST .  Results will be announced shortly after, and the new round will begin.   Please share this link and encourage others to do the same!!!   Interesting matchups in Round 4: Somnolence in 6/8 :  Silent Night  vs.  What Child is This Sacred vs. Secular Part 2 :  O Holy Night  vs.  Silver Bells Click here to vote in Round 4

 Round 3 is now closed!  Thanks to all who participated.  Round 4 will be open later today.   Things are getting serious now.  I have had multiple people tell me that this bracket is forcing them to make extremely difficult decisions.  As a reminder, this is for entertainment purposes only.  Please bracket responsibly. Results and comments below! Wow - another one-vote decision!  Greensleeves advances to the Elite Eight. Things are definitely mellow in this part of the bracket. Cha-ching!  And greed shall reign for ever and ever. Biggest margin of this round. It's beginning to look a lot like a repeat champion.  Can anyone damp the bells this year? Probably not the "O Come" that anyone expected to make it this far.  Rejoice! This was a lot closer than I expected.  I don't know what you hear, but I hear a possible Final Four matchup brewing between the two previous champions. But then again, "Have Yourself" is having itself a strong run. Can it stand in the w

Round 2 is now closed!  Thanks to all who participated.  Round 3 will be open later today.  Were there any upsets?  Who made the Sweet 16?  And since this is a music geek activity, shouldn't we call it the "Suite 16?" Results and comments below.  The lesson for this week is "Your vote matters."  Three matchups were decided by a single vote.   If you didn't vote this round, please jump in for Round 3! "Midnight Clear" is on a nice little Cinderella run. "Joy to the World" with yet another early exit.  Am I the only one surprised that this hymn hasn't made it further in these tournaments? Santa has left the building. "Sleigh Ride" with the statement win.  I am a little worried about this.  If the same song starts winning every year, the whole enterprise becomes a lot less interesting. You love to see it. Someone had to win. "Carol of the Bells" with the biggest margin of victory this round. (By the way, the correct a

 Click here to vote in Round 3 The third round is underway.  Click below to cast your vote  for the best Christmas song in each matchup! If you don't know one of the choices, we encourage you to look it up! This round will close on  Monday, December 11 at 8am EST .  Results will be announced shortly after, and the new round will begin.   Please share this link and encourage others to do the same!!!   Interesting matchups in Round 3: Clash of the Titans : Silent Night vs. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Sacred vs. Secular : Hallelujah Chorus  vs. Silver Bells Click here to vote in Round 3

The First Round is now closed!  Results and commentary are below.   But first, my yearly disclaimer:  I am an unabashed music snob.  I may trash-talk one of your favorites.  But this is all in good fun, so please fire back at me.  There's no banter like music geek banter.   Unfortunately my snarky comment game is a little off this morning, so apologies for some of the subpar content.  Hopefully I bring it stronger in Round 2. Speaking of which, Round 2 matchups will be posted soon!  Vote and share! "O Holy Night" crashed out early last year, losing to the eventual champion.  It's on a mission in 2023. Jaunty triumphs over mellow in a 6/8 showdown.  Greensleeves takes out the green grump.   Imagine being so confident as a songwriter that you fire out a new holiday tune and have the audacity to call it " The Christmas Song."  Come at me, all you OSU weirdos.   But still, better than thinking it's a good idea to play drums around a newborn.   There goes San