Christmas music

I can tell you what I truly can't stand- americanised, synthesised Christmas music on a loop in commercial centres. Makes me want to scream and run.

Love a good Carol though.

I've heard of Three Kings from Persian Lands Afar. In fact it was my favourite at school too!

Yes, I love carols, but there is a very tacky Christmas album which we always play on Christmas Day called 'A Very Merry Disco' by the Sleighriders. Oh the wonderful naffness of it!

My school time favourite was We Three Kings

My favourite modern pop Christmas song is I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfY4b1NszpY

And I really dislike everyone's favourite, Fairy Tale of New York, I don't mind the lyrics. I just can't stand the song.

Oh and I rather like John and Oko's, Happy Christmas, (War is Over)

For a traditional carol Silent Night has been my life long favourite.

For a lively session I love “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. Lovely memories of dancing and singing along to it throughout December with my GC the past 2 years.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, Annie Lenox

m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlsJD8RlhbI

Lennox .. ?

Our grocery stores have already started playing Christmas music! Oh I wish they would wait until Dec. 1

I do love Christmas music, but my goodness, it gets tiresome after a few weeks!

I love lots of varieties, from Dean Martin to Mary's Boy Child by Boney M. Years ago I had a CD of Caribbean Christmas music, but I have somehow lost it. I mostly stream music now, so will put on a mix when at home.

My favourite carol is ‘It Came Upon The Midnight Clear’.

When DS was a newish baby, 1976, Johnny Mathis’s ‘When A Child Is Born’ was in the charts.
Always felt it was just for me and my darling baby.

Once in Royal David's City as it heralds the beginning of Christmas eve night when everything is organised and I sit down. And In the Bleak Midwinter.

My daughter works in retail and she dreads the morning early in November when one Christmas song creeps on to the store loudspeaker set up each day another will join it till it goes on the whole day round and round on a loop. Drives her and her colleagues crazy.

I like Three Kings from Persian Lands Afar, too, Georgesgran. Possibly my favourite of recent Christmasses has been Bob Chilcott’s Shepherds Carol. It’s so serene and the words are perfectly lovely. Harold Darke’s In The Bleak Midwinter, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio for Christmas morning because it’s joyful. And you have to have a bit of John Rutter don’t you? I think it will only be the music that will keep me going this Christmas.

Oh Holy Night is definitely my favourite, oddly enough I prefer to hear it sung by young boys or girls, but I think that is a throughback from school. I do enjoy Fairytale of New York, for the upbeat music rather than the words.

Conversely I have a memory from the 50s, when it seemed to me that every Christmas Eve a short opera called Amahl and the Night Visitor was on TV. My memory of it was that it seemed to be filmed in the dark and was so unlike the usual cheery Christmas music that I found it very depressing. I must try to track it down and see what I feel about it now, I remember my grandparents really enjoyed it.

One of my favourites to sing in a choir is Going to Bethlehem. It's a 4 part carol sung acapella (without music, as all our music is sung) and it's beautiful and a carol you can really perform.

I too like Three Kings from Persian lands afar, Little Donkey, it reminds me of when my children were small, In the Deep Midwinter and I do like Fairytale of New York. Oh, nearly forgot, A Spaceman came Travelling.

Oh Holy Night, In the Bleak Midwinter and Silent Night are my favs. But loved Ding Dong Merrily on High as so cheerful.

I certainly know 'Three kings from Persian Lands afar' and I love Holy Night.

I am a real Christmas enthusiast, I do not mean the tacky commercialism and as someone whose chosen music is always classical, It is the carols, not the commercial songs I love.

I learnt German at school and the teacher was also the music teacher so we learnt a lot of our German through song - Christms carols (Es ist ein rose entsprungen, Stille nacht) as well as Schumann lieder.

Oh Holy Night, We Three Kings, Silent Night, in fact most of the lovely old carols.

I have an old CD that plays Christmas Songs by Phill Spector. Love it, and often play it when I make the mince meat for the pies in early December.

Not an obvious choice, but I love Mozart’s Three German Dances with its Christmas/ sleigh bells.

youtu.be/7AmWu2zLzrU
My all time favourite. Gabriel’s Message sung by the choir of Kings College.

The good thing about not going into shops this Christmas which I’m not is I don’t hear all the tacky canned music. The Holly and the Ivy was mum’s favourite so I always think of her when I hear it.

I love “Oh Holy Night” too Georgesgran.
Many females have recorded it but I prefer it to be sung by male voices. My two favourites are the versions by Il Divo, male quartet and Johnny Mathis.

I know we don’t get much snow at Christmas these days, but I love Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride; also Delius’s Sleigh Ride, and ‘Troika’, from Prokofiev’s ‘Lieutenant Kije’.