Holiday Cheer, Part 1

I think I’ve mentioned I’m not much one for Christmas carols. But then again, who doesn’t love a bit of Schadenfreude. Few things make me happier than playing Christmas carols on my iPod before Thanksgiving in the presence of someone who likes Christmas carols less than I do.

So, from a guy who doesn’t care all that much for Christmas carols, here is the first half of my “Top 10 Favorite Christmas Music.” I hope to publish an ad hoc post before 12/25 for the other half of the list.

10. Let It Snow / Winter Wonderland / White Christmas

Okay. I guess this is cheating just a little bit. I named three carols here instead of picking just one because they all revolve around the same kind of thing: snow and cold. Snow, mostly, I guess. White Christmas is justly famous. Its inherent lyric romanticism can’t be beat. The resounding and buoyant joy of the other two always gets my toes a’ tappin’. And I love to bring a little Schadenfreude by singing them randomly to people who like snow less than I do. Especially when it’s snowing.

9. Nutcracker

For this first half of my list, the only thing composed before 1900 is this piece by Peter Tchaikovsky. It’s really a brilliant composition. What’s not to love about the music of the Nutcracker ballet? I like the ballet, too, of course, but it’s the music that I encounter year after year and I do not seem to easily tire of.

8. Linus & Lucy

Please don’t be irritated with me for having such irreligious compositions in my list. I just love this tune. There’s nothing Christmas about it. It was popularized in A Charlie Brown Christmas, but then again, it’s more of a Charlie Brown song than anything.

7. Christmas Song

“Chestnuts roasting o’er an open fire.” It doesn’t get much more Christmas-y than that! Well. Maybe except for the following tune. Then again, I am not talking about traditional carols here. All of the tunes in this first half of my top 10 don’t really have much to do with Christmas, per se. Christmas isn’t about the music, or the presents, or the decorations. It isn’t about the food, getting the house ready for guests or even the precious moments of family time that we are privileged to share.

6. Sleigh Ride

I have to confess, I did not grow up with this song. It’s one that came into my life around the same time as my wife. She is a big fan of this style of old-time Christmas song done in an era gone by (think: Johnny Mathis). It did not take long to sway me. I am convinced, the Johnny Mathis version of this song is simply the best.

For those of you who may be wondering, in the second half of my list, in addition to the much older median age of the musical composition, there is a much greater spiritual emphasis in the lyrics.