It is coming up to that time of year again, when all we hear for a couple of months are the musical festive offerings of popstars throughout the years. Bringing back memories of childhood Christmas family gatherings, school Christmas discos and work Christmas parties (some which we might rather forget!) – what are the ingredients for a successful Christmas hit?

Jingling Bells – Ah yes a classic – the jingling bells let the listener know (in case you were in any doubt!) that this song is definitely a Christmas song!

A Christmas Video – This is a must! The more snow filled the better of course, but you also get points for snazzy Christmas knitwear, appearances from Santa himself, and reunited lovers! If you are thinking of making your own festive scene, of course you must remember the Christmas Tree! You can get in Leicester real Christmas Trees from Welford Christmas Tree farm – the tree decorating scene is a popular choice in festive videos! Shakin’ Stevens really goes for it in his video, for ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’ – a full festive video in Santa’s workshop complete with inflatable snowman – he shows you how it’s done!

A Novelty Character – The less traditional route but a proven Christmas favourite, the novelty single really comes into its own at Christmas! Mr Blobby, the Teletubbies and Bob the Builder to name but a few will certainly agree, much to the delight of school children everywhere, and the dismay of parents!

An X-Factor Win -In recent years, this has been the best way to get yourself a Christmas hit – and you don’t even need to make the song remotely festive! Or even make the song up yourself actually!

A Choir – Back down the traditional route, a choir lets everybody know that you are festive and you mean business! A choir full of children adds extra points for cuteness! Festive musical mastermind Cliff Richard uses this one in his Mistletoe and Wine video!

A Charity Single – Not only festive, but also with the festive spirit in mind, the charity Christmas song is a popular choice – of course the most famous (and still the best) has to be Band Aid, led by Sir Bob Geldof in 1984, with Do They Know it’s Christmas.