Holy smokes! This is the 10th (tenth!!) year of my annual song-a-day countdown till Christmas. What a streak, eh? Well, I guess by now this little tradition doesn't need any introduction. Let the playlist begin!
December 1st: This is definitely not your typical MoTab number (I guess I should learn to call them the TabCats nowadays, but I just always forget that shortened version), but ever since I first heard it years ago on one of my mom's Christmas CDs, I have absolutely loved it! I think it's a fitting peppy and joyful beginning to the month!
December 2nd: Now this one is just pure fun from the Piano Guys. I've always been a fan, but lately have kind of lapsed in keeping up with their new videos. But when I saw this one in an email last week, I knew I had to include it in the line up. See how many classic Christmas movies you can spot in lego form!
December 3rd: This may be the peppiest, sunniest sounding Frosty version I've ever heard. (I especially love the da-dah-da-dahs from the muted trumpets after each line.) I do and always will love the Beach Boys. :D
December 4th: Last night I started reading Tomie dePaola's short Christmas memoir called Christmas Remembered (I'm only a third of the way in, but I highly recommend you find it and read it - it's delightful!). Right before bed I read the chapter called The Christmas Sing where he reminisced about concerts he was a part of as a teenager and the solos he sang in some of the songs. He mentioned one called Under the Stars, and I was intrigued to look it up as a potential for today's slot. I didn't love the one and only version I saw on youtube. Bummer. But he also talked about his choir's version of Fred Waring's T'was the Night Before Christmas. I know that one! I love that one! And I've already used it before on my countdown (I'm still trying to stick to my rule of
December 5th: I have always loved the tune of Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella and I also love the Lower Lights so the combination of the two is a match made in heaven. Enjoy!
December 6th: Not necessarily a "Christmas song" per se, but it certainly feels wintery and it does come from A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of my faves, so it totally counts!
December 7th: Better late than never, eh? Today is another one that I changed from my "plan" because of the events of the day. Callie and I got to got to the Nutcracker with Gregg's mom, Kim. We have done this three Christmases now and it's a wonderful little tradition. Today, Callie said that her favorite dance was the snowflakes, (she also liked the sugar plum fairy and mother ginger) so that's what I'm posting (this was obviously not the company we saw, but it's what I could find on the youtube and they're not too shabby ;).
December 8th: It's Sunday, so that means another Tabernacle Choir selection. I love this one, again a not-too-typical Christmas song, but entirely lovely. And the organ is so cheery!
December 9th: Whew! This day is just getting away from me! How 'bout some jazzy Jingle Bells to finish it off? I found this Glenn Miller's Orchestra In the Christmas Mood CD at the library last year (or the year before) and it has become a must-check-out (or listen on youtube) for me ever since!
December 10th: Today's song is O Sanctissima (that link should go right to the song I want in the middle of the medley - it's the only way I could find this specific version on youtube - feel free to listen to the whole video if you want, but my pick for today is O Santissima). So, why in the world did I pick this one? Well, it's one of those songs from the old Reader's Digest records of my mom's that just brings back so many memories. I didn't really know anything about the song before I visited Wikipedia today, but the lyrics they list there are lovely, so I'll include them here. And now I'll have words to sing along with whenever this song comes up in the playlist next:
O, how joyfully; O, how merrily
Christmas comes with its grace divine.
Grace again is beaming; Christ the world redeeming.
Hail, ye Christians, hail the joyous Christmas time!
Or, in another English-language rendition:
O thou happy, O thou holy,
Glorious peace bringing Christmas time.
Angel throngs to meet thee; on Thy birth we greet Thee:
Hail to Christ, the Son of God, our newborn king!
December 11th: So, today's song has some stats to go with it: I included a Mannheim Steamroller song on each of my first four years' countdowns because growing up Mannheim Steamroller just sounded like Christmas to me. We even had a book of piano music for one of their albums and I (tried) to play a couple of songs from it each December. And then, suddenly, my Mannheim Steamroller picks ended and I haven't included one since 2013! It's high time I brought them back, I say. So here's one of those songs that I think is just so classic Mannheim, and incidentally one of the ones I tried to play on the piano back in the day. I never could get it up to this speed, but it was fun to dink around anyway.
And now, if that wasn't enough, I have to add in a bonus pick for today. It applies, I promise! I found a book at the library called The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas. Of course I picked it up because Sam is obsessed with dinosaurs. Little did I know it came with a bonus CD of what I thought was the story being read aloud. When I popped it in the CD player in the car on the way home from the library, we were immediately serenaded with some lovely (ha!) dinosaur-themed Christmas carols. We were giggling through Hey Duckbills (sung to the tune of Jingle Bells) and then Hark the Pterodactyls Sing came on and we couldn't control the laughter. It was so silly! I searched high and low online for a clip I could post and all I found was this one. I warn you, you'll want to turn it down when the lady recording the video is singing (it's loud and she's not great), but then she drops out for most of the song and you can turn it up to hear the actual CD. She pops in a few other times, but then drops out again. It's the best I could find. But it gives you an idea of the goofiness we experienced in the car. And now you'll just have to find the book at your library so you can hear the whole thing and all the others!
December 12th: We've been singing When Joseph to Bethlehem a lot this December in primary and family home evening. It's always been one of my faves from the primary book collection of Christmas songs, and we always laugh at the goat cheese part, but this year was the first time I really thought about Joseph and his goodness and gentleness. What a big job to be Jesus's dad! And then I got thinking about Gregg and the good dad that he is to our kids and how he keeps us sane and happy and how adorable he is when he is holding a new baby. And then I thought of my dad, and Gregg's dad, and all the dads who have that "quiet strength" and "gentle hands" and who love me and love the people I love. This one is dedicated to all the dads! And here's a bonus pic of Gregg holding our new(ish) baby niece, Magnolia, on Thanksgiving:
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| See what I mean by adorable? |
December 13th: Ah, Karen Carpenter. Can it even be Christmas without hearing her sing Christmas songs? I think not. So here you go! Now you can have yourself a merry little Christmas. ;)
December 14th: Here's another one that was switched into the lineup after hearing it on a CD I checked out from the library. This time it came from a sweet mix made in 1992 called A Very Special Christmas 2. Oh man, it takes me back to my childhood. I had forgotten about Christmas All Over Again, but I could sing every word when it came on. Can you?
December 15th: You know I love me a good Tabernacle Choir song (that's why I break my "rule" about repeat artists during the month and put them on every Sunday) and this year I've been especially excited to watch the Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir special on PBS (the recording of last year's concert at the conference center) with guest Kristin Chenoweth. We've been watching the previews and behind the scenes interviews in anticipation. She is a hoot! And this morning I found that there are a few clips already available, so one naturally became today's pick. I love the country feel (and her cute little accent) of this song and the joyful message of the lyrics. Come on, Ring Those Bells! The Special airs on PBS tomorrow night (Monday, December 16th) at 8:00 pm! I'll be watching!
December 16th: Here's a classic band concert number (thought this version is orchestral) to take you back to those days of playing or listening to one at Christmas time. (I'm sure you have done such a thing at some point in your life! And if not, just kick back and imagine while you listen right now. ;)
December 17th: It's that time of year when the world falls in love . . . I don't have a lot to say about this one except I like it. Haha.
December 18th: Here's a traditional song from my childhood nativity plays with all the Thornleys (usually at Aunt Joan's house some evening in December). We all dressed up in the old costumes and took turns playing the parts in the story (or sometimes we'd take turns playing the piano as the "angel choir" once some of us older cousins got good enough to accompany that way - we'd even play "duets" with one person doing right hand and the other doing left hand, squished up on the piano bench, playing from the hymn book or primary children's songbook or a stray scrap of sheet paper in the case of this song). Someone would narrate and we would all sing together from a script. It was really something! And I have so many fond memories of doing it. The Friendly Beasts was always sung at these events, though probably never quite like this. I think I have Megan to thank for introducing me to this version. Is that right, Mugs? At any rate, it's a fun one and brings back a lot of memories!
December 19th: You haven't heard Winter Wonderland until you hear it played by a band of harmonicas (or harmonicats, in this case!).
December 20th: I think we'll definitely have a white Christmas but it's still fun to dream about it anyway. Especially when Michael Buble is singing.
December 21st: I'm still loving the Raffi Christmas album I discovered a few years ago at the library. Here's another original by him.
December 22nd: Here's an older Tabernacle Choir version of the classic Away in a Manger. Perfect for a peaceful Sunday afternoon listen.
December 23rd: Whew! It's late, but it's still on the day, so I call it a win! One of the Christmas albums I checked out from the library this year that has delighted me to no end has been Neil Diamond's 1992 (I'm sensing a theme here!) "The Christmas Album". Holy cow it's just so good! And this one is just so him. Oh, you can be sure more Neil will be making an appearance in years to come! ;)
December 24th: Merry Christmas Eve! I once learned how to play Silent Night on the guitar. It was another lifetime ago, and it is something I'd like to get back to someday, but today is not that day. Instead, I'll let John Denver serenade you with his guitar (and voice).
December 25th: It's here, at last! Angels We Have Heard on High is always my favorite ending to the countdown. Merry Christmas!
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If you just can't wait for more, you could check out my previous countdowns here: (But I make no guarantees that the old links will still be working.)2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013 (this is for December 1st - I posted each day separately back then)
2012 (this is for December 1st - I posted each day separately back then)
2011 (this is for December 1st - I posted each day separately back then)
2010 (I did a countdown on facebook, but didn't post it on the ol' blog my first year)
Hope this is okay.
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