When I was a young lass, I believed Christmas songs were like homemade cookies. There was no such thing as a bad one.
Then someone shared their mom’s cookies made with raisins, dates and orange peel, and my childhood innocence was lost forever.
So it is with Christmas music. There are good songs, there are bad songs, and there are songs that make you want to throw sharp, pointy things.
You know. Like Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time”
(Duck Sir Paul! Machete coming atchya!)
But you know, despite the bad stuff, I have to say I like most Christmas music. In fact, sometimes I’ve been known to – well, not exactly burst forth in song – but hum along happily.
My personal favorite?
Just hear those sleigh bells jingling
Ring-ting-tingling too…
Gosh I love that one! Instrumental or with lyrics, it makes me dance a little jig (in my head) every time I hear it. And I’ll bet anything there’s not a trumpeter alive who hasn’t imagined playing that final whinny for Arthur Fiedler.
But the best rendition by far — according to me, anyway — is from Wynton Marsalis’ Crescent City Christmas, with Jon Hendricks singing and scatting and poppity-popping in a most joyous fashion.
Here, listen for yourself. Keep in mind, Hendricks is 68 at the time of this recording. (He’s 95 now.)
Don’t you just love his “YOO-HOO“?
Now it’s your turn: What’s your favorite and/or least favorite Christmas song? 🌲
Too many to choose from for best (but I’m working on it) Worst is easy — Feliz Navidad. I heard it for ten years, four times a day (or more) everyday from Nov. 15th to December 25th. But for absolute brutal it’s that Little Drummer Boy who was put on this earth to vex me. One day I will write his true history and expose the little ….
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My church often goes caroling and the guitarist who leads us is a pretty great guy, very talented. Thing is though, whenever he sees someone who might possibly be Hispanic, he jumps right into Feliz Navidad.
Keep in mind, we live in Phoenix.
I don’t go caroling with them anymore.
As for the Drummer Boy: 1) what kind of parents let a drummer entertain their newborn? and, 2) the line “the ox and lamb kept time” – how good of a drummer can he be if he needs animals keeping time for him?
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I lived in Phoenix for years and that’s where I couldn’t avoid Feliz Navidad. But the drummer boy goes back to the cradle. And you’re right there’s something wrong with him.
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Love your choice BTW.
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“Sleigh Ride” is my favorite. “Blue Christmas” make my testicles turn blue and shrivel up. Enjoyable post. Cheers
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Oh dear – yeah, you’ll definitely want to avoid hearing that one! 😀
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Favorite is Kenny G – Greensleaves and the worse is any of those chipmunk songs.
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Whenever I hear Kenny G, I remember that bit in Silver Linings Playbook where every time the lead character heard his music, he flew into a rage and smashed things.
Can’t imagine anyone going into a rage over Greensleeves though – love that tune.
As for the chipmunks, I don’t think I liked them even as a kid. Same with the dogs barking Jingle Bells. The first time you hear it, you can accept it as a joke. Every time after it’s just torture.
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That was a good movie and I agree on those dogs to…
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I am sorry.
I do not like Xmess and the Xmess music ….
Kind regards,
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No worries. There’s room enough on this blog for the anti- crowd as well… Kind regards in return. 🙂
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YOO-HOO! I enjoyed that. Traditionally, It’s a toss up between ‘We Three Kings’, ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘The First Noel.’
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Are these your favorites or your least favored? I assume favorites.
O Holy Night I have a love/hate relationship with. I genuinely love the song, but I don’t always love the execution. Too often it seems like the singer is just showing off their vocal abilities.
Okay, fine, you can hit the high note. We’re all very impressed. Now drop the ego and get on with it!
Sorry, the curmudgeon in me gets really annoyed with shrilly pop singers. 😬
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I am with you on shrilly singers. Okay, we get it. You can sing in a pitch that only dolphins and dogs can hear, whilst throwing your arms around like a drowning witch from the Salem Witch Trials…ooh, now you’ve got me going all curmudgeonly.
And I’m definitely with you on the way that O Holy Night is executed and how that can make it a bit of a hit and miss. No, it has to be sung in a traditional way, not Mariah Carey-eque.
Oh and these are my favs btw.
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You were picturing Celine Dion just then, weren’t you? I KNEW IT!
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Hahahaha!! Maaybe…
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Oh, my, I love almost all Christmas music. I love classics but also some newer songs and I do love Kenny G, too, nice low background music at dinner. There’s very few that I’d say I hate, other than popular ones that play over and over on the radio ….
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Have to say, Diane, it doesn’t surprise me at all that you like Kenny G! 😉
We have a radio station that plays Christmas music continually beginning about mid-November. From what I hear, they lose some listeners, but gain enough to make up for it. Whenever I’m in the car I see what they’re playing and if it’s Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, etc., I’ll stay. But the second I hear the opening chords of “Do They Know it’s Christmas” by Band Aid – I’m outta there! 😀
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We do, too, same time frame. If the kids are in the car they always want it, but Justin usually wants more kid friendly CDs with Rudolph, etc. Luckily, I can listen to anything!
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Hmm. I don’t think I could narrow it down to my top FIFTY, so I’ll just throw out some faves that come to mind, in no particular rank or order: Dan Fogelberg – “Same Old Lang Syne”, Vince Vance and the Valiants – “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, Trans-Siberian Orchestra – “Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24”, Trans-Siberian Orchestra – “Christmas Canon”, Kenny Loggins – “Celebrate Me Home”, Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song”, and, well, I could go on for a while, but we’ll stop here for now… 😉
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Anything by Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a-okay with me. (The sound of a well-played electric guitar sends shivers up my spine, no kidding.)
Your soft rock selections put you in the same camp as my husband, and as he’s pretty lovable, I’m thinking you must be lovable too, despite your occasional bitchiness. 😉
And Nat King Cole is a god. A GOD, I SAY!
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Somewhere down under the ice, the Grinch’s heart grew just a little bit bigger… 😉
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