It's December 10th, and I've finally brought out my Christmas cds and started listening to them before I start making dinner (or deciding if I want to get out of the house for a bit before my dad drives me bonkers from being inside after this morning's snowfall.) One of my favorites is Amy Grant's first Christmas cd called A Christmas Album. It's got the usual standards of Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem; Hark! The Herald Angels Say; and Sleigh Ride plus some original songs, and it always sets me in the holiday spirit.
Another favorite of mine is Kathy Mattea's first Christmas cd called Good News. It also has some more recognizable songs such as Mary, Did You Know?; Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning; and There's a New Kid in Town, but it also has an arrangement of a beautiful Scottish lullabye called Christ Child's Lullabye that makes me wonder if Mary ever sang to Jesus as he fell asleep on her lap as a baby just as many mothers before and after have done and just as I hope to sing to my own children if I ever have them.
The Christmas cd I'm listening to right now as I'm writing this blog post is Seamus Kennedy's Goodwill To Men. As the other two cds do, Goodwill To Men also as some Christmas standards such as Away in a Manger, Gaudete, Mary's Boy Child, and O Come, All Ye Faithful, plus a Gaelic version of Silent Night and some lesser known songs such as Bread and Fishes (The Wind in the Willows), Goodwill to Men, and Scarlet Ribbons. But if you've ever seen Seamus Kennedy in concert at Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, PA, or at some other venue, you'll know he's quite a comedian, and this cd includes humorous songs and spoken word pieces such as The Mortal Sin and Jogging Along With My Reindeer to make you laugh as you tap your toes along with it.
The fourth Christmas cd I have is The White Snows of Winter by Charlie Zahm (who's another favorite performer at Celtic Classic as well as throughout the eastern US). This particular cd was a Christmas gift I gave to my mother a few years ago, and it also includes Scarlet Ribbons plus many well known songs such as Silent Night and Go Tell it On The Mountain. I think my favorite songs on this particular cd are I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In and Children, Go Where I Send Thee, but I happen to like the songs before I heard his versions. My mom loved the cd, as well, and it seems like a good soundtrack for a snowy day like today when you have nowhere to go except to your kitchen to make some hot chocolate.
That being said, there are times I'm not always in the mood to listen to Christmas music, not even in December. But when I am in the mood for it, these are a few of my favorite things, and I'd love to hear your favorites and recommendations...
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