It's from one of her more recent albums: And Winter Came.

^^ thanks! that's beautiful!

We've piles of snow now, so let the Christmas music begin!

I met friends for lunch today at the local Potbelly Sandwich Shop, which touts live entertainment as part of its menu.

The solo guitarist began his set with "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Not one of my favorites by any means, but the little kids in the very-crowded restaurant enjoyed it. The rest of the performance tended to be regular, non-Christmas music, but I was reminded of this thread as soon as he began playing.

I dearly love Christmas music. I have a library of over 100 songs. Most of it is Contemporary Christian. What I like the most (outside of the traditional songs) are the unique songs done by Christian artists like "I need a silent night" by Amy Grant and Avalon's rendition of "Joy to the World".

Some of the stuff I have is:

Avalon
Phillips Craig and Dean (I want their new album that just came out!)
Trans Siberian Orchestra
Mannheim Steam Roller
Michael W. Smith
Point of Grace
Amy Grant

Another favorite is the soundtrack to the Charlie Brown Christmas movie.

I have a very great love/hate relationship with Christmas music. Usually by the end of the Christmas season, it is the one thing I am sooo incredibly sick of I'm not sorry to see it disappear for another 11 months.

In the past couple years, I've really gotten hooked on Trans-Siberian Orchestra and that's usually what I listen to the most. I also like a lot of Mannheim Steamroller. My parents are huge fans of Celtic Woman's Christmas CD and I like that one too.

Ah, yes, music is one of my favorite things about Christmas! But I don't like listening to it before Thanksgiving. I like my holidays separated.
Some of my favorites are:
O Come All Ye Faithful
Good Christian Men Rejoice
Angels We Have Heard on High
God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Deck the Halls

Along with others I'm sure I'm forgetting. I'm also quite a fan of the Relient K Christmas album, Let It Snow Baby...Let it Reindeer.

Also, they don't play All I Want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus nearly often enough.

And how could I forget that song? Unfortunately, my radio station doesn't ever play it.

Oh I love Christmas music, they were playing it today on whatever radiostation was on in the dining hall...

My favs:

1) Silver Bells
2) The First Noel
3) Mary, Did You Know
4) The Christmas Shoes
5) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

A couple of 'silly songs' that are seasonal, if not related to the true meaning of Christmas:

Rusty Chevrolet by Da Yoopers (a group that takes its name from the local nickname for residents of Michigan's Upper Peninsula). Sung to the tune of "Jingle Bells." Note the guy digging his car out of the snow at the beginning (the UP gets legendary lake effect snowfalls). And cars up here rust out thanks to all the salt used on the roads in the winter.

A one-time local tradition here was something called the "Lutefisk Lament," broadcast each December on a local radio station. A 4 MB download is available here (scroll down or search for "lutefisk"). It's really a parody of "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and the text can be found here if you prefer.

(Lutefisk - cod soaked in lye - might be a holiday tradition here among those of Scandinavian descent, but I've only had it once. The poem's references to its strong aroma are only slightly exaggerated. )

Oh! Carols! You shouldn't have got me started... Fortunately for all concerned I don't have a lot of time to post at the moment, so I will confine myself to a list of my favorites and try to get back with you...

What Child is This
Coventry Carol
Silent Night (original German preferred)
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
We Three Kings
The Salvation Army (rather obscure song)

I prefer classical instrumental, choir, and celtic type performances, but am generally flexible. I do like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's tracks Christmas Canon and The Three Kings and I (What Really Happened)

I must say that I love the new Glee Christmas CD. Same songs as we are used to it, but I just love their take on it.

Last Christmas is among my favorites.

The whole 'flash mob' thing is new to me, but here's a video of one done in a shopping center food court to Handel's Hallelujah chorus. Gives me goosebumps - and I loved seeing the smiling faces of those listening.
Just awesome...

Does it make me a scrooge if I really don't like Christmas music?!

Perhaps being force-fed Christmas radio for two months was to blame

Mannheim Steamroller is quite awesome, especially in concert. A rocky version of heaven, let's say.

Has anyone heard Bebo Norman's Christmas From the Realms of Glory album? His Born to Die, What Child is This, Christmas Time is Here, Rebel Jesus, Silver Bells, ahh, pure awesome.

Oooh I forgot about Celtic Woman! Christmas Pipes is awesome.

And don't get me started on Christmas radio music. The Japanese should have used it in WWII to drive their prisoners crazy.

These are some of my favorite Christmas songs to hear:
How Many Kings--Downhere
Strange Way to Save the World--4Him
Breath of Heaven--Amy Grant
I Need A Silent Night--Amy Grant
Mary Did You Know--Michael English
You gotta get up--Rich Mullins
Christmas is all in the heart--Steven Curtis Chapman.
This baby--Steven Curtis Chapman.

I'm not really big on Christmas music. I like to listen to it once in awhile. As in once a week if that, during the Christmas season. There are a few I like though. Mostly non-traditional music because I hear Christmas hymns so much that they end up being annoying.

-What Child Is This?

-Aleutian Noel by Lynda Lybeck-Robinson. You've probably never heard of this. This is a song that my piano teacher, a self-publishing singer/songwriter/pianist, wrote and has on her "Aleutian Noel" CD. (It's on iTunes if you want to look it up. )

-Carol of the Bells. My favorite version is my piano teacher's 5 minute piano solo of this song that is on that ^^^ CD. It's so beautiful!! I also like BarlowGirl's version but their version is Carol of the Bells/Sing We Now of Christmas mash-up and I don't really like Sing We Now of Christmas so I only like the Carol of the Bells part of that song.

-Nateekin Snowfall by Lynda Lybeck-Robinson. Also on my piano teacher's CD. This song is a piano solo that she wrote for the CD. It's gorgeous!

-Nebo i Zemlya by Lynda Lybeck-Robinson. This is a Russian Christmas song that my piano teacher has on her CD as well.

-In Like a Lion (Always Winter) by RelientK. This song is based on The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. (So how can I help by like it?) It's a gorgeous song. It's one of only three songs by RelientK that I like (the other two are Be My Escape and The Pirates who Don't Do Anything lol)

-Hallelujah (Light Has Come) by BarlowGirl. BarlowGirl wrote this song for their "Home For Christmas" album. It's a really beautiful song.

-O Holy Night. I love singing this song!

-A Strange Way to Save the World by Jump5. I love this song!!!

-While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns. This isn't really a Christmas song but it was based off of O Little Town of Bethlehem so it counts.

-Sleigh Ride by Jump5

-I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. I have to put this on the list. It's SO funny and cute!!!

-The Holly and the Ivy

-Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabella

-Ding Dong Merrily on High

-Saving Up Christmas. I'm not sure who this is by. It was on a "Christmas in the Northwest" CD (vol 7 I think) that had a picture of Santa on a snowboard on the front. Anyway, it was a really good song.

When Christmas time comes around, I put away all other music and revel in the atmosphere that Christmas music brings. When I was younger we only had two tapes and then later on one CD of Christmas music, but now my brother downloaded a whole bunch of Christmas music! I really like Blackmore Night's Christmas album! I also really love The Irish Rovers!

My favorite carols are:
1.The First Noel
2. Silent Night
3. Christmas Eve