If, like me, you're the sort of person who goes into a homicidal rage every time you hear Paul McCartney's bloody-awful 'Wonderful Christmastime', you might be interested to hear that Christmas songs can have a marked effect on your driving.
In a survey of 1,000 motorists conducted by Halfords, nine out of ten drivers admitted that hearing Christmas tunes in their car affected their mood and behaviour behind the wheel.
Six out of ten drivers said that when a Christmas song they like comes on the radio they were more likely to show consideration for other road users and less likely to get irritated by other motorists.
Conversely, 17 per cent of motorists admitted that when Christmas music which they dislike is played, they become more irritated by the bad decisions of other road users and are less likely to be polite to other drivers.
Motorists were also asked which Christmas songs were most likely to irritate them behind the wheel, with Mariah Carey's festive warble-fest 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' topping the list of cringe-worthy Crimbo songs.
At the other end of the spectrum, Nat King Cole's 'The Christmas Song' was voted the best loved Christmas song.
Some songs evidently split opinion. Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' made the top ten list of the best and the worst Christmas songs.
Best loved Christmas songs
1. Nat King Cole - 'The Christmas Song'
2. Louis Armstrong - 'White Christmas'
3. The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl - 'Fairytale of New York'
4. Chris Rea - 'Driving Home for Christmas'
5. Bobby Helms - 'Jingle Bell Rock'
6. John Lennon and Yoko Ono - 'Happy Xmas (War is Over)'
7. Slade - 'Merry Xmas Everybody'
8. Bing Crosby - 'White Christmas'
9. Band Aid - 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'
10. Wizzard - 'I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday'
Most irritating Christmas songs
1. Mariah Carey -- 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'
2. Paul McCartney -- 'Wonderful Christmastime'
3. Jackson 5 - 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'
4. Barbara Streisand - 'Jingle Bells'
5. Band Aid - 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'
6. Wham - 'Last Christmas'
7. Elmo and Patsy - 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer'
8. Madonna - 'Santa Baby'
9. Wizzard - 'I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday'
10. Slade - 'Merry Xmas Everybody'
