No matter how many times we hear the songs of Christmas—those classic standards that seem to be in the collective consciousnesses of a good majority of Americans—we never seem to tire of Bing’s “White Christmas,” Andy’s “It’s a Wonderful Time of the Year,” and Frank’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

As Kevin Cuddihy and Phillip Metcalfe remark in “Christmas’s Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Kris Kringles, Merry Jingles and Holiday Cheer,” these songs “bring a special Christmas warmth to our hearts, a smile to our faces” and a desire to rush to the mall for one more CD.

With a wry sense of humor, the authors point out that Bing Crosby’s song “that put the notion in millions of heads that no Christmas is perfect unless there is a good foot of pristine snow on the ground” hit the top of the charts in 1942 and has been recorded by almost everyone since.

Andy Williams crooned “the hap-happiest of all” Christmas songs and recorded it in 1963. It’s performed so well that most others singers do not attempt to tackle “It’s a Wonderful Time of the Year,” say the authors. Written in 1944 as part of the score for the film, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” the wartime classic, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” was recorded by the Chairman of the Board in 1957.

Johnny Mathis included “Silver Bells” in his first Christmas album in 1958 and Tony Bennett recorded “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”—one of my favorites—in 1934. The authors speculate that the romantic song about snow and dreaming of getting married by Parson Brown may have begun the tradition of Christmas Eve engagements.

Because music is an integral part of the season, three libraries in the Springfield-Greene County Library District include holiday concerts as part of their programming.

The tradition continues at the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library where each year the Friends of the Library sponsor the Holiday Horns concert; this year, the Springfield Symphony’s Brass Quintet will perform on Wednesday [December 12] at 12:15 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room.

Next Sunday [December 16], Kathy Harrison and the Concert Bells from Evangel Temple will perform at 2 p.m. in the Frisco Room at the Library Station. Refreshments will be provided by Panera Bread. And, on Tuesday, December 18, the Classic Brass will perform at noon at the Brentwood Branch Library. All concerts are free and open to the public.

Jeanne C. Duffey, community relations director for the Springfield-Greene County Library District, can be reached at jeanned@thelibrary.org.