It’s Beginning to Look (and Sound) a Lot Like . . .
At least a week before Halloween, my Kroger store had put up a Coca-Cola Christmas display just inside the front doors—right in front of the double-wide aisle of Halloween stuff. When I mentioned this on Twitter, I got several messages back from people who admitted they were already listening to Christmas music.
Back when I used to sing in choir at church (have not done so regularly in several years), I know the Christmas music would come out some time in October—or even September in the church I attended in college which did a huge Living Christmas Tree production every year (which was only half of the program—there was a first hour that was done on stage in front of the tree structure—the couple of years I was in it, I think we had upwards of 250 people singing). So I was used to listening to all of that music in the car or at home to practice and memorize it from October on. But I still waited until closer to Thanksgiving to pull out what I consider to be “real” Christmas music.
Well, I had to make a Target run last night and while I was there, I picked up the Yo-Yo Ma and Friends Christmas CD. Which meant I of course had to listen to it on the way home. And it made me want to come home and pull out the rest of my Christmas music (well, pull it up on the computer, because I automatically rip all of my CDs to the computer as soon as I get them) and start listening. I even downloaded it all onto my MP3 player to take in the car with me as I run errands around town this afternoon.
So I figured that would be a good discussion topic for the blog today.
When do you start listening to Christmas music? Have you pulled yours out already? What’s your favorite Christmas song? What’s your favorite album?
This year, I started listening to Christmas music . . .
Yesterday!
Favorite Song:
“Peace on Earth/Silent Night” (Dean Martin, on Christmas with the Rat Pack)
Favorite Album:
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KayeDacus.com 
I haven’t started yet, but the urge is strong.
Favorite song? White Christmas! Then O Holy Night. And there’s one version of The Chipmunk Song sung by Phillips, Craig and Dean where they’re all doing Donald Duck. It’s hilarious!
Favorite album is one of Victorian music boxes and barrel organs that my dad got over 20 years ago. We were the first people in the whole family to get a CD player and he joined the Music Heritage Society (I think that’s what it’s called) and built up a huge collection of brass, classical and old Christmas music. The Nutcracker Suite is a big favorite too.
I need to expand my personal Christmas CD collection. Have to go to Walmart tomorrow and I really should check out their Christmas section.
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I have been known to start listening to Christmas music around my birthday (mid-September), though that wasn’t the case this year. I think I started last week (can’t remember when I put that up as my Facebook status). I’m going to have to peruse my full collection tonight – I’ll get back to this post with a list of some favorites. 🙂
Are you enjoying the Yo-Yo Ma album? I picked it up last year…personally I don’t consider it “strictly” Christmas so I left it out all year. It has some fantastic pieces of music on there though – of course two of my favorite songs are the duets with Chris Botti. 🙂 Joshua Bell released a similar sort of duets album this year (At Home with Friends). If you’re enjoying the Yo-Yo Ma album, you’d probably like Bell’s too.
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I’ve enjoyed what I’ve listened to of the Yo-Yo Ma CD so far, except . . . did we really need that many versions of “Dona Nobis Pacem?” I mean, I can sing along with it (even though it’s instrumental) because that’s one of the pieces we did in my high school choir. But still . . . four or five versions of the same song?
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Agreed – they did go a bit overboard with that choice. 😛
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I’ll usually start pulling out the Christmas CD’s when the radio stations start playing it. I’ll hear a Christmas song and think “wow I love this song…oh wait I have the CD!” From there the Christmas music craziness starts and I listen to it 24/7 until December 26th. My absolute favorite is Josh Groban’s version of O Holy Night…I get spine tingles everytime I hear it, Celine Dion’s version is pretty good too but I ❤ Josh!
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His version is a good one! It’s about the only song from him that I really like. Which is odd because I prefer baritones to tenors.
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Not a big Christmas music fan. Sometimes I’ll wait until the week before to play it at home. I like the Celtic Christmas CDs, especially those in Gaelic, but can listen to them anytime. I have Josh Groban’s Noel. Manheim Steamroller. And my all time favorite is Three Ships, by Jon Anderson (formerly of Yes). I play that one on Christmas day.
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I LOVE Christmas. It’s by far my favorite holiday. But I do not allow Christmas music till the day after Thanksgiving. I prefer to celebrating one holiday at a time, thanks. I caught Matthew listening to a Christmas song yesterday, but I think he was just celebrating our dairy bringing out the eggnog for the season (we get our milk delivered). We get super-excited about eggnog lattes in our house, so I forgave him.
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I caught myself humming a Christmas song today… LOL, and it wasn’t even to be silly! When I realized what I was doing, i totally laughed at myself.
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Day after Thanksgiving, not a minute sooner. I like to listen to Celtic Christmas music like Lori. Also, WOW Christmas. My favorite songs are O Holy Night, Breath of Heaven. We have an amazing Christmas concert at my church (hundreds and hundreds attend) as a fundraiser for heating or the homeless shelter each year. It is put on by local talent guitar teacher with all his students of all ages. He brings in some of his friends to play as well. It is just wonderful and a highlight of the season.
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My favorite Christmas albums are actually records that my sister and I have picked up at various thrift stores. It’s a whole series of ten records called “The Great Songs of Christmas” put out by Goodyear. Each record has songs by a variety of artists. The artists include Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews,Doris Day, Barbara Streisand, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Carol Lawrence, Johnny Mathis, Ray Conniff, The King Family, Morman Tabernacle Choir, New Christie Minstrels, Mahalia Jackson, Percy Faith, Anna Maria Alberghetti,Dinah Shore, Danny Kaye, Sammy Davis,Jr., Brothers Four, and many more. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can sing like these people. Michael Buble comes a little close, but not quite.
I also love the two Christmas albums of just Andy Williams singing. He has a very soothing, easy-to-listen, inspiring voice.
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Funny you should ask. We have all the Christmas decorations up now. Ok, so a lot of it had to do with the fact that my mom’s due date is a week before Christmas so we wanted to get it done before she went on bedrest like she usually does, but anyway!
My dad’s a total Christmas fanatic and I take after him, so we usually start the Christmas music waaay before the conventional time. This year we managed to wait a bit longer and started in September. 😉
My favorite songs are Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, Gesu Bambino, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and White Christmas. My favorite Christmas CD is probably The Majesty and Glory of Christmas, followed closely by The Time-life Treasury of Christmas, which has all the classics, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Joy to the World. And Julie Andrews’ CD of the same name. And The Three Tenors Christmas. Mannheim Steamroller, while I don’t care for all the songs, takes me back down memory lane (they’re my dad’s favorites)…Still, Still, Still and O Come, O Come Emmanuel makes me feel like I’m five again.
To me, Christmas Classic is the singers of the 30’s-50’s…Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra…singing The Christmas Song and Silver Bells and I’ll Be Home for Christmas and all that. I do like Johnny Mathis’ Christmas songs, Julie Andrews and the Three Tenors as mentioned above, and a few others like Michael Crawford (but then I love MC anyway), Josh Groban’s Noel, Celtic Woman, and Il Divo.
One of my favorite CD’s is one some friends of mine made. They’re four sisters and they sing acapella in four-part harmony. O How a Rose E’er Blooming is absolutely divine.
Which reminds me that I need to get back to burning that “Christmas Favorites” CD for our road-trip tomorrow…after years of switching around a million CD’s to listen to a few songs, we finally figured out to just…big revelation…put the favorite ones on one CD! Revolutionary. 😉
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I promised to get back with a few favorite albums:
Christmas with the Rat Pack
Chris Botti – December
Linda Eder – Christmas Stays the Same
Travis Cottrell – Ring the Bells
Josh Groban – Noel
Celine Dion – These Are Special Times
Loreena McKennitt – A Midwinter Night’s Dream
And many, many more…but those are always see heavy play this time of year. 🙂
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Ruth,
I’ll have to look for Loreena’s CD. Love her voice. I do listen to Christmas music, but it’s more for the singer than it is for the traditional music. I’m enthralled with the Reason for the season, but as for the music, the more nontraditional the it is the more likely I am to like it. Hence Jon Anderson. And I’d listen to Josh G. sing his to-do list, so Noel gets played (I like the French song best!). If that man did a gospel/hymns CD, I would be as near to heaven as I’m likely to get, before the real deal.
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I refuse to start listening to Christmas music until December 1. And my favorite Christmas music is an instrumental CD that my own husband did a few years ago. That’s the one I listen to most. Favorite Christmas son? “O Holy Night.”
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I usually start listening mid-October. Halloween is coming and that just reminds me Christmas is soon! I don’t really celebrate Halloween so for me it’s more like the gateway to Christmas. My favorite Christmas song is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and right now Josh Groban’s Christmas cd is probably my current favorite. 🙂
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I’m listening to it now. We have two radio stations in town that are playing nothing but Christmas music. It is great!!! I listen to Christmas music when I’m really stressed out – it relaxes me. (And this can be anytime during the year!)
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Sorry forgot to put my favorite albums/songs.
I love O Holy Night (Josh Groban, The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole!!!)and Mary Did You Know.
Favorite album: A Charlie Brown Christmas (It’s my favorite Christmas show as well)
I like all of the Christmas music of the 30’s 40’s etc. Nothing like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Perry Como and Andy Williams.
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