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There's no shortage of Christmas music this year. I don't know about DirectTV or cable providers, but Dish has a wide variety 24 hours a day: Latino Navidad Soulful Holiday Ultra Hip Holiday Holiday Traditions Classical Holiday Country Holiday Holiday Instrumentals The Christmas Message Holiday Remix
I distinguish between a Christmas Carol and a Christmas song. A Christmas Carol has something to do with the birth of the Saviour and a Christmas song with some other aspect of the holiday. Using that criteria my favorite carol is "What Child Is This", my favorite song "Silver Bells" Of course, each year I want to hear, at least once, those classics Dogs barking "Jingle Bells" and "Grandma Got Runover By A Reindeer" What's your favorites?
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The LM family loves Christmas parodies. A tradition as important as setting up the tree, is breaking out my old Dr. Demento Christmas tapes from the '80's and playing them a million times throughout December. Wreck the Halls, Tom Lehrer's great montage, Christmas is Revolting and So Are The Elves, 3 Stooges Christmas Story, Yogi Yorgenson, Umpteen parodies of the 12 Days of Christmas, good stuff!
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This is becoming an exciting Christmas season for me as I serve in my new calling of ward choir director (after much fear and trepidation at the start, I'm LOVING it). I'm really excited to get to be leading a favorite John Rutter piece, "Angels' Carol." I would be hard hard pressed to come up with a favorite Christmas carol or song, as my mp3 player would attest with its 23.6 hours of Christmas-only music loaded, most of which is carols, sprinkled with a few songs.
So, I'll start with songs: You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch Here Comes Mr. Humbug (Muppet's Christmas Carol... ok, I like lots from that soundtrack) Christmastime is Here (Charlie Brown Christmas)
Carols: What Sweeter Music Betelehemu Were you there?
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What Child is This and O Holy Night and We Three Kings and Bring the Torch and Little Drummer Boy and ...and I said the donkey and
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Let it Snow and Jolly Old St Nickolaus and Winter Wonderland and...oh well, I love Christmas music.
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Carol/Hymns: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day O Come, O Come, Emmanuel O Holy Night Silent Night
Songs: Christmas in the Trenches - by John McCutcheon It's Hard to be a Nissemand - by De Nattegale (the best mix of Danish and English ever) Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt (NOT the Madonna version - only Eartha Kitt will do)
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Well I marvel at how simply the basics of the gospel are taught in so few words in "Hark The Herald Angels Sing," and the melody drives the points home, so that is my favorite, when two verses are included.
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My favorite song is "Christmas Shoes". Just kidding.
I really can't single out one carol or one song. Here are some of the Christ-based songs I love: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, O Come O Come Emmanuel, What Child is This?, Hark the Herald Angels Sing. And songs I love include: I'll Be Home for Christmas, The Christmas Song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Christmas For Cowboys, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Winter Wonderland.
I also like the comedy routine by Cheech and Chong: "Santa Claus and His Old Lady"--the only reason I include it here is because when I was a kid they used to play this on the radio amongst all the songs they were playing.
Round and round the Christmas tree Presents hanging there for you and me, Lights all shining merrily Christmas a week away
Lights all shining merrily Christmas a week away La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Wishing, hoping, boxes to open But we agree it's right to wait Turkey and dressing, after the blessing And there's just a night to wait
Round and round the Christmas tree Opening presents with the family One for you and two for me Oh what a Christmas Day Oh what a Christmas Day Oh what a Christmas Day Oh what a Christmas Day Oh what a Christmas Day
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We're singing this one the Sunday before Christmas. Eight voices, two people on piano. That is all.
Josh Groban's rendition of "O Holy Night" is the closest I've come to having a spiritual experience listening to the radio in my car. I am also partial to The Lettermen's version, too, as that's what I grew up listening to.
I love novelty Christmas songs, too. Bob & Doug's 12 Days of Christmas, and Allan Sherman's "Twelve Gifts of Christmas" ("a statue of a lady with a clock where her stoooomach ought to beeeeee") rank up there. CrowMan is not a big fan, so I must listen surreptitiously.
I have a Christmas album by the Letterman. I don't have any way to play it, but I have it.They were one of my favorite groups and I attended two of their concerts in my younger days.
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You know, I wasn't going to even post in this thread, because trying to decide Christmas favorites? Oy, can't do that. I can't even decide what my favorite Christmas ALBUMS are.
So how about something I've just added to my gigantic list of loved Christmas music?
One of the songs our choir is singing for Christmas is a new setting for "See, Amid the Winter's Snow" by Chemain Evans, who is very quickly becoming my favorite new LDS composer for choral pieces. (Tendril, I'm also a choir director right now. We should seriously share notes.)
The chorus of "See Amid the Winter's Snow", which I understand is an old English carol, is one of the most poetic things I've ever heard:
Hail thou ever blessed morn Hail redemption's happy dawn Sing through all Jerusalem Christ is born in Bethlehem
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Of course this discussion could not be complete without mention of Tom Leherer's A Christmas Carol.
A lot of songs that people think of as Christmas songs have nothing at all to do with Christmas (e.g., Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Winter Wonderland).
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"Angels we have heard on high...tell us to go out and BUY."
On that tune, can't forget Stan Freberg's "Green Christmas:" "Five tubeless tires, ... And some hair tonic on a pear tree."
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quote: A lot of songs that people think of as Christmas songs have nothing at all to do with Christmas (e.g., Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, Winter Wonderland).
I heard a selection from Barbara Streisand's Christmas album the other day, where she sang "My Favorite Things." Now that is a stretch, although sleigh bells, snowflakes, winters, paper packages tied up with string, and apple strudel were mentioned. I guess those things make it a Christmas song.
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"My Favorite Things" was kind of strange on that album, IMHO. I guess it's a Christmas song in the sense that "Hey, I get whole bunch of plastic junk on Christmas morning."
My favorite Christmas songs (or whatever) are:
"O Holy Night" (by Aaron Neville, preferrably)
and a "Christmas song" that really isn't:
"Song For A Winter's Night" (Only the Gordon Lightfoot version as all other versions are abominations)
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I'm with Shane on "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" as my favorite Christmas hymn. I've loved that song since my sojourn as an Episcopalian.
For Christmas popular music, I do love Aaron Neville's "Please Come Home for Christmas", pretty much any Christmas music by Michael Buble or Harry Connick, Jr. Then we get into instrumentals. The TSO and Mannheim Steamroller get a lot of playtime at my house.
quote: "My Favorite Things" was kind of strange on that album, IMHO. I guess it's a Christmas song in the sense that "Hey, I get whole bunch of plastic junk on Christmas morning."
Or perhaps it is because Sound of Music seemed to be shown on television around Christmas time, back in the pre-cable days. First time I watched that movie I was very upset, as the family chose to watch it instead of "Rudolf." My five-year-old dissenting vote was over-ridden. Now it is one of my favorites.
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One of the comforting things about living this side of the Atlantic is that we have no fauna that tries to kill us, the weather is relatively benign and I have no idea what Rayb's song sounds like because I have never heard it. Anyone wishing to apply for citizenship, form an orderly queue.
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RAYB! You called my radio station and asked that song be played, didn't you? O cursed tune!!!!
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Considering that I usually listen to NPR on the radio, I can't say that I've ever heard "The Chistmas Shoes", but based on the descriptions here it sounds like that sappy, pop garbage that nauseates all sane people.
In any case, back the original subject. CM's classification between Christma Carol and Christmas Song is a bit too broad. So I will present my favorites with a bit more specific catagorization.
Classic religious carols: The Holly & the Ivy, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day & Silent Night
Classic cultural carols: Good King Wenceslas, I Saw Three Ships and Fum, Fum, Fum
Gospel carols: Go Tell It on the Mountain & Rise Up Shepherds and Follow
Golden era songs: The Christmas Song, Santa Baby & White Chistmas
Contempory songs: Christmas Wrap, She Won't Be Home & Wonderful Christmas Time
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I just thought of this today: there is a song with a growly voice man singing"Driving Home For Christmas" that makes me homesick. I like it even though it is sentimental. Probably the growly truck driver singing it.
edited to add: Chris Rea
[ December 01, 2010, 03:13 PM: Message edited by: jana at jade house ]
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Good King Wenseslas (sp?) Some Children See Him Were You There on that Christmas Night? Celebrate Me Home Away in A Manger
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I like it even though it is sentimental. Probably the growly truck driver singing it.
