A reader question:
Hi Muffy,
May I ask a question please.
Following on from our favourite Christmas films, what are the readers favourite Christmas songs? For me it's the Pogues and Fairytale of New York.
Kind regards
Thursday, December 18, 2025
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Silent Night (Stille Nacht) sung in German. Tears well up every time I hear it. Hopefully that's not too sentimental and/or fusty.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards,
Heinz-Ulrich
It is most certainly more beautiful sung in German and is not at all too sentimental or fusty
DeleteIf you love the hymn in German, watch Joyeux Noel on Prime.
DeleteDuring the Christmas season, I listen to a channel on Pandora of instrumental versions of traditional Christmas songs, most of them French, English or German in background. (Bah! Humbug! to the secular seasonal sounds that permeate the airwaves this time of year, trying to anesthetize us into parting with our money.) Of the songs on that Pandora channel, probably the one which most reliably elicits an emotional reaction is Mannheim Steamroller’s version of Silent Night. The last few bars, with the computer generated sound of the North Wind, the sleigh bells, and the tinkling notes of a toy piano - chef’s kiss!
DeleteStille Nacht... when performed from the chapel in Oberndorf, Austria, where it was first played over 200 years ago... so peaceful and beautiful...
DeleteWalking in the Air. Massive hit in Britain in 1982. Part of the otherwise silent and ultimately sad animation 'The Snowman'. Now a Christmas institution.
DeleteWalking in the Air https://share.google/LFS2QvawWHnbkjPpV
Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses
ReplyDeleteDefinitely my favorite secular song!!
DeleteThere's so much joy in Christmas music. I love to have soft instrumental versions of traditional carols playing on Alexa throughout the house; it helps set the mood. And of course, Vince Guaraldi's music never fails to make me smile. I've also come to enjoy Koledy: traditional Polish carols that my wife first introduced me to when we were dating.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all that...
Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" gets me every time. If it comes on the radio, I will stop what I'm doing and sing along. Done deal. Sort of like if I'm channel surfing and stumble across The Godfather. I'm watching until the end.
Also, some time ago, Weezer (California-based rock and roll band) released a number of Christmas songs. Very rock and roll; very good. Five stars; would totally recommend.
But the be-all-end-all is Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". It just doesn't get any better. I will die on this hill.
-Mike
I will be the Scrooge here: I hate Christmas music. I think what killed it was to feed their ego every Pop group found it necessary to release a Christmas album. MOST poorly.
ReplyDelete“Lo How A Rose Ère Blooming” is a beautiful but often forgotten carol. David Grisman and Jerry Garcia do a wonderful banjo duet of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” You can find it on the internet.
ReplyDeleteI lean a little more modern and offer two. "Please Come Home for Christmas" by the Eagles would be the first. The second was not written as a Christmas song and was, in fact released in August as I recall but, for me, it's not Christmas until I hear "Another Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogleberg.
ReplyDeleteBaby It’s Cold Outside, also like that Phil Spector Christmas album, good stuff
ReplyDeleteJohn Lennon and Merry Christmas War Is Over. Seems ever more poignant the older I get and never more so than in the troubled world in which we currently live.
ReplyDeleteO Holy Night always makes me feel sentimental. I really like Celine Dion's version
ReplyDeleteMy favorite also. So meaningful for the real spirit of Christmas.
Deletehighly recommend Hawaiian Dennis Pavao's version sung in a beautiful falsetto voice. "Fall on your knees"
DeleteDriving Home for Christmas by Chris Rea.
ReplyDeleteChris has passed away a few weeks after releasing a new Christmas album. RIP.
DeleteI'll second that Ken. R.I.P. Chris
DeleteOnce in Royal David's City and Silent Night
ReplyDeleteFor a more modern twist, all the Christmas songs as played by Mannheim Steamroller.
ReplyDeleteCarol of the bells!
ReplyDeleteMerry Xmas Everybody by Slade and Blue Christmas by Elvis
ReplyDeleteAll of Gene Autry Christmas
ReplyDelete“Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Christmas”.
ReplyDeleteTo me it's not Christmas until I've heard Bob & Doug Mackenzie's 12 Days of Christmas or Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming To Town". Always a fan of Weird Al's "Christmas at Ground Zero" too.
ReplyDelete"I'll Be Home for Christmas"
ReplyDelete"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire"
"White Christmas"
I like the Christmas albums of Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and Michael Bublé. And Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is my favorite Christmas album of all and one of my favorite albums period.
My favorite Christmas music is Handel's "Messiah". Also love Mozart's "The Sleigh Ride". For an individual song I'm in the Silent Night camp. For the secular song, "The Little St. Nick" from The Beach Boys.
ReplyDeleteNothing … until about mid December. It starts way too early for me. Then I always like Max Lucado’s God Came Near,” album, which tells the reason for the season in word and song. For secular songs you cannot beat White Christmas” by Bing Crosby,, “Blue Christmas” by Elvis, and “Little St. Nick” by The Beach Boys. -JDV
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the lovely comments above, I would add my love for the old, the ancient, the blended songs of long ago sung by (relatively) new artists: The Holly and the Ivy by Annie Lennox and Lo How a Rose 'ere Blooming by Pete Seeger and so many others. These remind me that Time and Culture are thin lines between us all.
ReplyDeleteI love the Bach Christmas oratorio and his advent and Christmas cantatas. I love everything by Mozart, and so his sleigh ride makes the cut. I detest maudlin Christmas music. I'll Be Home For Christmas is just a downer to me. I love Messiah but think of it as Easter music. I smile for Barking Jingle Bells, the Ronettes, and the Beach Boys. I saw a Brubeck Christmas in the record store and almost popped for the $42 double album, but I think I need to audition it on Spotify first.
ReplyDeleteWhile Shepherds Watched sung to the tune of Cranbrrook. Give it a listen and you may find the tune familiar
ReplyDeleteSleigh Ride - the version conducted by Leroy Anderson
ReplyDeleteThe Waitresses' Christmas Wrapping, yes!!!
ReplyDeleteKind Seasonal Regards,
H-U
Schubert's Ave Maria - I know it's not a "Christmas" song but I very much enjoy hearing it during the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, but without that announcement there would have been no Christmas! Merry, merry to all.
DeleteIt’s good for funerals too. Not too difficult for a reasonable singer either.
DeleteAlso ‘Salve Regina’ - my old school hymn.
I've just watched the original version of Scrooge with Alastair Sim for the first time in many years. I have to admit it brought tears to my eyes!
ReplyDeleteBing Crosby and David Bowie. I can not believe these two would do a song together.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised no one has mentioned Band Aid and "Do They Know It's Christmas".
ReplyDeleteUnusually, I must disagree with you. It’s the Christmas “song" that I hate most of all. Who wants to listen to the sanctimonious preaching of wealthy pop stars who charge hundreds of dollars for stadium concert tickets? Why can’t they just give their own money to their pet causes and spare us ordinary folk from their patronising virtue signalling?
DeleteI don't disagree with you at all Ken. I was just surprised no one had mentioned it. Your reasoning is probably the reason why!
DeleteI think I just responded to this as anonymous. Didn't mean to sorry!
DeleteNo problem. Wham’s "Last Christmas" definitely deserves a mention. George Michael was very talented with a superb voice. Ironically, he died on Christmas Day in 2016. It was revealed later that he gave lot of money anonymously to those in need.
DeleteYes I agree. I think it is so sad that such a talented young man was so lonely and died so young. He did indeed give a lot of money to those in need out of genuine concern and kindness without seeking publicity for it. A lesson modern pop moguls could learn from I think
DeleteI sampled Brubeck Christmas on Spotify. Meh. Not very jazzy. However, for decent vocal jazz stylings of the season, I do like Sinatra, Krall, and Torme.
ReplyDelete“Come Darkness, Come Light” by Mary Chapin Carpenter and the “Angel’s Rejoicing” CD by Kathleen Battle and Christopher Parkening.
ReplyDeleteSorry, CD is actually “Angel’s Glory.”
DeleteMy sister has a holiday "Popover" each year where hot popovers are the featured food and everyone she knows pops over (massive crush) and brings more food. And the background music always features A Charlie Brown Christmas
ReplyDeleteby Vince Guaraldi Trio. It is great party music and is perfect for her because she reminds me of Peppermint Patty but also because it's fun without being overpowering.
Trepak, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, Nurtcracker Suite
ReplyDelete"have another Vodka, have another Vodka, Vodka always makes things right"
Cheers
"River" by Joni Mitchell (on her "Blue" album), and Bruce Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (especially the talking intro).
ReplyDeleteIn the Bleak Midwinter
ReplyDelete