Post #899. Favorite Christmas Music

I was going to get all fancy on this post and create a playlist, but just a quick search revealed what I pretty much already knew - many of my songs are not so readily available, though I have them all in one way or another. 

As usual, it's all about nostalgia when it comes to my favorites. Each one of my favorites gives me a mushy feeling inside and that's exactly how I like it. 

These are not all traditional songs per se, there are a couple of narrations, a few New Year's Eve songs, as well as clips from vintage television specials that I grew up loving and still love.

Some of the songs, like Feliz Navidad and Wonderful Christmastime, though entirely overplayed on the radio, still remain favorites because of the connection in my mind to those Christmas mornings with my three sisters, where our gift opening session lasted all morning and we actually had to take a snack break. There was never any random tearing into packages at our house. Instead, our family of six each took turns, one package at a time, and all of us were pretty spoiled, so it literally took us until Noon to open all of the gifts. All the while, the radio would be playing continuous Christmas music and those two songs in particular, were silly favorites of ours.

In a few cases, I've mentioned entire albums, rather than listing all of the songs that are on them.

There are so many versions of many of these songs, but I really do not like most contemporary versions. I think there's only one new release on the list.

I've listed the artists that are my favorites when it pertains to each song. I'm sure I've forgotten some and I'll hear them later and return to add.

• 2000 Miles, The Pretenders
• An Old Fashioned Christmas,  Carpenters
• An Old Fashioned Christmas, Frank Sinatra
• Auld Lang Syne, Guy Lombardo
• Auld Lang Syne,  James Taylor
• Ave Maria, Carpenters
• Be Born in Me, Francesca Battistelli
• Believe, Josh Groban
• Blue Christmas, Elvis
• Breath of Heaven, Amy Grant
• Charlie Brown Christmas - entire album Vince Guaraldi Trio
• Christ is Born, Carpenters
• C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S,  Rosemary Clooney
• Christmas in our Hearts, Downhere
• Christmas Island,  Ella Fitzgerald
• Christmas Memories,  Frank Sinatra
• Christmas Song, Carpenters
• Christmas Waltz, Carpenters
• Christmas with the Rat Pack - entire album (Dean Martin, Sinatra, Sammy Davis)
• Do They Know It's Christmas/Feed the World, Band Aid
• Driving Home for Christmas, Chris Rea
• Emmanuel, Amy Grant
• Feliz Navidad, Jose Feliciano
• Frosty the Snowman, Gene Autry
• Frosty the Snowman, Jimmy Durante
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Bing Crosby
• Grown-Up Christmas List, Amy Grant
• Happy Christmas/War is Over, John Lennon
• Hardrock, Coco & Joe,  Stuart Hamblin/WGN/Garfield Goose
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Amy Grant
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Carpenters
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Frank Sinatra
• He’ll Be Coming Down the Chimney, Gene Autry
• Heirlooms, Amy Grant
• Here Comes Santa Claus, Doris Day
• Here Comes Santa Claus, Gene Autry
• Holly Jolly Christmas, Burl Ives
• Home for the Holidays, Perry Como
• I Believe in Father Christmas, Greg Lake
• I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Frank Sinatra
• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Jimmy Boyd
• I’ll be home for Christmas, Carpenters
• I’ve Got my Love to Keep Me Warm, Frank Sinatra
• In the Bleak Midwinter, James Taylor
• Island of Misfit Toys, Rankin/Bass (Rudolph)
• It’s Beginning to Look A lot like Christmas, Bing Crosby
• It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas, Perry Como
• Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms
• Last Christmas, George Michael
• Little Altar Boy, Carpenters
• Little Drummer Boy, Bing Crosby & David Bowie
• Little Drummer Boy, Frank Sinatra
• Little Drummer Boy, Harry Simeone Choir
• Mary's Boy Child, Jose Feliciano
• Merry Christmas Darling, Carpenters
• Merry Christmas, Here's to Many More, Relient K
• Misteltoe & Holly, Frank Sinatra
• O Holy Night, Carpenters
• River, Joni Mitchell
• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee
• Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Burl Ives
• Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Gene Autry
• Same Old Lang Syne, Dan Fogelberg
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Bob Hannon
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frank Sinatra
• Silent Night, Carpenters
• Silent Night (his last recording), Frank Sinatra
• Silver and Gold, Burl Ives
• Silver Bells, Bing Crosby
• Sleigh Ride, Ella Fitzgerald
• Someday at Christmas, Stevie Wonder
• Suzy Snowflake, Rosemary Clooney
• Tennessee Christmas, Amy Grant
• The Chipmunk Christmas Song, Alvin & The Chipmunks
• The Christmas Song, Ella Fitzgerald
• The Christmas Song, Frank Sinatra
• The Christmas Song, Nat King Cole
• The Christmas Waltz, Frank Sinatra
• The Little Christmas Tree (narration), Red Skelton
• The Littlest Snowman (narration), Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo)
• The Nutcracker Suite, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• The Secret of Christmas, Ella Fitzgerald
• The Snow Miser/Heat Miser Song, Rankin/Bass (Year Without a Santa Claus)
• There’s Always Tomorrow, Janet Orenstin
• There’s no place like Home for the Holidays, Carpenters
• Up on the Rooftop, Gene Autry
• We Are Santa’s Elves, Videocraft Chorus
• Welcome Christmas, Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 original)
• What are you doing New Year’s Eve, Carpenters
• What Are you Doing New Year’s Eve, Ella Fitzgerald
• Whatever Happened to Christmas, Frank Sinatra
• When Christmas Comes to Town, (Polar Express) Matthew Hall & Meagan Moore
• Where are You Christmas, Faith Hill
• White Christmas, Bing Crosby
• Winter Song, Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
• Winter Wonderland, Andrews Sisters
• Wintersong - entire album Sarah McLachlan
• Wonderful Christmastime, Paul McCartney
• You Gotta Get Up, Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins - "You Gotta Get Up" - Unofficial Music Video from Eric Coomer on Vimeo.