Greetings on this happiest of days! I’ll leave you today with special music which celebrates the birth day of Jesus, starting with Faith Hill’s “Joy to the World”:
.

.
One of my favorites – Karen Carpenter singing “Christ is Born”:
.

.
Set to the tune of “Greensleeves” (which is believed to have been composed by Henry VIII of England) is the hauntingly beautiful “What Child Is This?”:
.

.
The Harry Simeone Chorale’s classic “The Little Drummer Boy” (somewhere in our house, there is a copy of Rachel and me singing this in church):
.

.
An absolutely breathtaking arrangement of “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”:
.

.
One of my all-time favorites – “Do You Hear What I Hear?” (Bing Crosby, natch):
.

.
Here is Blackmore’s Night’s joyous rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”:
.

.
Sandi Patty’s gorgeous “Someday”:
.

.
And finally – while this song is actually part of the “Easter” portion of Handel’s “Messiah”, it has long been a Christmas favorite. I leave you with the “Hallelujah Chorus” (this one will put a big smile on your face!):
.

.
Merry Christmas, everyone – blessings to you and yours throughout the coming year. Thank you for being a part of our family’s life, and allowing us to be a part of yours.

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed….And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem….To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 KJV)

.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear”:

.
Karen Carpenter, “Ave Maria”:

.
Barbra Streisand, “I Wonder As I Wander”:

.
Eimarr Quinn, “O Holy Night”:

.
Julie Andrews, “In The Bleak Midwinter”:

.
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, “Away In A Manger”:

.
Have a blessed Christmas Eve.
.

The two styles of songs didn’t really “mesh” for the mood that I was trying to set, so I’ve done something different today – this post features more “secular” songs; Part II is more reflective.

Today’s first song is about someone who is missing the one that they love on Christmas Eve – “Merry Christmas, Darling”, sung by Karen Carpenter:
.

.
I included this because I loved it and wanted to share it with you – an early Christmas gift, if you will. Here is a lovely performance of “The Sugar Plum Fairy” – the picture and the sound quality aren’t the best, but the dancing is amazing:
.

.
I was recently introduced to this song – the group is from Arlington, Texas (the next town over from us); it’s definitely getting added to my “New Favorites” list:
.

.
And now we’ll shift gears a little bit and play some music for the little ones; they’re hoping for a visit from a certain “Jolly Old Elf” tonight….

Gene Autry sang many beloved children’s Christmas songs that have withstood the test of time – here’s one that he both wrote and performed, “Here Comes Santa Claus”:
.

.
Here is his much-loved “Up on the Housetop”:
.

.
This is the song for which Mr. Autry himself would “go down in history” – the original version of that beloved Christmas classic about “the most famous reindeer of all”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”:
.

.
Finally, I couldn’t pass up this performance of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” – it’s not really a “song”, per se, but it is charming.  I hope that you like it:
.

.
Please come back later today – I have picked out some truly special songs which I hope you will enjoy as we celebrate this most wondrous of nights.
.

When I was a kid, I loved this song, but it took me FOREVER to finally get the rhythm down right when I would sing it without accompaniment! Of course, in church, we sang it reverently, but there have been some really rollicking versions released in recent years; I hope you like today’s musical choices!

Imagine my surprise to learn that there is a “Guitar Hero” performance track of this song (who knew?), and reportedly it is wickedly hard to master. Of course, I had to track down the original of said piece, and lo and behold, there it was.

Now, this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, so if you don’t like it, I completely understand; just skip it and listen to today’s other selections. I have to admit, though, this one is kinda fun (in a heavy metal kind of way):
.

.
Everybody awake now? Good. OK – straighten up your wigs; this is a MUCH more traditional version of this beloved song:
.

.
I wanted to share Straight No Chaser’s fun a cappella version with you because it’s cute and clever, but I’m afraid this video is just vocals:
.

.
Finally, I ran across this video, taken from a live performance – it looks like these guys had a LOT of fun doing this one (for those of you who may only know Hugh Jackman from the movies, he is a HECK of a singer, with a Tony Award and several more nominations!).  This one is just a rollicking good time:
.

.
Wasn’t that fun? Well, I guess that’s enough for today – thanks for dropping by; hope to see you again tomorrow!
.

Whoever made the decision to team up Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters deserves a medal for raising the spirits of families in this country at a time when there was lots of uncertainty about what the future held in store.

Between 1939 and 1952, they recorded 47 songs together – including 6 Christmas songs – almost half of which (23) made it onto the Billboard charts (the most successful pairing of musical acts in recording history).  Many of these songs are still very popular today, even among younger listeners.

I’ve always loved the “scratchy” tone on these recordings; it gives them a unique sound and places them at a particular time in history. Whenever I hear these “old” recordings, I think of families sitting around together in their living rooms, listening to the “newest” tunes by the contemporary artists of their day. This post is for all of them.

In 1943, Bing, Patty, LaVerne, and Maxene teamed up to sing “Jingle Bells”:
.

.
Of course, the Andrews Sisters had already achieved fame as a stand-alone group before their songs with Mr. Crosby; in 1946 – just a year after the troops came home from World War II – they invited a war-weary populace to spend Christmas in a cozy little getaway on “Christmas Island”:
.

.
In 1947, Mr. Crosby and the Andrews Sisters got together again to record “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”:
.

.
In 1949, they did a cover of Gene Autry’s original composition, “Here Comes Santa Claus” – which was quite popular in its own right:
.

.
A year later (1950), Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters teamed up yet again to record a decidedly “tropical” Christmas song, “Mele Kalikimaka” – back when Hawaii was just another “exotic” destination/military base (it wouldn’t become a state for another 9 years):
.

.
Now, it wouldn’t be a “Bing Crosby” post without this one (and I didn’t dare leave this version out of the Christmas music line-up!).

In 1947, Mr. Crosby recorded this version of what would become a beloved Christmas classic – “White Christmas”. This year marks the 71st anniversary of the song’s release, and it STILL ranks #1 on the list of all-time favorite Christmas songs:
.

.
That’s it for today – I hope you have enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane as much as I have –
.

….And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. (Luke 2:8-9 KJV)
.

.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. (Luke 2:10-12 KJV)
.

.
…And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:13 KJV)
.

.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste…. (Luke 2:14-16 KJV)
.

.

I don’t know about you, but for me there are certain songs that I hear on the radio that always put me in a Christmas frame of mind. The funny thing is, they are all songs that are – for lack of a better word – “older”.

But I guess that’s the thing – they weren’t really all that “old” when I was a kid; they were the popular songs of the day. Who knows what songs the kids of today will associate with Christmas when they get older?

This one always sets the mood of the season for me – the original version of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year“, recorded by Andy Williams in 1963 (I also love Staples’ 1996 “Back to School” commercial that uses part of this song):
.

.
Perry Como had a hit with “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” back in 1951:
.

.
Dean Martin sings “Let It Snow” – and who wouldn’t want to be cuddled up someplace warm, listening to “Dino” croon this tune?:
.

.
Johnny Mathis’ “Winter Wonderland” uses different lyrics than the ones that I grew up with, but this is still one of my favorite versions of this wintertime classic:
.

.
And finally, although it may be performed “many times, many ways”, this version will ALWAYS be my favorite – Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” (“Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”):
.

.
That wraps it up for today’s musical selections – hope you have a great day!