Ten on Tuesday

Ten Favorite Holiday Songs.  ONLY TEN!!!!  How on earth can I narrow it down to JUST TEN!?   I have been thinking about this for days.  How to narrow it down in a way that shares with you some really good stuff, but doesn't take me all night and day to come up with.  I'm still thinking.  There are the fun songs, the relaxing, calm songs, the jazz, the rock, the classical, new age, vocal......  AACK!  I just don't think I can do it.  It helps that I did write about this last year.  Go ahead, read the loves and hates, I'll wait until you get back.

Done?  Good.  I think I'll share with you ten of my newest favorites, how is that?  Or, maybe not my newest, but the ones that have been getting the most play so far this year.  Here goes, I hope you have some time on your hands, because this got a little out of control:

1. Liz Story:  The Gift.  A good one to chill by.  I love the eight track which concludes with the hymn O King Of Light and Splendor.
2. Ella Wishes You A Swingin' Christmas.  Do I really need to say anything?
   
3. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.  This one is a blast from my childhood.
    
4. Jane Monheit:  The Season.  I love her rendition of I Love The Winter Weather/I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.  This is another good cut from that album: 
    
5. Louis Armstrong:  What a Wonderful Christmas.  He has company and does anyone do Santa Baby better than Eartha Kitt?  I think not.
   
6. John Denver and the Muppets A Christmas Together. I just love this album, every song on it is just perfect.  Like this one and this one (from Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas-that on makes me cry for some reason) and this one.....
   
7. I'm a sucker for the Windham Hill's A Winter's Solstice compilations, they are so calming in this busy season.  The fourth and fifth are my favorites and get the most play, but I really depend on them all to get me through the stress of the season.
8. Jimmy Buffet's Christmas Island is a favorite, but I have to admit that it makes me wistful for another holiday on Maui.
   
   
9. It is pretty well known around here that my favorite Christmas recording is the Manhattan Transfer's Christmas Album. They followed that up with A Capella Christmas. You can hear bits of music from both on this YouTube video of an Emeril Live show. Mostly bits of songs, but fun to sit through. They were also on a Tony Bennett special, this video is also a long one:
   
10. And you know that The Ray Conniff Singers and Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole all get a LOT of play around here. I can't let go of the nostalgia of my youth, no matter how much the kids make fun of me.
    
    This one is just so blue and purty:
    
    
    And my favorite Christmas movie, we watch it on my birthday every year:
    

Twenty-two to go! They had better not take as long as this one did!

Comments

[Laurie]

Great links!!

[margene]

We bought the YoYo Ma Songs of Joy and Peace yesterday. It's full of favorites songs and artists. I listened most of last night. Thank you for recommending it.

[Carole]

It was hard to do this one, you're right! And you went to the extra work of adding all those links, too. Good job.

[Marcia]

Before she was the JANE MONHEIT, she sang with a little group of jazz musicians put together by a high school buddy of one of my sons. Through that relationship, we actually had her sing at another son's wedding. Who knew?! I still love The Messiah of all music associated with Christmas.

[Lisa McGuire]

Remember the show Ally McBeal? Well, there is an Ally McBeal Christmas CD "A Very Ally Christmas" featuring Vonda Shepard and it is one of my frequently played CDs this time of year. Every song on the CD is very nice, with exception being Robert Downey Jr. singing "River" with Vonda Shepard...that song goes on repeat for a good half hour. :) He has such a nice voice!

[jill]

Bought Yo Yo Ma this evening at Target. Thanks for that title. Now I must have Joan Monheit. We are huge fans of White Christmas. I never fail to shed tears when all the men stand at attention for their General. Great holiday post.