Christmas is coming!
Did you know? It is! And I’m excited.
A couple of my friends have posted recently about Christmas songs, and I thought I’d be a copycat. I love Christmas songs. I grew up with a Daddy who loved them so much that my mom had to put a rule in place that he couldn’t start playing them until July 1- there is no such rule in my home, although I don’t play them constantly all year round. I do, however, have a playlist of over 100 Christmas songs, so you could say I’m dedicated. Songs about Christ’s birth are obviously high on the list, it’s the whole reason for Christmas- and I could listen to them all year round, but there’s plenty of just plain Christmas songs that I love too, and, if I’m honest, I listen to them pretty often too.
I thought I’d share some of my favorite Christmas songs, for your edification, although I have the sneaking suspicion that I’ve done this before, perhaps last year. If I did, don’t tell me, I’m too lazy to look it up, and pointing out other people’s mistakes is rude.
My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night. I’m pretty ok with any version of it, but if it’s sung by someone who can actually pull off the high notes, all the better. My favorite version is Josh Groban’s (his new Christmas album is awesome- although O Holy Night isn’t on it), but Christina Aguilera’s is pretty good too. If she’d just stuck to the straight singing and didn’t throw in her trills it would have been much better. I also really love Tracy Chapman’s version- she deals with the high notes by changing the melody, and it’s really beautiful.
For pure listening pleasure, I go to Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by U2- Bono just belts and the music is awesome and it makes me happy.
Christmas by Blues Traveler is another feel good song, I mean, how can you not love this sentiment:
” As if a cold and frozen soul is warmed to love
By love’s own hand
So goes the prayer, if for a day peace on earth
And good will to man
At twenty below the winter storm it billows
But the fire is so warm inside
And the children while nestled in their pillows
Dream of St. Nicholas’s ride
And how the next day
they’ll get up and they will play
In the still falling Christmas snow
And together we’ll celebrate forever
In defiance of the winds that blow
My God in heaven,
now I feel like I’m seven
And spirit calls to me as well”
Ah, I love it.
Low’s Christmas album is one of my favorites for quiet, lovely Christmas music. I highly recommend it, although I realize it’s not on my computer at the moment. I need to find that CD! On the other hand, Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Boogie Woogie Christmas is my favorite for totally raucous Christmas songs to dance to.
I was going to write something about how I think my love of non-Christ centered Christmas songs has something to do with my love of pop music and how both transcend culture and language and any one can sing them, but that’s about as far as I’m going with it in my head, so there you go.
What are your favorite Christmas songs?
From one Beatles fan to another, I might recommend checking out “Beatmas” by Rubber Band. It’s an album where Christmas songs are backed by familiar Beatles riffs. My favorites are “White Christmas” in the style of “Ticket to Ride” and “Rudoplph” in the style of “Taxman.” Fun for a laugh.