Favorite Christmas Music

Being as how I've been called a Christmas music connoisseur (thanks Deneal and Desta), I thought I would share with you my favorites of Christmastime.

• Favorite Christmas songs of all time: O Holy Night and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. My favorite versions are O Holy Night by Josh Groban (which, ironically, isn't on his Christmas album. You can purchase it on iTunes under Josh Groban in Concert) and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Linda Ronstadt (also on iTunes). I like hers because she sings it like it is supposed to be sung: without bells and whistles. It's like she is a female monk chanting the song just how it should be sung.


• Ethan's favorite Christmas song: We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Raffi. If you have kids around 4-5 years old, this is the coolest song in the world to download because the second verse goes like this: we fish you a hairy Christmoose and a hippo new year. He laughs hysterically every time he hears it.


• Favorite album from the good ole days (what my parents had when I was growing up): Anne Murray, Christmas with Anne Murray. It brings back good memories. And, as a side note, my least favorite song growing up was Barbra Streisand's Jingle Bells (jinglebellsjinglebellsjinglealltheway) -- too fast and out of control for me growing up, but these days when I listen to it I have fond memories. As a side note, I'm not a connoisseur of Christmas music from the days of yore (well, almost the days of yore), like Burl Ives, Perry Como and Bing Crosby. For some reason, I can't get into that kind of Christmas music. (Even though I own 3 cds with their music!)


• Favorite song that has nothing to do with Christmas: Song for a Winter's Night by Sarah McLachlan. She is my favorite artist of all time, and this song is just beautiful (also available on iTunes, Deneal). I also really like These are the Special Times by Celine Dion.


• Christmas album that I was surprised that I liked so much: Tony Bennett's Snowfall. It's jazzy Christmas music, and I really like it.


• Favorite Christmas album of all time: Jingles by Voice Male. Voice Male is an a capella group from Logan, Utah (which, even though I am from there, has nothing to do with why I like this album so much) and the entire album uses only voices. But what they can do with their voices is amazing! There are two tracks on the album that are them talking (saying poems, more specifically) at live concerts that, after you have heard them the first time, you can do without. But besides those two tracks, the rest of the cd is incredible. And their Jingles 2 is close behind. They aren't available on iTunes, unfortunately. But they are definitely worth searching out.


• Other ones I really like: Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong, Celine Dion's These are the Special Times, Tony Bennett's Snowfall, Kenny G's Miracles, and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite. (I think all of those are on iTunes.)

Incidentally, if you get on iTunes in the iTunes Store, once a week they have a free download of the week (no strings attached), and this week there is a cute version of Carol of the Bells. I hope they have one free Christmas song per week until Christmas, because I always love adding to my collection!

And, as for the albums I just bought, it kind of depends on what kind of mood you are in. The Josh Groban one is relaxing (could he be anything but?) And I love Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, which even though they are labled Folk, are really not folk. It's just because they use a banjo sometimes. They have off rhythms on some songs that make them more interesting (when you have over 600 Christmas songs, you like ones that are out of the ordinary).

If you have any Christmas albums you are absolutely in love with, let me know about them. But only tell me if you are serious, because I have already spent my December fun money, and if I have anything else I "have" to purchase, I will be into my January budget!