Eurovision's winter warmers

07 December 2016 at 18:00 CET
Agnete represented Norway in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest Andres Putting (EBU)
It is just a few weeks until Christmas and the cold winter weather and dark mornings and nights are creeping in. Whilst many enjoy cosy nights in during winter, others find it tough. For many Eurovision fans, the month of May seems like a long time away. Don't despair though, we've selected songs from the world of Eurovision which either have a winter or Christmas theme, the perfect winter warmers.

Sweden's entry in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest, En gÄng i Stockholm (Once Upon a Time in Stockholm) had a distinctly wintry theme. The song performed by Monica Zetterlund includes the lyrics, "now the first silent winter snow falls and summer is over".

Croatia's first ever entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was called Don't Ever Cry and was performed by the group Put. The entry in the 1993 contest almost resembled a Christmas carol and was a plea for peace set amidst the backdrop of war. The final lines of the song, "don't ever cry, my Croatian sky", captured the mood back home. 

Upon first hearing you might be forgiven for thinking that Take Me To Your Heaven is a Christmas song. The 1999 Eurovision Song Contest winner is reminiscent of many festive hits that receive airplay at this time of the year. Charlotte sang "I can feel your body next to mine, reaching for a kiss that keeps me, warm and tender". She returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 with Hero. She entered Melodifestivalen, the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and will participate again in 2017.  

Dima Bilan won the Eurovision Song Contest for Russia in 2008. Whilst his song, Believe, isn't exactly wintry, his performance does feature a mobile ice rink. Dima was joined on stage by figure skater Evgeni Plushenko.

On the subject of ice, Agnete represented Norway in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Icebreaker. In Stockholm earlier this year Agnete sang "I'll be your icebreaker, when you’re stuck in frozen water". In fact, the topic of Eurovision is often an icebreaker when it comes to conversations! 

Of course, mention of ice conjures up many images including... penguins! That the was subject of Luxembourg's entry in the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest. Papa Pingouin performed by Sophie & Magaly finished in ninth place but became a huge hit in France when it was covered in 2006.

Norway's winning song from 1995, Nocturne, performed by Secret Garden famously had only 24 words in the original Norwegian version. The final lines of the English translation of the classical piece reads "though darkness lay, it will give way, when the dark night delivers the day". 

Perhaps the most wintry and Christmassy song of our collection is Den Vilda, Sweden's entry in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. The song finished third on the night suggesting that the group, One More Time, had managed to melt even the coldest of hearts amongst the jurors.Â