on Christmas day

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to men." Luke 2:1-14







if you would like to listen to the full oratorio (and why wouldn't you? it's fantastic!) it's all here:


i hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and that you have found time in the midst of all the hubbub to slow down and truly appreciate the reason for the season

on the twenty-fourth day of Christmas

i can't believe it's Christmas eve already! i will be listening to this song tonight as i crawl into bed and remembering real significance of this holiday. the video is ridicuolously strange, so don't watch, just listen.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

on the twenty-third day of Christmas

"And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

on the twenty-second day of Christmas

oh my gravy! Christmas is sooooo close!!! if you haven't finished your shopping (like me) you'd better get on it, you're running out of time. the good news is, Christmas isn't really about all that consumerism anyway so maybe you're off the hook.
as we get closer to the big day, i think it's really important to remember what the whole thing is all about. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of our Savior. sometimes we all need a reminder about how incredible the season really is. we need to remember that we give gifts on remembrance of the gifts the magi gave at his birth. we need to remember that angels heralded His birth and here we are, 2000 years later celebrating the momentous occasion. we also need to remember that before all of the celebration, there was a humble birth in a stable. and there was a mother. and she needed Him as much as we do.

on the twenty-first day of Christmas

if the mayan calendar turns out to be right, i think this is a perfectly legitimate song to listen to on our last day on earth. although, if the mayans were any good at predicting the future, there might still be mayans. at any rate, this is far and away the Christmas song i listen to most often. sometimes i even listen to it when it isn't Christmas. i have yet to hear a version which i dislike, so if you don't care for this one, find anyother because they are all pretty great and the song is amazing.

on the twentieth day of Christmas

remember that a capella kick i was on? it's back with a vengeance, or rather, it's back with this little bit of loveliness. at this wonderful time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, we ought to also remind ourselves of why He came and celebrate that as well. for me, this song does just that.

nineteenth day of Christmas

i don't really like this song. i usually find it quite repetitive and annoying, but my dad loves it. if i'm going to listen to it, i'm going to listen to the best version of it and that, in my opinion, it this particular version. i mean, whoever had the brilliant idea to put bing crosby and david bowie together was probably off his rocker, but it worked out beautifully

on the eighteenth day of Christmas

i thought i might as well stick with the a capella thing for a bit and share this rendition of we three kings by eclipse. the first time i ever heard this song was at a concert and it was quite impressive. i've been hooked ever since, which is quite impressive since i never liked this song before. i don't know why, it's not such a bad song and the last verse is especially poignant.

on the seventeenth day of Christmas

this is another favorite of mine. who am i kidding, with perhaps one exception, every song on this list is a favorite of mine. there a bunch of comments about never having heard the song before, but i've been singing it since i was a kid and i have always loved it. if you are a fan of the sing off you may recognize the song, and the group. vocal point performed the song on the show (couldn't tell you when, i don't watch it), i couldn't find that video so this one will have to suffice

on the sixteenth day of Christmas

i don't have much to say about this one, just listen to the lyrics and you'll understand why i chose it

on the 15th day of Christmas

i love this song, especially the last verse. even though i don't believe it to be historically accurate (Christ was born in the spring) it is a beautiful song and sometimes we all need a reminder about the most important gift we can give

on the fourteenth day of Christmas

this is one of my favorite bits from the Messiah. gosh that handel really knew what he was doing!

on the thirteenth day of Christmas

yeah....there is no 13th day of Christmas. i guess i should have thought that through a little better. at any rate, the day after the twelfth day of Christmas, also known as the thirteenth day of Christmas (i'm rolling with it whether it exists or not) my true love favored me with this lovely song.

on the twelfth day of Christmas

i got this song stuck in my head. that happens a lot, but at least it's a good one!  in this case i am sharing one song, two videos. i couldn't decide which one i like better so you get both.



i mean, seriously! i think the glass harp might be my new favorite instrument.

also, josh groban is amazing and there was no chance under the stars in heaven that i could compile this list without including him. this song is not on his Christmas album (which is pretty stellar, just fyi) so i feel justified in the fact that i listen to it year round.
p.s. my dad really likes this song. that has nothing to do with the video, i just thought i throw it in for good measure.



not to detract from the spirit of the thing, but doesn't josh (we're totally on a first name basis, except he doesn't know my name...) make some great faces while he sings?

on the eleventh day of Christmas

i remembered that harry connick jr. has a pretty smooth voice too. plus, this song is just a great reminder of the hope that is inherent in the season.

on the tenth day of Christmas

i listened to weezer. did you know weezer ( yep, that weezer) has a Christmas album? i did. of course i did.

on the eighth day of Chistmas

love this clip! i watched this when i was a kid and i loved it right away, especially the part when they play crack the whip (skip to 6:15). classic. this was the clip that introduced me to this song. also, i was kind of obsessed with figure skating for a while so i was way more into this than i probably should have been, but, i mean, who wouldn't want to skate with big bird? you don't hear the whole song here, but to be totally honest, i kind of can't make it through the entire song anyway. if you would like to you can find it here. enjoy!

on the seventh day of Christmas

speaking of a smooth voice...
not exactly a big band, but it is old school. plus, there is the orchestra which is even bigger than a band so i'm gonna call it good and listen to judy. after all, she is the one who told me how awesome it is on the other side of the rainbow and meet me in st. louis is one of my favorite movies, so there's that...

on the ninth day of Christmas

i thought i would share another classic clip from my childhood. or, rather, from way before my childhood but which we watched pretty regularly during my childhood. also, yesterday when i watched it again. i still love it. rankin bass really nailed it with this one. and, once again, i struggle to get through the full song, so that fact that this clip doesn't include the whole thing is perfect for me, but you can listen to the rest of it here



i love the elf with sunglasses. those are some stylin' shades!

on the sixth day of Christmas

if you know me at all you know i love me some old school music. and my true love knows me as well as i know myself so he brought me this little gem. what can i say? i'm a sucker for a smooth voice backed by some big band action. plus, it's just a really fun song

on the fifth day of Christmas...

we remember this scene from home alone

makes me laugh every time... anyway, the song playing in the background during this scene is "white Christmas" by the drifters and it is our song of the day. if you want to lip-sync along using your comb as a microphone, feel free. in fact, i recommend it, but i would skip the aftershave bit if i were you...

on the fourth day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me... a hula hoop. i guess he didn't get the message about the calling birds. whatever, they're probably really loud anyway and i have absolutely NO interest in cleaning out the bottom of the cage so, i'll take the hula hoop. sounds like a lot more fun anyway. just ask the chipmunks, they know what's up...

   

on the third day of Christmas

we were graced with this song which is a favorite in my family. seriously. my older brother loves it a lot. like, a lot, a lot. it's comes to us courtesy of the folks over at rankin bass who made all of those great claymation movies and cartoons in the 60s and 70s like rudolph and frosty.
sidenote; if you haven't seen nestor the long eared donkey, i would encourage you to do so immediately. cinematic gold...
anyhoo, this particular scene comes from the year without a santa claus which, coincidentally, also includes a particularly touching version of blue christmas which was made famous by elvis presley, but in this case is sung to santa by a little girl. sad. anyway, the heat miser/snow miser song is far more upbeat and fun. if you've never heard it before, you're missing out. for reals.

on the second day of Christmas...

we get to listen to this little ditty. i know it's not specifically a Christmas song, but my mom loves it, it's her favorite *wink, wink*
last year, while we were doing our Christmas shopping and such, we heard this song in EVERY. SINGLE. STORE. for about 3 weeks straight. it kind of became our thing. so this one's for you mom ; )

on the first day of Christmas...

my true love gave to me, a new blog background and a day to deck the halls. okay, so i gave those to myself, but who are you to judge? maybe i am my own true love, get over it.
also on the first day of Christmas, i share the first of the 25 days of Christmas songs. today we hear from michael bublé who sings "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" for our listening pleasure. i thought it was a fitting start to this list

25 days of Christmas

one of my favorite things about this season is the music. let's just be honest, music is one of my favorites things about life, but Christmas music is extra fantastic. i have already compiled 3 separate Christmas playlists which i am continually expanding.

i

love

Christmas

music

like, A LOT

so for the next 25 days, i will post one song a day in an effort to spread the joy which i receive from these songs. i hope you enjoy them as much as i do.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!!