‘Tis the season to be jolly…

Y’all know I love everything about Christmas – and music is a big part of that. I grew up with Christmas music rather than carols – mostly Rat Pack, ‘cos that’s what my parents liked. But I’ve come to love the more traditional stuff, and to abhor British favourites like Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody, Wing’s Mull of Kintyre, Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas.

So, here’s a few I do like which come to mind, with a couple of clips included…

The old classic ruined for me by my ex
The Christmas Song from the master Nat King Cole – my ex changed the lyrics to insert the name of my beloved black cat roasting over the open fire instead of the chestnuts… he’s an ex for good reasons.

From the Queen of Jazz, but not jazzy
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear sung by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald.

The one with the tingly goosebumps
Silent Night sounding as it should, in the way only Sinead O’Connor could do.

The carol I must not sing
O Come All Ye Faithful – for I learned the descant part while in the school choir, but I really can’t sing that high anymore.

The original and still the best
Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt – and not Kylie… despite what Himself says 😉

It’s not Christmas until the fat lady tenor sings
O Holy Night from the gorgeous tones of Luciano Pavarotti – who my daughter, when little, called Parrots Grotty. I often double up this with his version of Ave Maria before going to sleep Christmas Eve.

The one that riles me up
The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot – poverty is bloody hard at any time, let alone Christmas, but don’t bring your judgemental ‘cos he hasn’t got a Daddy nonsense into it.

The miserable one which I love anyway
In the Bleak Midwinter – from that winning combination of Christina Rosetti and Gustav Holst, it has to be sung by a traditional (but talented) choir.

My favourite carol
Carol of the Bells sung by the Boys’ Choir of the M Lysenko Music School in Kyiv and recorded before the current war – simply not possible to watch and listen without the chills.

And with that, I’ll take my leave of you for this year, returning sometime in January. I wish you happiness over the festive season, and hope we’re all able to find peace in the New Year.

But before I go, what type of festive music do you listen to – carols, classical, pop, jazz…?

© Debs Carey, 2024