The People Vs X-Factor: Five Christmas Number 1 campaigns including Stone Roses, My Chemical Romance & more...

It really must be Christmas. No, not because all the shops and streets by Q's office have got their decorations up (in truth they've probably been up since August), or because we've been sent three festive indie albums already.

No, the real reason we know it's time to get festive is because that age old (actually three years old) custom, still observed by many Brits, is already in full swing. Yep, you know it's Yuletide when there's at least five Facebook campaigns suggesting we all buy a classic track to stop the winner of this year's X-Factor from getting the Christmas Number 1.

After both Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley's versions of Hallelujah failed to beat Alexandra Burke's take on the song in 2008, Rage Against The Machine - and the team of fans who led the campaign - gave us a new hope in 2009 as Killing In The Name Of beat Joe McElderry to the festive summit of the charts. Last year however, the empire struck back as Matt Cardle was Number 1 with When We Collide, despite campaigns backing both Rihanna and Biffy Clyro - the latter with the original version of Cardle's track, Many Of Horror - in the charts.

Well it's the return of The People Versus X-Factor (sorry that's as much of the Star Wars reference we could reasonably shoehorn in) for 2011, and what odds an upset? Well it seems the campaigns are more splintered than ever which is not going to help, though with a couple of the bands being championed enjoying some big years indeed (despite neither of them really existing in 2011) there's a chance that the public could rally behind them. Here are Q's top five alternative Christmas Number 1 contenders:

The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection

Having sold 220,000 tickets in just 68 minutes for their Heaton Park shows next summer, clearly a lot of people are keen on Ian, Mani, Reni and John's reunion. Still everyone who's going to the Manchester gigs would have to download the song twice to beat Cardle's chart topping figure of 439,000 sales last year.
The Stone Roses Facebook campaign

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Having celebrated the 20th anniversary of Nevermind this year with a deluxe reissue, Nirvana fans have had the rare experience of buying records by the trio again. Will this training get them ready for Christmas? It's the most likely track to be the spiritual inheritor of the spirit of Rage's rebellion, but unlike the LA band there will be no offers of a free UK victory gig to seal the deal the week beforehand.
The Nirvana Facebook campaign

Beastie Boys - Sabotage

Ok it's a bit cheesy, we're sabotaging Simon Cowell (geddit?), but not only is it an amazing song, but we'd get to see Spike Jonze amazing cop video on Top Of The Pops on Christmas Day, which surely is reason enough to back this song?
The Beastie Boys Facebook campaign

My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade

Well if Gary Jules' cover of Mad World can be a Christmas Number 1 (this was before there was an X-Factor, pop archaeologists) why not this equally dark effort from Gerard Way and co? Admirably they also have a lot of very loyal and very dedicated fans (just ask the Daily Mail who they picketed in 2008 after the paper implied that the band and emo in general were linked with teen suicides - and worse accused them of been a goth subset ignoring their punk roots) so don't write them off.
The My Chemical Romance Facebook campaign

The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York

The Christmas song even people who hate Christmas like. There has been a campaign of sorts for The Pogues collaboration with Kirsty MacCol for the last two years, but it's lost out ot higher profile tracks. Could three times be the charm for the song with infamously was only ever a Christmas Number 2 on its release in 1987?
The Pogues Facebook campaign

Whether you're backing one of the above or can't wait for the winner of X-Factor, the chart battle commences on 19 December, and with the 25th being a Sunday, we'll find out this year's Christmas Number 1 on Christmas Day itself this year... Oh, and Here's a word from one of this year's judges, Gary Barlow:

11:03 AM | 08/11/2011

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Beastie Boys , My Chemical Romance , Nirvana , Stone Roses , The Pogues , X Factor

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