SubscribeThe gift of Christmas music
Music, especially the songs and sounds of Christmas, delight my heart. As a youngster, I looked forward to singing with gusto “Joy to the World, the Lord is Come” in the church choir. I learned to sing “Silent Night” and “O Christmas Tree”, as “Stille Nacht” and “O Tannebuam”, while in the German chorus in high school. And in recent years, I have attended a local church’s rendition of “Handel’s Messiah“.
For several years while working at The Washington Post, one of the highlights of the holiday season was having our workday interrupted by the glorious sounds of singing from the Eastern High School choir. The young members of the choir walked throughout the newsroom offering Christmas carols before breaking out joyously in “Go Tell It On the Mountain.” The music was infectious, prompting busy journalists to hang up their phones, stand at their desks and bob their heads to the beat.
After church yesterday, I slumped down in a chair to rest and had the pleasure of happening upon a wonderful public television Great Performance, My Christmas, featuring Andrea Bocelli and David Foster. The show first aired Thanksgiving night and will continue through the holidays. The music, both soaring and solemn, was mesmerizing. Here’s a taste of the inspiring concert, and here is singer Mary J. Blige who joined the Italian tenor on the “What Child is This,” in a performance on an Oprah show. Wow!
Christmas music stirs my heart and makes me want to join in and sing, which I do in the privacy of my home and in church where I can blend my often off-key alto/tenor with other voices. Singing is not one of my gifts, as I have been told numerous times by family and friends. But during the holidays, I can’t help making a joyful noise. Singing the music of the season is the present I give myself each year.
It’s hard to limit the list, but here are my top 10 Christmas songs:
- Silent Night
- Joy to the World
- What Child is This
- Mary Did You Know
- O Holy Night
- Hark the Herald, Angels Sing
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- The Christmas Song
- Jingle Bells
- I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
What are you favorite Christmas songs?
BTW: Juggling Act blogger Mae Israel and I are in our second week of the Melt the Middle challenge. We’re on our way to losing inches off our waistlines. Join us. As the saying goes, the more the merrier!
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