Okay, I know there's a debate right now about saying/not saying "holidays" or other generic terms...but personally, I celebrate Christmas and Hannukah, so for me, they really are 'holiday' songs! Hope that's okay with you.
I think it'd be fun to hear what your favorites are! Here are mine, not in any particular order:
1. Silent Night (not sure by whom, just like quiet, traditional versions) 2. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey 3. The Hannukah Song by Adam Sandler 4. 'Zat You, Santa Claus? by Louis Armstrong 5. Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt 6. Good King Wensceslas by Mannheim Steamroller 7. Lo, How A Rose 'Ere Blooming (I love singing it...any recording that's traditional would be wonderful. ) 8. The Eight Polish Foods of Christmas by the Veggie Tales Veggies 9. Baby It's Cold Outside (the original from the 50s) 10. O, Holy Night (any recording that includes a big choir and a fabulous soprano solo)
Okay, that was seriously hard! There are so many other songs that deserve to be in there, like "I Saw Three Ships" by Pavarotti, the Charlie Brown Christmas instrumental, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," the Hannukah song that is sung during the play version of "The Diary of Anne Frank," Harry Connick Jr.'s "It Must Have Been Ole' Santa Claus," and many more. There's so much good music during the holidays!
1.silver bells.
2rockin around the christmas tree
3o come all ye faithful
4o holy night
5christmas in dixie
6the first noel
7it cameupon a midnight clear
8joy to the world
9jingle bell rock
10.its the most wonderful time of the year
Mary did you know
Silent night
Come let us adore him (the newer version)
Christmas shoes
The Hannukah song that is sung when the candles are lit
The driedel song
Emmanual
O Holy night
Rudolph the red nose reindeer
Chesnuts roasting on an open fire
There are probably more that I cannot remember until I hear them on the radio.
Here's one more I thought of "Jesus it's your birthday."
There are various types of icons for the holidays but I don't see a manager or a Chirstmas star or a baby Jesus? Does anyone know how I could get these for my post?
O Holy Night (all-time favorite)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (makes me cry every time)
What Child is This?
Emmanuel (Amy Grant's version)
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Angels, We Have Heard on High
Stille Nacht (Silent Night)
Joy to the World
The First Noel (especially when combined with Pachelbel's Canon in D)
Away in a Manger
Those are some that are my faves!
(Sidenote: I was going to insert a Christmas smilie in there until I realized that they have all kinds of secular Christmas smilies, the Star of David and Menorah for the Jewish folks out there, but no manger for Baby Jesus to lie in. How disappointing.)
Every year I ask my staff to tell me their favorite Christmas/Holiday song and I make them CDs as presents. It is fun to find new songs, rediscover old favorites, and I love the CDs I have to remember each staff by.
My favorites:
1. Trans Siberian Orchestra soundtracks (hard to pick one song, as they go together)
2. Silent Night
3. Away in a Manger
4. You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch (Boris Karloff)
5. The Happy Elf (Harry Connick Jr.)
6. O Holy Night (Il Divo - favorite version this year)
7. Christmas Time is Here (Charlie Brown or Diana Krall)
8. Mary Did You Know (Clay Aiken)
9. Sleigh Ride
10. Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano)
I also love this jazzy song that's on my Restoration Hardware Christmas CD...I know it, but the name won't come to me right now.
Emmanuel by Amy Grant is fantastic, Weezle! I totally forgot to include one of my favorite songs ever, "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. It's the quintessential Christmas song and makes me cry always. You really have to hear it to get the full effect, as the way she sings it and the music just make it perfect, but here are the lyrics:
Quote:
I have traveled many moonless nights,
Cold and weary with a babe inside,
And I wonder what I've done.
Holy father you have come,
And chosen me now to carry your son.
I am waiting in a silent prayer.
I am frightened by the load I bear.
In a world as cold as stone,
Must I walk this path alone?
Be with me now.
Be with me now.
Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.
Do you wonder as you watch my face,
If a wiser one should have had my place,
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan.
Help me be strong.
Help me be.
Help me.
Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven.
I've never heard of Christmas in Dixie or the Merry Christmas Polka. They sound intriguing!
Does anyone remember the song "Little Susie Snowflake"?
About the smilies...there is such secularization of Christmas that just hasn't occured with Hannukah. I think that's why the smilies for Hannukah are more religious in nature. But perhaps some day we'll have more religious ones for Christmas. I know we have many more holiday smilies this year than we've had in the past. It's nice to have the variety. I hear you, though...I love using religious stamps on my cards and sending religious-oriented cards. I just don't get as much out of the ones that say things like, "Have a happy holiday" or whatever. You know? That's just me.
So many of my favorites have already been mentioned. I love
Mary Did you Know (Reba McEntire)
Christmas in Killarney (Anne Murray)
The Christmas Shoes
Sweet Little Jesus Boy (Anne Murray)
The Gift (Garth Brooks)
Silver Bells
Oh Holy Night
White Christmas
There is also that song where Santa Claus comes down the chimney and finds the soldier sleeping on the floor. That one makes me teary-eyed although not as much as the Christmas Shoes.
One of the more popular ones in Dallas is the very old I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas song by Gail Peavey.
1. Silent Night
2. Ave Maria (especially Celine Dion's version)
3. Emmanuel
4. And So This Is Christmas (John Lennon)
and I could go on and on, but those are my favorites. I start playing Christmas music at Thanksgiving, and listen to it every day up through New Year's. Drives Jake absolutely nuts!!!
Oh, Barb, I LOVE Sweet Little Jesus Boy, and it has to be sung by Anne Murray!
I love Christmas in Killarney, too, but I like the Bing Crosby version best.
Ave Maria is wonderful...I'm sure Celine really does it justice, but I grew up listening to recordings of the masters such as Pavarotti, so that's how I like to hear them.
I think my favorite silent night renditions are either Mannheim Steamroller or the Boys II Men Christmas album.
For Fun: Top Ten Holiday Songs
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Okay, that was seriously hard! There are so many other songs that deserve to be in there, like "I Saw Three Ships" by Pavarotti, the Charlie Brown Christmas instrumental, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," the Hannukah song that is sung during the play version of "The Diary of Anne Frank," Harry Connick Jr.'s "It Must Have Been Ole' Santa Claus," 
and many more. There's so much good music during the holidays! 
So? What are your favorites? 
I totally forgot 
to include one of my favorite songs ever, "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. It's the quintessential Christmas song and makes me cry always. You really have to hear it to get the full effect, as the way she sings it and the music just make it perfect, but here are the lyrics:
That's just me.
