Today's Song: Parade of the Wooden Soldiers by Harry Connick Jr.
Why I love it: This is another one I loved as a kid. It is such a fun song. I loved imagining all of the toys coming to life and having a party after Santa left his workshop. Even though Santa is never mentioned specifically, I always pictured him as the toy shop owner. Also, the music just makes you want to dance. I played this song for my preschool class yesterday and they immediately started marching along to the music. It was adorable.
It's interesting how portrayals of Santa have changed these days. I saw a Christmas cartoon from the Disney Channel a few weeks ago about Santa's elves. Apparently, instead of magic, Santa now uses an Internet database to keep track of the Naughty/Nice list. Also, his elves have electronic gadgets and communicate with Santa on walkie-talkies...or maybe they were cell phones. Anyway, I just thought it was interesting that magic had been replaced by technology.
Why I love it: This is another rockin' Christmas song. It would be perfect to play at a holiday party. The melody is catchy and puts a smile on my face every time. The lyrics are a little bit nonsensical, but for this song it works perfectly.
Why I love it: As I mentioned previously, I love snow. I always dream of a white Christmas, and I'm always excited when we get fresh snow. It seems like an extra gift. To top it off, this version rocks. I love the background vocals. It was featured in another of my favorite Christmas movies, Home Alone. Unfortunately, if I want to sing along with this song, I need to resort to lip-syncing too (at least for the first verse). My range is definitely less "The Drifters" and more "The Chipmunks."
Today's song: The 12 Days of Christmas by John Denver & The Muppets
Why I love it: FIIIIIIIVE...GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLD...RIIIIIIIIINGS!!! (Ba-dam-bam) What's not to love about the Muppets? This is another song that brings back childhood memories. I also love A Muppet Christmas Carol, with Statler and Waldorf as Jacob and Robert Marley.
Today's song: Everyone's A Kid at Christmas Time by Stevie Wonder
Why I love it: This is another song that just captures the spirit of the season. There is so much to enjoy around Christmas and it brings out the best in people (even Scrooge!). The tune is catchy and upbeat. I love the piano at the beginning.
Today's song: Christmastime (Oh Yeah) by Barenaked Ladies
Why I love it: This song captures the spirit of the holidays perfectly: spending time with family, taking pleasure in small things, singing Christmas carols. And sometimes, the best way to express your feelings is with a big, contented "Oh yeah!" One of the reasons BNL is one of my favorite lines is because their voices sound very melodic, which often contrasts nicely with the off-the-wall lyrics they write. What else would you expect from the band who once famously concluded, "If I had a million dollars/(If I had a million dollars!)/If I had a million DOLLLAAARRRRS...I'd be rich!"
I love music, and there are some Christmas songs that always put a huge grin on my face. There are some I can't stand, too, but for now I am going to talk about one favorite song for each day leading up to Christmas. After Christmas I might do a feature on "Christmas songs I'm glad I won't hear for another year."
Anyway, I have a bit of catching up to do, so let us jump right in!
December 1: You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch by Thurle Ravenscroft
Why I love it: This is the closest thing to an anti-Christmas song you will find on my list. The Grinch is one of those villains you just love to hate. Plus, it's sung by Thurle Ravenscroft, who also voiced Tony the Tiger for years of Frosted Flakes commercials.
December 2: Deck the Stills by Barenaked Ladies
Why I love it: I love BNL. Their album "Barenaked For the Holidays" has more favorites on my list than any other album. Oddly enough, it also has some songs which I can't stand, but I find this one hilarious. It's such a simple concept: singing "Deck the Halls" but replacing all the lyrics with "Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young."
December 3: (It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus by Harry Connick Jr.
Why I love it: The other album which contains several of my favorite songs is Harry Connick Jr.'s "When My Heart Finds Christmas." This was the album we would always play at my house when we were decorating the tree or baking Christmas cookies, so it definitely has a nostalgic feel for me now. This song is jazzy and the chorus has me singing along every time. Fun fact: for the longest time, I thought the phrase "big red hat" was "favorite hat," like the kid in the song had lost his favorite hat at some point in the past but Santa magically found it for him.
December 4: Winter Wonderland by Amy Grant
Why I love it: I love snow. I feel like it's compensation for dealing with the cold--the newly fallen snow makes everything look fresh and clean, even if I do need to bundle up in a puffy jacket and two layers of gloves. I love walking through the snow when it's coming down, because it does feel like a fantasy world. Also, Amy Grant has a marvelous voice.
December 5: Frosty, the Snow Man by Canadian Brass
Why I love it: ONE MORE TIME! Because you know what happens when Frosty gets hot...Also, the world needs more tuba.
December 6: Blue Christmas by Porky Pig
Why I love it: I heard this song for the first time several years ago, when our family decided for the first (and last) time to tune our radios to Chicago's Lite FM, which plays nothing but Christmas music between Halloween and New Year's. It seemed like they were playing Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" every ten minutes, so this version was a welcome break. I could not stop cracking up the first time I heard it.
Check back every day (hopefully!) for the next song on my list.
