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12.25.2015

IT'S A MERRY CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST


Merry Christmas, friends! I can't even tell you how happy I am that Christmas is finally here. This is a beautiful season of life and light and hope and celebrating the birth of Jesus. How blessed we are to be loved so much by such a great God! I'm sure all of you are busy with festivities and celebrations, so I shan't keep you long. But as a lover of Christmas and fan of music in general and Christmas music in particular, here are my top ten favourite Christmas songs for you all to enjoy today as you're eating food, gathering with family, and basking in this wintry season. Happy holidays, friends!

noel - lauren daigle
This one is a new favourite, but oh me oh my, this woman and her ridiculously good voice.

Rend's whole Christmas album is fabulous, but this revised version of Auld Lang Syne is a gorgeous anthem celebrating the love and power of our God.

little drummer boy - josh groban
It's either hit or miss with this song; not just anyone can sing it well. But if anyone can, it's Josh Groban.

pat-a-pan - david archuleta
I remember loving this performance when it aired on television several years ago. And every time I pull it up, I can't help but love it still. So beautiful and peppy!

every bell on earth will ring - the oh hellos
If I had to pick one Christmas album to listen to for the rest of my life, it would be the Oh Hellos. And this unique, joyful tune is the highlight.

born in bethlehem - third day
I grew up listening to Third Day, so I may be a little biased, but even fifteen years after the release of their Christmas album, I am still not over this song. In fact, it's one of the few Christmas songs I will sometimes listen to throughout the year.  

a mad russian's christmas - trans-siberian orchestra
What's Christmas without the Trans-Siberian Orchestra? For all you Nutcracker fans out there, this energetic rock song is for you.

a hallelujah christmas - cloverton
Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is gorgeous by itself, but a Christmas version? So much wow.

o holy night - andrea faustini
I discovered Andrea when he performed on the UK X Factor show, amazed by the range and strength of his voice. His rendition of this song gives me goosebumps.

here with us - joy williams
I listened to Joy Williams way before The Civil Wars was even a thing, because I'm cool like that. I remember my aunt singing this song nearly every year for our church's Christmas service, and I always looked forward to hearing it, a melody that was both haunting and triumphant.

BONUS:
the parting glass - the high kings
I'm adding this as a bonus because it's not technically a Christmas song, yet for some reason, it always reminds me of the Christmas season, with the new year quickly approaching. New years always bring changes, farewells, challenges, and moving on... So yeah, I guess this song fits.

what are some of your favourite Christmas tunes?

(Jess and I filmed a special Christmas edition of Mind the Gap! Be sure to check it out here.)


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2 comments:

  1. I absolutely agree that 'The Little Drummer Boy' can only be sung by certain people. To date, only Josh Groban has made me actually like the song.

    Some of my personal favorites are 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' and 'O Holy Night' by Jackie Evancho, but my absolute absolute favorite of this year is probably 'Petit Papa Noel' by Josh Groban.

    Dance A Real

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  2. I only know one of these....(well, singers-wise, not the songs). That would be "Little Drummer Boy" by Josh Groban. :) My favourite Christmas songs are The First Noel, O Holy Night and Christmas Shoes (out of like, hundreds). Christmas Shoes just GETS me every time. *sniffles*
    So, I mostly commented because I just saw your Mind the Gap episode, and since I can't comment on YouTube, I wanted to comment here. :)
    What you said about love being the greatest commandment, and that it should define us: AMEN. You have a way with words, girl. ;) (And it totally made sense.) So, things I learnt and experienced this year...
    One lesson I learnt was that nobody but God, is perfect. I am afraid I expect too much of my family and friends, and forget that nobody is perfect. We all have our flaws and faults and struggles, and none of us can be the totally perfect friend. No one but Jesus, yet He is always perfect, and IS the perfect friend.
    Another thing I learnt was that I need to go out of my comfort zone a lot more, because I got to experience so many more awesome things when I did. Speaking of which, I am a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to money (yes, shame on me, but I have no way of earning money so I tend to be frugal :P) and I rarely spend more than $15 at a time. When I heard a big cast of Les Miserables had been touring Australia and coming near me, I knew I HAD to see it. I was going to spend $100 to see it, but my parents gave the ticket to me as a birthday present. :) And I saw it yesterday! It was one of the most amazing experiences I've EVER had. It was so magical, I felt as though I was in a dream!! I still can't believe I've seen it....that was something I never imagined would happen, at the beginning of 2015. So now I am SUPER excited to see what happens in 2016. I don't think I've ever looked forward to a new year as much as now. I love the idea of a whole different year, where everything begins anew. My goals are pretty lame, I'm afraid. :P But these are some, nonetheless:
    - Work very hard on my school. I would like to finish early (although I want to pursue some languages, 'cause I love languages), or at least finish maths early. :P I'd rather get the basics done and focus on literature/writing/languages/history. :)
    - Try to stay fit. Or at least reasonably so.
    - Improve my skills at archery! I got bows, arrows and a target for Christmas, so I have nothing to stop me now. (Seriously, when your card board boxes fall down after every single arrow, and you have to run down and fix them up, it gets tough.)
    - Get ahead in music. Hopefully I can begin and finish grade 4 in piano this year.
    - Spend less time on the computer, and more time outside.
    - I want to finish my three novels I'm writing, and begin another one forming in my head.
    - I want to read more books! Of course. ;) (Also, David Copperfield is really good. You should finish it. ;D)
    I think it would be well and truly amazing to see Alfie Boe as Valjean on Broadway! He's amazing!! (I've seen him in the 25th Anniversary concert of Les Miserables, and I've seen that DVD several times....he's so good!) BTW, Petie, are you familiar with the musical Newsies? I just discovered it properly recently (thanks to blogging friends ;D) and it's AMAZING. Not as good as Les Mis, but still amazing! :D
    ~Miss Meg March
    P.S. I love your shirt. Now I want one. :D Star Wars 7 was SO GOOD!!

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