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Christmas Music - When and What?
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Author:  Johnny's Fan [ November 14th, 2010, 8:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Christmas Music - When and What?
I know this should technically be in the music section, but there's not a great deal of traffic there at the moment. :-)

When do people break out the Christmas songs generally? I just felt like listening to some right now, and it seems to fit. I tried a week ago and it felt... meh. I usually wait until later this month or even December before I start listening.

What songs do you like? I like traditional carols, but I also love the songs of the 40's and 50's singers - Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr, Perry Como, Nat King Cole etc. The jazzy and happy ones are so much fun. :D "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Perry Como also really reminds me of my early childhood when I first saw the film Gremlins, and this song was playing in the background when the mother was about to microwave one of them. :teehee: Not very Christmassy but still. :P

"Marshmellow World" with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra is probably my favourite of all. :yes:
Author:  Lothy [ November 14th, 2010, 8:36 pm ]
Post subject: 
I usually refuse to play any (or sing them) until at least the second week in December. I get stubborn and extremely stern with myself for things like that. Though I admit I have been admiring some of the decorations that are on sale at the moment. B&Q have some lovely traditional looking ones. I am chief decorator in out house and get crazy possessive about the tree. My dad use to love helping me but now I literally growl and snap at anyone who comes within two meters of me and my decorations :P

As for favorite songs? Stop the Cavalry and Little Drummer Boy have to be my top two at the moment.
Author:  Johnny's Fan [ November 14th, 2010, 8:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Haha, I'm the same. I do all the decorating in our house, and only my brother can touch the tree and help. :P

Already been buying Christmas decorations - bought the first lot of the year sometime in September. :tongue: Pretty much all the presents have been bought, just going for some Christmas nosh tomorrow as well.

Haven't been to a B&Q yet, but the adverts look very Christmassy.

Ah, do not be so stubborn. Spread the festive cheer. :wave: I like Little Drummer Boy as well. :-)
Author:  Nurrantiel Mashiara [ November 14th, 2010, 11:49 pm ]
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Oh, Christmas music. How I always have battles about you. :teehee:

Christmas music that is Christian (ie celebrating Christ's birth) I play year round. I see no reason why I should confine my celebration to only one month. Not everyone else shares my viewpoint, so I get lots of weird looks. :P

Regular ol' seasonal music I play anytime after it gets cold. Once I have my hot chocolate and snuggle in a blanket, I'm ready to play any of them. Mostly in December, though. I love any of the old classic ones and instrumental/choral music. We always played a mishmosh of Christmas music while decorating when I was young, so all of those bring the season spirit to me.
Author:  Johnny's Fan [ November 14th, 2010, 11:53 pm ]
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Ah, yes. It's truly Christmas if you decorate the tree whilst listening to Jingle Bells.

Great for car journeys as well. :yes:
Author:  Lor En Estel [ November 15th, 2010, 10:30 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nurrantiel Mashiara wrote:
Christmas music that is Christian (ie celebrating Christ's birth) I play year round. I see no reason why I should confine my celebration to only one month. Not everyone else shares my viewpoint, so I get lots of weird looks. :P.


I agree. Every once in awhile my church will sing Christmas music in the middle of July. I find it fun!

This Saturday I'll hear some Christmas music because of a concert I'm going to! After that all Christmas music will have to wait till after Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving I start listening to it nonstop. The old carols, the new songs, anything really. I like some of the new renditions of the old songs, but nothing beats Burl Ive singing Holly Jolly Christmas!

I love decorating for Christmas!! Once we get home from seeing family I bring out all the boxes. I might get some new lights to put up in other parts of the house, but I don't know. Stupid gas money for college is eating up my Christmas decorating money. I love having friends to help me decorate though. It's so much fun! Ginger bread house building contests, figuring out new ways to set up the lights, ect. It's just a good time. I'm so looking forward to it!

Also, Jf, I am in love with your Frank Sinatra banner. He is my hero! I love his music. I break into song every time I see your status. "Luck be a lady tonight...." Hahaha!
Author:  Johnny's Fan [ November 17th, 2010, 11:46 am ]
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Ah, yes I really like Burl Ives as well, although I haven't got that song anywhere.

*hunts on Youtube*

My favourite songs are those sung by the Rap Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. Such class. And so much fun. :D

I love decorating as well. Every year my mum says we're not buying anything else, and every year I have more things to put up. :teehee: As long as it's done well and with taste, you can never have too many Christmas decorations.

Thank you. :D I love him as well. Fantastic actor, singer and overall just a great man. :-)
Author:  Zandaïn [ November 17th, 2010, 5:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
Christmas music, hmmm....touchy subject under my roof.
I prefere waiting until around the first Sunday of Advent (which is usually the last weekend of November) - makes the Xmas season something special for me and my kids.
That said, my kids often have to practice singing/playing for the school´s Xmas pagent.
Practice starts before December, so quite a bit of caroling does go on in the house, before Advent.

My all-time favs are,
Adeste Fidelis
O Come O Come Emmanuel
Little Drummer Boy
Do You Hear What I Hear?
and a Danish carol called,
En rose så jeg skyde

and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeVUnGQOIk
Author:  MontanaBohemian [ November 17th, 2010, 6:30 pm ]
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I find Christmas music played before the month of December highly annoying. :lol:

I don't WANT to think about Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving. But, apparently people go from Halloween straight to Christmas (in the States) and completely forget Thanksgiving. I do NOT want to hear Christmas music for two months straight. CURSE BUSINESS CORPORATIONS. *grumble grumble grumble*

I do in fact enjoy Christmas music. For the most part. It's all very festive and great for getting you in the holiday spirit and nice to have playing at parties and when you're decorating, etc.

There is a radio station in town that usually after Thanksgiving pretty much only plays Christmas music and I occassionly listen to that in December only. I don't personally make the conscious choice to play Christmas music much. Except, EXCEPT, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I for some reason, have acquired a ridiculous amount of holiday music - so I have a playlist for it all, and Christmas morning I just hit play. XD

But I don't mind it so much in December if I don't hear it 24/7. Otherwise I go nuts.

I was shopping in Old Navy a couple weeks ago, and they were playing Christmas music. WHAT? :blink:

I forgot to add what music I do like.

Generally like the ... golden oldies of Christmas music. From the 50s and 60s.
Also I like more instrumental holiday music rather than having really annoying lyrics that are determined to get stuck in your head.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - because they make Christmas music epic.
Josh Groban - because it's Josh Groban.

Annnnd that's all I can think of off the top of my head.
Author:  Altariel Frodo [ November 17th, 2010, 8:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
I typically start in on Christmas music around Thanksgiving, though I might listen to a little bit started at the beginning of November.

I usually listen to more modern renditions of older Christmas tunes, or else original Christmas work by artists I like-- notably Relient K's Christmas CD, or Family Force 5's. Also Josh Groban's Christmas album.

I try to start practicing playing Christmas music (on the piano and guitar) around Thanksgiving as well. I really should start earlier, so I could learn them better before Christmas, but I get too caught up in school until Thanksgiving reminds me. :teehee:
Author:  ErulissëEnethNîn [ November 18th, 2010, 7:16 pm ]
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I can start playing Christmas music in July, though I have to admit, the closer to December you are, the better the feeling. I prefer carols and traditional songs, though there are some good modern (or relatively modern) songs as well. I don't like the "oldies" (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole etc) at all. There's nothing Christmassy about them to me.

I don't really care for the lyrical content in most Christmas songs, but the melodies are awesome and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Favorite carols/traditionals:
Good King Wenceslas
Once In Royal David's City
Deck The Halls
The Little Drummer Boy
Ding Dong Merrily On High
Joy To The World
I Saw Three Ships
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen
Forunderligt At Sige
När Det Lider Mot Jul
Gläns Över Sjö Och Strand
Bereden Väg För Herran


Anders Öhrwall, a Swedish composer, conductor and musical arranger has done some really incredible renditions of traditional Christmas carols for choirs. Listen to his arrangement of Ding Dong Merrily On High below, he's turned the choir into bells:

Ding Dong Merrily On High
Author:  Taurquende [ November 22nd, 2010, 6:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
I love Christmas music! I start listening to it as early as possible because, hey, you can only listen to it one time of the year! Might as well take advantage. ;) So I think I started about October, or whenever it got cold enough to feel like Christmas.

My favorite has always been this CD by the Boston Pops Orchestra. I like it because a lot of the tracks are actually medleys of carols and songs, and they're really well put together. They also have some lesser known carols that are really wonderful! (I've never heard "Bright, bright, the holy berries" or "Night Bethlehem" anywhere else, and they're two of my favorites.) When I was a child I used to love it because it had a picture of Santa conducting an orchestra of reindeer on the cover, which I thought was really clever and hilarious :P, and also because they have a sing-a-long! We definitely have a home movie somewhere of me singing Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer with this CD. :lol:

I also love listening to The Nutcracker, and I try to catch the ballet when they broadcast it on PBS, too. :D

I like Josh Groban's Christmas album because he has such an amazing voice (of course), but I admit I generally like more festive music than what he sings. Still, "Little Drummer Boy" and "Angels We Have Heard on High" are my favorites of his. Emmy Rossum also did a Christmas EP a couple of years ago, which had a really neat version of "Carol of the Bells."

But my absolute favorite thing to listen to at Christmas time is Michael Crawford singing "O Holy Night." It's just gorgeous. :swoon:
Author:  Larael [ November 23rd, 2010, 1:19 am ]
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Just thought I'd mention that as of yesterday I heard my first Christmas song of the season, and it's not even the end of November. What is the world coming to?
Author:  Sairahiniel [ November 23rd, 2010, 1:52 am ]
Post subject: 
I confess that I always wait for the snow before allowing myself to begin to even think of Christmas. This year, it only just arrived last week, which is wonderful, because I got to torment myself for longer than usual :P

I have to confess that I kind of enjoy all the old, classical caroling things that always make me think of what I imagine an English Christmas maybe back in the 30's or 40's. Wexford Carol, Christmas Pipes, Carol of the Bells...

Celtic Woman does this one Irish carol in Christmas that I ADORE. Vocals are amazing, it's really soft and pretty, and I can literally listen to it by a fire with drinking chocolate and feel all lovely inside.
Author:  Nienna Anárion [ November 23rd, 2010, 2:22 am ]
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My work started to play X-Mas music yesterday! Really darned early, I think. It's mixed with the normal 'music' too.
I would so prefer something instrumental instead.
Author:  Lor En Estel [ November 24th, 2010, 5:59 pm ]
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@JF: Yay! Someone else who shares my love of the Rat Pack!!!!

I went to a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert Saturday. The first half of their show is always a Christmas story and the lest half is a mix a Christmas music and other random music. So that was my beginning of Christmas music. However, I am making myself wait till after Thanksgiving to bring out my own Christmas music.

The show was very epic though. All sorts of fire and lazer lights!!! Always a good show. They're a rock orchestra. Their music is good, but the added lights and fire just makes it even better. I love the classic Christmas music, but there is just something about Christmas music when done this way.
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