11. Donna Summer, “Christmas is Here”/”Christmas Spirit”

I feel Donna Summer’s spirit strongly at holiday time owing to her sublime Christmas Spirit holiday collection. Released in 1994, the album is a joyful combination of new and old, secular and non-secular, it contains three original songs—all quite wonderful. Of course, her singing is a revelation on this album. I couldn’t decide between the soulful mid-tempo ballad “Christmas Spirit“ or the uptempo and uplifting “Christmas is Here,” so I offer them both.

The latter song was co-written by Donna, husband Bruce Sudano, and the album’s producer, frequent collaborator Michael Omartian (“She Works Hard For The Money”). Donna was not only one of the great all-time singers, but also a first-class songwriter—she co-wrote almost all her classic hits—and the delightful “Christmas is Here” is as good an example as any of her writing prowess. How can anyone resist a song that changes tempo so many times?

“Christmas is Here”