It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
'Tis the season for Christmas carols (which we refuse to listen to until after Thanksgiving). I finally loaded all of our old Christmas CDs into iTunes so we don't have to take them out of the attic every year, and it got me thinking about what my essential Christmas music would be. Nothing too exciting, but these would probably be my top ten choices (in alphabetical order):
"Do They Know It's Christmas" (Band Aid) - I generally don't go for the modern stuff (for example, hearing Wham!'s "Last Christmas" makes me want to tear my hair out and smash the radio to pieces), but this gem came out my first year of college and features a bunch of musicians I was actually listening to at the time (as frightening as that might be in retrospect). The video is one big New Wave flashback. And it was for a good cause, even if some of the premise is laughable (they might not know it's Christmas because, well, they might not actually be Christian, and of course there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime). But I can't hear it without wanting to sing along, and I make no apologies about that.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" - I'm not sure if this can be considered a classic since it was written in the 1960s, but I guess something about the music and the lyrics just grabs me.
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - This one makes me think of being at late-night Christmas Eve church services. Very uplifting.
"Joy to the World" - Same as previous. It's a good one for someone (like myself) who has an atrocious voice, because you can either belt it out and not feel too awkward about it, or you can just mouth it (my usual option) and no one else will notice you're not singing because they're belting it out.
"Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" (Bing Crosby & David Bowie) - I can't imagine what someone was smoking when they thought of getting together Ziggy Stardust and Der Bingle, but against all odds the combination works. The other day I had Mädchen saying "rum-pum-pum" and pounding on a chair cushion like she was playing a drum.
"Messiah" (Handel) - OK, this is probably cheating because it isn't a Christmas carol (in Europe I think it's more commonly played around Easter), and it's a whole oratorio rather than an individual piece, but I can't choose just one part (or at least not just one chorus...some of the solos don't do much for me). We very seldom go to orchestral performances, but I've seen "Messiah" performed three times and got chills each time. Also, when Gretchen was pregnant with Mädchen (and feeling just a bit hormonal) we were listening to it before Christmas and she burst into tears when "For Unto Us a Child is Born" came on.
"O Come All Ye Faithful" - This is part of the triumvirate with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Joy to the World" that have to be part of Christmas Eve services. I'd have to give serious thought to just going home if I got to service and saw in the bulletin that any of these three weren't going to be sung.
"O Holy Night" - We were just talking about this tonight, and Gretchen said she used to play it on the piano when she was growing up. I'm not sure I would have called it one of my favorites (I originally had "Away in a Manger" on the list instead), but having listened to it a couple of times I've realized it really is one of my favorites.
"Once In Royal David's City" - I'm not sure I was even aware of this one until about five years ago. We attended a candlelight choral performance at the Kennedy Center, and when the lights went down a soloist sang the first verse, with the rest of the choir entering down the aisles by candlelight while singing the rest. Stunning. I think it might be more popular in Britain, which is a pity for us.
"Silent Night" - Growing up, every Christmas Eve we would drive a couple of hours up to my grandparents' house to spend the afternoon/evening with my Mom's family. After lots of eating, playing with cousins, and opening presents, we'd pile back in the car for the drive back to San Diego. We'd listen to one of the local AM stations that played Christmas carols (and that would also broadcast Santa "sightings," which kept us occupied scanning the skies for his sled and/or Rudolph's red nose). Inevitably, not long after getting in the car they would play "Silent Night," and a part of me will probably always associate it with sitting in the back seat of the car in the dark, looking out over the ocean on the quiet drive down the coast, wondering what Santa was going to bring me.
(Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" just missed the cut.)
What are your favorites?
"Do They Know It's Christmas" (Band Aid) - I generally don't go for the modern stuff (for example, hearing Wham!'s "Last Christmas" makes me want to tear my hair out and smash the radio to pieces), but this gem came out my first year of college and features a bunch of musicians I was actually listening to at the time (as frightening as that might be in retrospect). The video is one big New Wave flashback. And it was for a good cause, even if some of the premise is laughable (they might not know it's Christmas because, well, they might not actually be Christian, and of course there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime). But I can't hear it without wanting to sing along, and I make no apologies about that.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" - I'm not sure if this can be considered a classic since it was written in the 1960s, but I guess something about the music and the lyrics just grabs me.
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - This one makes me think of being at late-night Christmas Eve church services. Very uplifting.
"Joy to the World" - Same as previous. It's a good one for someone (like myself) who has an atrocious voice, because you can either belt it out and not feel too awkward about it, or you can just mouth it (my usual option) and no one else will notice you're not singing because they're belting it out.
"Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" (Bing Crosby & David Bowie) - I can't imagine what someone was smoking when they thought of getting together Ziggy Stardust and Der Bingle, but against all odds the combination works. The other day I had Mädchen saying "rum-pum-pum" and pounding on a chair cushion like she was playing a drum.
"Messiah" (Handel) - OK, this is probably cheating because it isn't a Christmas carol (in Europe I think it's more commonly played around Easter), and it's a whole oratorio rather than an individual piece, but I can't choose just one part (or at least not just one chorus...some of the solos don't do much for me). We very seldom go to orchestral performances, but I've seen "Messiah" performed three times and got chills each time. Also, when Gretchen was pregnant with Mädchen (and feeling just a bit hormonal) we were listening to it before Christmas and she burst into tears when "For Unto Us a Child is Born" came on.
"O Come All Ye Faithful" - This is part of the triumvirate with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "Joy to the World" that have to be part of Christmas Eve services. I'd have to give serious thought to just going home if I got to service and saw in the bulletin that any of these three weren't going to be sung.
"O Holy Night" - We were just talking about this tonight, and Gretchen said she used to play it on the piano when she was growing up. I'm not sure I would have called it one of my favorites (I originally had "Away in a Manger" on the list instead), but having listened to it a couple of times I've realized it really is one of my favorites.
"Once In Royal David's City" - I'm not sure I was even aware of this one until about five years ago. We attended a candlelight choral performance at the Kennedy Center, and when the lights went down a soloist sang the first verse, with the rest of the choir entering down the aisles by candlelight while singing the rest. Stunning. I think it might be more popular in Britain, which is a pity for us.
"Silent Night" - Growing up, every Christmas Eve we would drive a couple of hours up to my grandparents' house to spend the afternoon/evening with my Mom's family. After lots of eating, playing with cousins, and opening presents, we'd pile back in the car for the drive back to San Diego. We'd listen to one of the local AM stations that played Christmas carols (and that would also broadcast Santa "sightings," which kept us occupied scanning the skies for his sled and/or Rudolph's red nose). Inevitably, not long after getting in the car they would play "Silent Night," and a part of me will probably always associate it with sitting in the back seat of the car in the dark, looking out over the ocean on the quiet drive down the coast, wondering what Santa was going to bring me.
(Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" just missed the cut.)
What are your favorites?
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