Christmas, Vol. 2

I love Christmas. As I'm writing this post I'm watching It's A Wonderful Life (one of my absolute favorite Christmas movies that makes me cry a little harder each year), wearing a Christmas shirt from Puppie Love and snowman socks. But I can't lie to ya'll - it's been way more difficult this year, more difficult than any other year I can think of, for me to get into the Christmas spirit, and I know I can't be the only one that's true for this year. One day last week, my Christmas playlist was on shuffle and Leslie Odom Jr.'s Winter Song came on and I just started bawling because the lyrics so described how this whole year has felt for all of us at one point or another. Christmas music has always been a big comfort to me, like cracking open an old favorite book, no matter how many times I hear covers of the same song. So like last year, I'm highlighting 12 Christmas songs (since there's 12 days of Christmas, duh) that I've gotten the warm fuzzies from this season and I hope that you do, as well.

Joy To The World by Alex Newell (written by G. Handel, I. Watts)

This cover of the Christmas classic was featured on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol. 3 in 2012. Alex Newell, who played Unique Adams in Seasons 3-6 of the hit Fox show, absolutely NAILS this album exclusive version just like he nails every other song he's ever had placed in front of him, and it's so high energy and uplifting to listen to.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come/Let earth receive her King/Let every heart prepare Him room/And Heaven and nature sing, and Heaven and nature sing/And Heaven, and Heaven and nature sing/Joy to the world, the Savior reigns/Let men their songs employ/While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains/Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy/Repeat, repeat the sounding joy

Adore by Chris Tomlin (written by M. Chalk, G. Kendrick)

Featured on Tomlin's 2015 live album Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship, this is a beautiful worship song with samples of classic Christmas carol O Come All Ye Faithful. There's something really calming about Christmas worship songs to lift you out of the oversaturated commercialism of this time of year and remind you what the true reason for the season is.

You stepped down from Heaven, humbly You came/God of all creation, here with us/In a starlit manger, Emmanuel/Light of the world, here to save/Adore, come let us adore/Oh, come let us adore Him/The Lord, worship Christ the Lord/Let all that is within us adore

The Friendly Beasts by Garth Brooks (written by C. Louvin, I. Louvin)

Featured on his 1992 holiday album Beyond the Season, country music phenomenon Garth Brooks' cover of this song isn't super easy to find since he isn't streaming on Apple Music and a lot of his music can only be accessed on Amazon Music Unlimited, not by simply asking Alexa to play it. This imagining of the birth of Jesus from the point of view of the animals in the stable has been one of my favorite Christmas songs since I was a little girl, and you can find it on YouTube pretty easily, which I highly suggest if you're not familiar or haven't heard it in a while.

Jesus, our brother, kind and good/Was humbly born in a stable of wood/And the friendly beasts around Him stood/Jesus, our brother, kind and good/"I," said the donkey, shaggy and brown/"I carried his mother uphill and down/I carried her safely to Bethlehem town/I," said the donkey, shaggy and brown

The First Noel by Josh Groban ft. Faith Hill (written by P. Faith)

Featured on Groban's 2007 holiday album Noël, this was my favorite version of this song until Leslie Odom Jr. took over that slot a few years ago. Groban and Hill's voices compliment each other beautifully, and the backing by the choir gives this song the angelic feel it deserves.

The first Noel the angels did say/Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay/In fields where they lay keeping their sheep/On a cold winter's night that was so deep/Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel/Born is the King of Israel

Ave Maria by Leslie Odom, Jr. (Traditional Lyrics)

Featured on his 2016 album Simply Christmas, Odom has exactly the type of voice that this sacred text deserves. I'm extremely picky when it comes to Ave Maria after four semesters of Diction in college (and singing this song 2 or 3 times in eight semesters of choir) because a lot of artists just don't get correctly coached on proper Latin pronunciation, by Odom really truly does a spectacular job on it. An English translation of the Latin lyrics is below.

Hail Mary, full of grace/Mary, full of grace, Mary, full of grace/Hail, hail queen/The Lord is with thee/Blessed are you among women/And blessed will you be/And blessed is the fruit of your womb/Of your womb, Jesus/Hail Mary

We Three Gentlemen by Lindsey Stirling (arranged by L. Stirling)

Featured on Stirling's 2017 holiday album Warmer In The Winter, this mashup of We Three Kings, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and Carol of the Bells is really magical to listen to. I've been a big fan of Stirling's work for a lot of years now - I think she's an extremely talented violinist, she's got a great arranging and composing skill, and she's a blast to watch perform. She of course has a beautiful music video to go along with this piece, but it's just as great to listen to on its own.

Hold On Christmas by MercyMe (written by B. Graul, B. Millard, B. Shive, E. Bannister, M. Scheuchzer, N. Cochran, R. Shaffer)

Featured on MercyMe's 2015 holiday album MercyMe, It's Christmas!, this is a really fun feel-good song to help get you in the holiday mood. Whether you're driving home from another state, from college, or just from work a few miles away, this is a feeling everyone can relate to, especially the week of Christmas.

The colder it gets outside, the more it warms my soul/And Christmas is on my mind, I just gotta make it home/Oh, it won't be long 'til I am singing to the rhythm of the Salvation Army bell ringing/But this road keeps going for miles and miles, oh please get me there on time/Hold on, Christmas/I'm begging you, please/Hold on, Christmas/Christmas, wait for me, for me

Sweater Weather by Pentatonix (written by J. Freedman, J. Rutherford, Z. Abels)

Featured on Pentatonix's 2018 holiday album Christmas Is Here!, this song was originally written and performed by alternative band The Neighbourhood for their 2013 album I Love You. As usual, PTX does a fabulous job arranging the song for a cappella, and it's very upbeat and catchy.

All I am is a man, I want the world in my hands/I hate the beach, but I stand in California with my toes in the sand/Use the sleeves of my sweater, let's have an adventure, head in the clouds, but my gravity's centered/Touch my neck and I'll touch yours, you in those little high-waisted shorts/She knows what I think about, and what I think about/One love, two mouths, no shirt, no blouse/Just us, you find out nothing that wouldn't wanna tell you about, no/'Cause it's too cold, whoa/For you here and now/So let me hold, whoa/Both your hands in the holes of my sweater

The Nutcracker Suite: XI. Pas de deux by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (written by P. Tchaikovsky)

Since the 1960s (almost 70 years after its premiere) Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet has been synonymous with Christmas, with many families making it an annual tradition to go see it at theatres all over. The eleventh movement of the ballet, Pas de deux, is a duet between the dancers playing The Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Coqueluche, and the music is just as beautiful as the rest of the ballet. I'm a sucker for ballet suites with both my dance and classical music backgrounds, and The Nutcracker is definitely my favorite.

Christmas Tree Farm by Taylor Swift (written by T. Swift)

Released as a single in 2019, this was a super fun little Christmas present from Taylor Swift, who hadn't done much Christmas specific music since her holiday EP in 2007. The Christmas tree farm Swift refers to is the one her parents owned when she was a child, and the nostalgia weaved into the lyrics really resonates with a lot of people this time of year.

My winter nights are taken up by static/Stress and holiday shopping traffic/But I close my eyes and I'm somewhere else, just like magic/In my heart is a Christmas tree farm where the people would come/To dance under sparkling lights/Bundled up in their mittens and coats and the cider would flow/And I just wanna be there tonight/Sweet dreams of holly and ribbon, mistakes are forgiven/And everything is icy and blue, and you would be there, too/Under the mistletoe, watching the fire glow, and telling me I love you/Just being in your arms takes me back to that little farm where every wish comes true

What Are You Doin' New Year's Eve by The Osmonds (written by F. Loessere)

Featured on their iconic 1976 Osmond Christmas Album, this holiday classic was led by a 19-year-old Donny Osmond and still makes my mom swoon to this day. This song can get a little corny, sure, but there's just something about it that makes me not mind when it gets covered by someone new.

Maybe it's much too early in the game/Oh, but I thought I'd ask you just the same/What are you doing New Year's/New Year's Eve/Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight/When it's exactly twelve o'clock at night/Welcoming in the new year/New Year's Eve

O Come All Ye Faithful by TobyMac (written by A. Rieu, J. Van De Ven)

Featured on his 2017 holiday album Light Of Christmas, I really like TobyMac's different take on this Christmas classic. With different chord progressions and vocal cadences than the traditional form this song takes, it's refreshingly different while still being respectful of the original.

O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant/O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem, Bethlehem/O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant/Come let us adore Him, come let us adore Him/Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord/Come let us adore Him, come let us adore Him/Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord

With only four days left to go, I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas. There's no better way to stick it to the insanity that is 2020 than by having a great time where you are and making the most of this weird season. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!