Hey, KB:

That's an interesting question about Nat King Cole's Christmas song.
I don't think I have a trio version of it, although I have a ton of his trio recordings. You've got me wondering. I guess that I'll have to pull them out and see if I have it.

I also think that the first version of the song (even if it is far from the original) often ends up being the one we like most. I will forever love Lonnie Donnegan's Rock Island Line. On the whole, I think that I like Leadbelly's body of work better than Lonnie's (not that it makes any sense comparing them.) But, I must admit that I was very disappointed when I heard Leadbelly's recording of Rock Island Line.

Another great "definitive" version of a song, for me, is Chuck Miller's House of Blue Lights. This was mentioned in another thread, and someone else thought that Ella Mae Morse's version was the definitive one (I don't think they'd heard Chuck Miller's. Ella
Mae's Blacksmith Blues could probably never be improved upon, for my ears, but I don't think her version of House Of Blue Lights can touch Chuck Miller's.

And really, fellas.. and ladies! all that "definitive" means in my original question is which version is definitive for YOU. There are no absolutes when it comes to music. Just personal preferences...

Jerry