Pay close attention to Christmas songs being played on the radio and piped into stores (and do some further sleuthing) and you’ll realize that the vast majority were originally written and recorded during the first half of the last century. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” arrived in 1934, “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)” dates back to 1944, and that jolly happy soul, “Frosty The Snowman,” came to life in 1950.

Sure, the Sixties gave us “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” and the brilliant “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (both from 1963), but we’ve been subjected to diminishing returns ever since. I, for one, can’t stomach Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” or Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas.” And if measured by the number of times these two duds have been covered (not often), others share my sentiment.

Rather, a song penned by another, younger Brit stands out as a modern Christmas classic. “Last Christmas,” written by George Michael when he was in pop duo Wham!, was released in 1984. Though it received much airplay here, the song was never issued as a single in the States. It did do big business in Britain, where “Last Christmas” was only kept from reaching the top of the UK charts by charity single, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (which Wham! had also participated in).

Just a couple of days ago, the BBC reported that “Last Christmas” was the most played Christmas song of the past five years, providing evidence of the nearly 25-year-old tune’s staying power.

In 2006, Leigh Nash, lead singer of Sixpence None The Richer, released a holiday EP, Wishing For This. Surveying its seven tracks, Nash sure knows how to pick ’em. In addition to wrapping her winsome voice around Ron Sexsmith’s “Maybe This Christmas” and Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas,” the singer serves up “Last Christmas.” Hear here:

Amazon MP3 has a free download of Leigh Nash’s version of “Last Christmas.” Yep, this isn’t just a Sunday Cover Story, it’s a bit of O Christmas Free, too.

But wait, there’s more: George Michael is offering his own gift to fans this year. “December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas)” will be made available as a free download from his website and other online stores on Christmas Day. The new track (co-written with friend David Austin), premieres tomorrow and is the singer’s first festive original since “Last Christmas.”