Christmas Carols: Music to Your Ears or "Bah, Humbug!"?
Take our poll and share your favorite holiday tunes.
Once upon a time, Christmas music wasn't heard until the first leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches were being made.
Now, radio stations and businesses are playing holiday music before we've even started our Thanksgiving grocery lists.
That can have the unfortunate effect of making us sick of Christmas music weeks before Christmas. In spite of that, many of us still have favorites.
Maybe it's O Come All Ye Faithful because it was a staple of Midnight Mass when you were growing up. Or the Vince Guaraldi Trio's jazzy soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas is your refreshing alternative to some of the more schmaltzy holiday offerings.
Take our poll and share your favorites in the comments.
Is there a song you have to listen to no matter how often it's been played? Or do you want to pull an Elvis on your radio when you hear the adenoidal Satan's spawn in I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas?
Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra and Mitch Miller were the holiday staples on my parents' hi-fi. I've always loved classic choral and orchestral Christmas music, thanks to years in the school band and chorus. My mom has a taste for country Christmas music, and some of it is lovely in its simplicity, like Kathy Mattea's Good News or Christmas Time with The Judds. However, I would have been quite content to go through life without ever hearing John Denver's execrably depressing Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk This Christmas.
What memories do Christmas carols evoke for you?
Randy
12:10 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Walking In The Air (from The Snowman) is beautiful whether sung hushed by an adult choir, with heartfelt clarity by a boy's choir, acapella from the King's Singers or a jazz octet, played by a brass quintet, or with soaring strings. Lovely piece, and not overexposed.
April
12:39 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I love Christmas song's. I could listen to them in the summer. I love The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole. The one song I do not care for at all is "I want a Hippopatamus for Christmas, I cannot stand this song.
Kristina Bunnell
12:56 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
My ipod is like 2/3 christmas music-and I listen all year long. I don't like the silly ones, or when they change the traditional ones to much though. Good old "Oh holy night" ( i have like 8 versions of that one), "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Away in a Manger" and the like. Oh and love Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Morgan Day
1:54 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I watched Michael Buble on 60 Minutes the other day, and I'm thisclose to buying his Christmas album. I've also been listening to Ashley Brooke Toussant and Nate Jones' single, "I'll be Home for Christmas," which is absolutely wonderful and was free through Ashley's website — http://ashleybrooketoussant.bandcamp.com/track/ill-be-home-for-christmas-w-nate-jones
Megan Rozsa
2:36 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I'm a big fan of "Feliz Navidad" and the instrumental version of "Sleigh Ride."
Amanda Harnocz
3:43 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
My favorite Christmas song is Dean Martin's "Baby it's cold outside." http://youtu.be/crFQpOCDfEc
Kaye Spector
4:39 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Weezer's version of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
Kristina Bunnell
6:56 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
i have that one! it's fun!
Kaye Spector
4:39 pm on Tuesday, December 13, 2011
or anything by Vince Guaraldi Trio
Afi-Odelia Scruggs
12:22 am on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
"Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" by soul singer William Bell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZCQ9knw0_E
Amanda Harnocz
8:22 am on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Alright, I am finally breaking down and saying it ... I suppose I still like N*Sync's Christmas CD. Please don't judge.
Kaye Spector
4:50 pm on Thursday, December 15, 2011
LOL thanks for your honesty, Amanda.
James Thomas
12:46 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I don't know about anyone else but I was humming "OH, We Need A Little Christmas" around September.
Michelle Simakis
3:14 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I hate to admit this, but I love Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas Is You." My friends from college think of it as our theme song, and we call each other when we hear it on the radio.
Melissa Hebert
3:36 pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" brings back memories of college for me. One night right before finals, it started snowing and it brought a bunch of people out of the dorms into the quad for a snowball fight. Someone started blasting this song out the window.
Joe Strailey
8:35 am on Thursday, December 15, 2011
Love the Boss's version of Santa Claus is Comin to Town. A favorite for sure.
Mike Eckart
10:00 pm on Thursday, December 15, 2011
Who doesn't love Christmas music?! Granted, I don't listen to it year round, but anyone without Mannheim Steamroller and Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their iPod is missing out!! Lots of great, classic songs and melodies put to everything from old world sounds to rhythm-heavy rock beats. Once you start listening to those two groups, you start to recognize them EVERYWHERE on TV, on show and movie soundtracks and especially in the background of commercials and news-segment segues and sign-offs. Check out Mannheim's God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb2wxGKHG78 and Carol of the Bells: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LqlMi3vsgY. They'll be at EJ Thomas this coming Sunday.
Trans-Siberian, great ones too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0IwpRzWL_4
Patrick Giusto
3:06 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011
Paul McCartney's "Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime" is the among the worst songs ever written. It sounds like robot sheep being beaten to death, off-tempo. It's so bad, it hurts my self-esteem.
Mike Eckart
3:10 pm on Friday, December 16, 2011
YES! You are right and described that piece-of-slop song perfectly! It's bad enough that it's a joke with me and few friends, who have been known to leave it on each other's voicemail the first time we hear it during the season. Thankfully, I've missed it so far.
Melissa Hebert
9:51 am on Saturday, December 17, 2011
For me, that level of loathing is directed at "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas." The only thing that song is good for is as birth control.
Patrick Giusto
1:55 pm on Sunday, December 18, 2011
haha! Excellent.