It’s time for Christmas music!!! Settle in with some cocoa and enjoy some of my favorites!
When I was younger, a friend of Mom’s gave us a set of cassettes (yes, cassettes) with classic crooners caroling. So some of my favorites are oldies that don’t get nearly enough play on the radio.
Direct link for the feed readers: Christmas in Killearney, Bing Crosby
Direct link for the feed readers: The Holly and the Ivy, King’s College Cambridge
And then there’s this combination of a carol I care little for (Little Drummer Boy) much improved by a counterpoint (Peace on Earth)
Direct link for the feed readers: Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth, Bing Crosby and David Bowie
The story goes that David Bowie wasn’t a big fan of Little Drummer Boy, either, and pretty much refused to sing it with Bing. Instead, he and a couple of others wrote Peace on Earth just to keep the show going as planned.
Back in middle school we’d put on join band and chorus concerts for winter and spring performances and one of my favorite pieces to play was Pat a Pan.
Direct link for the feed readers: Pat a Pan, Julie Andrews
Of all the classic carols, though, Carol of the Bells has to be my all-time favorite.
Direct link for the feed readers: Carol of the Bells, Mormon Tabernacle Choir
So I managed to get more than halfway through this list without mentioning Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and that was tough. I could fill this list with three of their albums and have plenty of songs left over. Two of my favorites are Old City Bar (never fails to bring a tear to my eye) and Christmas Canon Rock (an edited version of which we used in our wedding).
Direct link for the feed readers: Old City Bar, Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Direct link for the feed readers: Christmas Canon Rock, Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Did anyone else’s parents love the PBS pledge drive programming during the holidays? Mom was a big fan of Peter, Paul, and Mary and so when they’d play their holiday concert it was required watching in our house. What I liked most about it was not the Christmas songs, but the Hannukah songs, many of which were written by Peter and Paul.
Direct link for the feed readers: Light One Candle, Peter, Paul and Mary
And, finally, this PP&M song that always struck me as a but on the mystical side for my Baptist upbringing, but it was so pretty to listen to and is one of my favorites to sing in the car.
Direct link for the feed readers: Cherry Tree Carol, Peter, Paul and Mary