My Favorite Holiday Music

I love Christmas holidays and I especially love the music that you hear a lot more of during the season.  (Yes, I really am a music-lover!)  While many songs are religion-based, there are also many that are non-denominational cheerful carols you can sing to bring uplifting spirits to everyone around you.  Who doesn’t get their winter blues chased away after listening to timeless classics like “Jingle Bells” or “Frosty the Snowman?” What about the humorous classics “I’m Getting Nuttin’ For Christmas?” and “All I Want For Christmas Are My Two Front Teeth”?

When you take a moment to really try and take away the stress of modern day-to-day living, take away the cynicism of non-conformists, and take away the negativity of those who simply can’t stand to see others in celebration around them, you can feel the true meaning of “holiday spirit”. Remember – that’s the lesson that the Grinch learned after he tried to steal Christmas away from everyone in Whoville?

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

There’s so much variety in holiday music today that a music lover like me can have a favorite in almost every genre. When it comes to children’s holiday music, I really love the music from A Charlie Brown Christmas(TM). Perhaps those of you who enjoyed the cartoons of the 70s can remember the scene where Schroeder plays the piano and everyone is dancing happily around him. That was just so fun to watch – even as I grew up!

When it comes to religious holiday music, I really love “What Child Is This?” because it’s so endearing and mellowing. I love it sung acapella and I love it even when it’s played instrumentally. I can even play it on the piano!

Rock musicians have also created some pretty good holiday music or recorded timeless classics which they’ve adapted to their styles. My personal favorite holiday music from the rock music category would have to be the Band Aid tune “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” which was recorded as part of a huge fundraising effort by the musicians involved. That song always gives me goosebumps, reminding me that there are less fortunate people out there that need help. We – the more fortunate ones – should never forget that because life could’ve been the other way around and we could be the ones needing help.

There’s also a genre of music that has become very popular with the coming of the Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO for short). It’s called the rock opera. If you haven’t already heard them, you really should. So I’m posting a YouTube video of TSO performing my favorite TSO tune called “Christmas Eve Sarajevo”. The music totally rocks!