It’s been long established that the term Xmas is not an insult to Christians, but rather that the X actually represents the cross, as I’ve noted here and undoubtedly elsewhere.
This is is going to be a list of some of my favorite Xmas music NOT otherwise represented in this blog this month, with links to each. Of course, “Christmas” songs are peculiar beasts, some of which don’t even mention the holiday – Let It Snow (X3) or Jingle Bells being obvious choices. And let’s not even talk about the theological implications.
Hamildolph – Eclipse 6 (a new one for me)
Christmastime is Here – Vince Guaraldi
Good King Wenceslas – Ames Brothers
Little Saint Nick – Beach Boys
Purple Snowflakes – Marvin Gaye. I song I had not heard until this season, yet I had, sort of.
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole. One of my wife’s favorites, and Nat always reminds me of my mom
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love. Way better than the U2 version on A Very Special Christmas 1.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town – the Jackson 5
Linus and Lucy – Vince Guaraldi
This Christmas – Donny Hathaway – I miss Donny Hathaway
Snoopy’s Christmas – the reason I took such great exception to the Snoopy v Osama record is that it wasn’t THIS Snoopy
Child of Winter – Beach Boys. A 1974 single I discovered on one of those early 1970s Warner Brothers Loss Leaders
Mele Kalikimaka -Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters, which I think is a hoot
Christmas Wrapping – The Waitresses, which reminds me of my pop music listening renaissance in the early 1980s
The Wexford Carol – Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss
The Christmas Waltz – Frank Sinatra, which is on some 4 CD Capitol singles box set
Getting Ready For Christmas Day – Paul Simon, from his 2011 album
Every valley shall be exalted – Lizz Lee and Chris Willis (with Mike E.) from Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration
The Mistletoe and Me – Isaac Hayes – and I miss Isaac
Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth -Bing Crosby and David Bowie This was strange. Crosby had a Christmas special, which aired AFTER HE DIED and he had Ziggy Stardust on? Now, Bowie’s gone too.
River – Joni Mitchell. Hey, it namechecks Christmas, and it reminds me of my late friend Donna
What Christmas Means To Me – Stevie Wonder; Paul Young does a decent version on A Very Special Christmas 2, but it doesn’t hold an Advent candle to the original.
R.O. Blechman – CBS Christmas Message (1966)
The Bells of Christmas – Julie Andrews, from a Firestone (tire company) LP I still own. There’s an extended version of this which is less good
Winter Snow – Booker T & the MGs (starts at 2:30)
Slightly off topic:
In defense of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”
World’s First AI-generated Christmas Song Is the Stuff of Nightmares
Honest Trailers – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Now I have a few of those rattling around in my head!
I have to admit there are some of those I have never heard before…of course I probably live under a rock…
Wonderfully informative post, Roger as usual ~ particularly like this one as I love music and especially Peanuts and couldn’t remember the man who composed the music so thanks,
Wishing you a very Happy Christmas ~ ^_^
I have never seen that Star Trek photo before.
Merry Xmas.
My ABC WEDNESDAY
Like your choices Roger. I went through the Bing Crosby Christmas music while writing my post and it brought back so many memories….
My favourite is “Mary Did You Know?” and has been since I first heard it in the Christmas concert at my church the year I was in the choir. I can listen to anyone singing it and absolutely get goose bumps when I hear it. The other one I love is “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. But it isn’t really a Christmas song but does sound beautiful. My late husband and I saw him in concert in Ottawa back in the late 80s and he was so talented.
Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
Leslie
abcw team
She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) finished up their Christmas Party album with something called “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” which is the old Chipmunk Song without any Chipmunks. Now that takes nerve.
Booker T. and the MGs put out a sprightly (and then some) version of “Jingle Bells.”
I searched a few and those are still ringing in my head.
Thanks for sharing
Merry Christmas 🙂
Absolutely befitting the spirit of celebrations:)
Merry Christmas, Roger:)
What a lovely hommage to the music of this time of year!
The photo is funny too
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones
Have a nice ABC-Wednesday / _ Week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc=w=team)
http://melodymusic.nl/abc-wednesday-19x/
Some delightful music there Roger, one of my favourite pieces
of Christmas music called The Coventry Carol in which I sang the solo
part at our Church’s carol service.
It tells of the massacre of the Innocents,
where King Herod ordered all the infants under the age of two in Bethlehem to
be killed because he was warned there would be a new Messiah to replace him.and
it would be a baby boy.
The carol takes the form of a lullaby sung by the mothers of the doomed children.
Every good wish for a joyful Christmas,
to you and yours,
from,
Di.
ABCW team.
I wonder if the sweaters were considered “ugly” then? I still like them.
Ann
A nice seasonal ‘mix tape’. I rather like the Crystals version of Santa Claus is coming to town.
I posted Xmas too. Ten years ago, I went carolling in rest homes.
Purple Snowflakes. Wow! That’s a Christmas present, thank you very much. A Merry one to you and your family!