Tag Archives: christmas music

Christmas Playlist

5 Songs I am Singing, 6 Looking Back // Memories!, 7 Keep Christmas, 9 TV & Movies/Books & Entertainment, Stuff I Actually Think, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I tend toward the sentimental with Christmas music.  And I’m a little bit {more} country.  At Christmas.  For some odd reason.

  

But certain sings must have certain singers.

  • “Happy Holiday”s has to be Andy Williams.
  • “Winter Wonderland” belongs to Johnny Mathis.
  • “Drummer Boy” has to go to Bing, but Bing gets bunches of them (including “White Christmas” and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”) because I love him.  he is Mr Christmas!

  

Ellie invited me to do a Christmas music swap, my favorites for hers and I decided, though on different days I am in love with different moods and melodies of Christmas, to put together 12 songs that represented our family from 1981 to the present.  They include Bing, and there is Judy Garland singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” but I included Whitney Houston (“Joy to the World”) and Mariah Carey (“O Holy Night”).  Kenny Rogers got 2 selections (“Kids” and “Christmas is My Favorite Time of Year”) because his was the first cassette Christmas music tape we bought as a new family.  I did include Casting Crown’s updated version of “I heard the Bells” because Dave really likes it and of course, the collection would not be complete  with the Charlie Brown Christmas song, “Christmas Time is Here.”

  

I didn’t get ot include a lot of songs I love by Dolly Parton, Karen Carpenter or Elvis, Alabama, Amy Grant or the Partridge Family.  I just really love Christmas music and I have lots and lots of it representing the 1940s to the present.  They made thousands of recordings in the 50s, it seems and each year, a new song or two is added to my list Christmas songs I love…

  

And I am kinda in love with this duet, which is more about winter than Christmas, but don’t you just love Willie and Norah?  I do!  CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN*



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It WAS actually cold yesterday for about 17.238 minutes and we actually got at least 6.798 minutes of some sleety, snow-ish, rainy/gray/sky something or another before blue skies busted back out just before sundown.  I had inserted the word “finally” above the word “cold” but alas this morning, another sunny, temperate day and they are saying no snow for Christmas.  But I am sure we’ll have some for May Day.  Grrrrr…….

What are you singing these days?

*Willie Nelson & Norah Jones – Baby, It’s Cold Outside

21 Days ’til Christmas ~ Holidays are Joyful!

2 Mi Familia, 5 Songs I am Singing, 6 Looking Back // Memories!, 7 Keep Christmas, 9 TV & Movies/Books & Entertainment, Stuff I Actually Think, , , ,

“The lights on my tree, I wish you could see, I wish it everyday.”

I grew up with very traditional Christmas music.  The 1960’s were when you could purchase an LP for $1.98 at the supermarket full of all the classic songs like “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” and “A Few of My Favorite Things”  by various artists including Johnny Mathis or The Ray Conniff Singers.  Occasionally you’d buy an album by a stand-out like Bing Crosby.  I still treasure the 2 Christmas records I have by him.

“Merry Christmas, Darling,” by the Carpenters was my first sort of non-traditional Christmas pop-song.  I’d hold my dad’s little transistor radio (which I’d snuck from his second dresser drawer) to my ear, and, at barely 11, sing along with Karen, trying with all my heart to understand her longing.

Through the years more and more Christmas music has been added to the songs I love.  Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers have produced some great stuff.  Lee Greenwood sings a couple that always pierce my heart.  The Partridge Family album still makes me laugh and I even enjoy a Motown Christmas.  Harry Connick Jr. is great for seasonal cheery tunes as well as some sacred and I do love the 90’s Mariah Carey album.  And let’s not forget that Amy Grant, is a Christmas-music genius.

christmas-card-20081

Looking Back

But this year, I am feeling very traditional again.  I am reaching back to music I grew up with, the songs my mom played on the Hi-Fi during my early days.  I am less about the pop side of Christmas and anything that has been produced since 1970 and on, and sort of loving melodies that have been recorded so many times no one even remembers who did them first (like “Winter Wonderland”) and some that have been recorded a lot but the first recording is all that matters (like “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby).

The cool thing now is, of course, that “Merry Christmas, Darling” is a classic.  It IS one of the old tried and true songs of the season.  And now I understand the deep sentimentality.  For I wish, if I might “have the wish that I wish for tonight,” to gather everyone I love from near and far together during these long, dark winter nights to laugh and remember, to sing and make merry, to be close and bask in the 6-7000 lights on my tree.  And we could play Karen and sing…

That I wish you a Merry Christmas

Happy New Year, too

I’ve just one wish on this Christmas Eve

I wish I were with you, I wish I were with you. 

Bed space is limited here.  So if you are going to come and see me and make my wishes come true, please call in advance.

pictured: The Moslander family Christmas card, 1968.  Jeanie, Joey, Timmy, Tammy and Danny (Love love love to my siblings!  Please note: I was reading from The Children’s Book of Knowledge – which is why you are all so successful and smart.  You may thank me with a very nice Christmas gift.)

…and some mistletoe

3 Celebrations & Festive Events, 5 Songs I am Singing, 7 Keep Christmas, Stuff I Actually Think, , ,

starbucks chrstmas 2006

In my last post I blathered about the sacred songs of Christmas (which I L O V E !). I thought of another I love singing. It isn’t sacred, but it is classic (hey, I am spirit and soul!). This one says:

“Everybody knows a turkey…”

Sure, I know a turkey.  I know several.  I bet you do, too.  But it’s Christmas, so let’s just let them be.  Let’s let them be who they are and just try to have some peace on earth and goodwill towards men (and turkeys).

AND – guess what!??  Just as I was preparing to post my last entry (“Let heavan and Nature Sing), my daughter, Stephanie, brought me a nice, hot Starbuck’s coffee.  And can you believe what I read on the cup?  It seems Starbucks and I are on the same page about this Christmas singing.  Really the only difference between me and Starbucks is a few billion dollars, but, you know, other than that…

Here is what the cup actually said:

“Singing solo on busy streets attracts a few strange looks.  Join a group and suddenly harmonies tour the neighborhood, playing to packed houses nightly.”

How can you beat coffee house wisdom?

Blessings, Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Perhaps gathering a few friends and my very talented family and singing in a group for Christmas would be fun.  We could call it “Christmas caroling!” Novel, eh? ;)

Let heaven and nature sing

3 Celebrations & Festive Events, 5 Songs I am Singing, 6 Looking Back // Memories!, 7 Keep Christmas, Stuff I Actually Think, , ,

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One of my favorite things about the Christmas season when I was a child was sitting in a dim room with only the lights of the tree twinkling and I’d sing all the Christmas carols I knew.  I had no idea at the time that I wasn’t just singing songs about the Christmas season, but I was actually being impacted with spiritual truth about God’s great gift to us.

While my own kids were growing up, even though it could be challenging to get a spare moment, I would still find an evening or two to myself to do the same. It was good to find peace during the season’s rush, in a light-quiet room, to sing truth, to just sing myself into joy.

These days you could do brain surgery from the glow of our 12-foot tree, due to the 6000 lights Dave loves to add. But stealing time to sit there and sing is a priority for my Christmas joy-quest.  I love Christmas carols!

This past weekend as I waited in line for some hot chocolate and caramel corn in a tiny and extremely crowded establishment full of holiday shoppers, an older gentleman behind the counter was singing his head off.  No piped music for him.  He just reared back and proclaimed, “Silent night, holy night…,” and then, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come...”

How unusual, how risky and politically incorrect in these days, and yet, not one person there seemed offended or got out of the very long line to leave the store.  Because it was “Christmas music,” it was OK.  How cool is that?  Even if they have never heard those songs before (and I bet they have), seeds were sown that afternoon into shopper’s hearts.  And as year follows year and season follows season and they hear them again and again, that beautiful truth will continue to be declared as an inescapable testimony (no matter how far they may be from Christ) – those seeds remain, ready to spring up!

I love Christmas carols!

In the Old Testament God told Moses, “Now write down this song and teach it.”  So Moses recorded a very lengthy song God gave to him and he taught it to the Israelite people.  They sang it.  Moses instructed the people to take all the words of the song to heart saying,

“These are not just idle words, these are your life.”

God knew and Moses knew that a song can impact your heart and memory like nothing else can. When you consider some of the rich, spiritual truths found in Christmas carols (and I sing them a lot, so I have!),  you can see that the joyous messages contained in them are life-giving.  Consider these incredible truths. Better yet- sing them:

“Son of God, love’s pure light”  Jesus is the light of the world.

“Let every heart, prepare Him room”

“God is not dead, nor does He sleep” Bing Crosby does a great job of declaring this important message.

“Born that men no more may die”

“O, come let us adore Him” What an invitation to personal worship.

“God rest ye…let nothing you dismay”  Because Jesus was born, we get rest, rest! “…to save us all from Satan’s power.”  Sin’s terrible grip is broken, rest.  “O, tidings of comfort and joy…,” rest.

And who hasn’t heard Mariah Carey on KOSI 101 belting out, “And in His Name, all oppression shall cease!” ?  

Right now, for these brief few days, we don’t have to feel sheepish or guilty about what Christmas has become, but we can be the most joyous celebrants around.

I think we should all stand in shopping lines and sing Christmas carols and make people smile…or think we’re weird, but at least plant the seeds of truth in a song that will stay in their heads.

Do it.  Sing a carol in a music-less place. I will if you will!  Let me know how it goes!!!

Blessings, Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Go sit by the Christmas tree.  Remember the gift God hung on a tree 2000 years ago while anticipating the gifts under my tree we will share in a few days.  Sing with uproarious joy.  Sing!