Christmas Music

So this morning started out with a bang when I discovered that Miss Charlotte, whom I had left asleep in our bed after her early morning feeding, had experienced an explosive diaper that rivaled all other explosive diapers up to this point; in fact, it soaked all the way to the mattress. Yay.

One more load of laundry, bringing my total today up to four.

With that happy morning greeting, I jumped into my day. While simultaneously doing/folding laundry and wrapping presents, I grooved to the Christmas playlist I have put together on my iPod while the boys demanded their favorite song over and over again.

Their favorite? Michael W. Smith's rockin' version of "Angels We Have Heard on High."

After listening to that particular song for the 658th time this month, I thought I should share what songs/albums we are listening to this Christmas season, in case you care about our funky taste in music. Feel free to stop reading if you don't, since that's really all the rest of this post is about.

Here's a list:

• Any Christmas song by Dean, Nat, Frank, or Bing. We are loyalists. I'm also open to Andy and Tony, on occasion.

• Sufjan Stevens' Christmas boxed set, comprised of five different albums of songs recorded over the years. We are also Sufjan loyalists, so when this came out, Steve jumped on board and got it for me (but really for him, you know, kind of like when I got him the complete sixth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation a couple years ago). Some are misses, but there are a lot of hits, and the man is an Advent purist who can folk it up like it's never been folked before. Where else will you hear "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"? Not in church, that's for sure. 

• The Messiah

• A big Celtic Christmas collection Steve got me a couple years ago.

• Harry's When My Heart Finds Christmas, his older Christmas album. My favorite song: "The Blessed Dawn of Christmas Day," an original composition of his. It makes me cry every time I hear it.

• The Sincere Ramblers is a bluegrass group from Oxford, Mississippi (where we lived before moving here) that first gained popularity in its appearances on Thacker Mountain Radio. We love their Christmas compilation. Love it.

• Of course no Christmas would be complete without a little music from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I can see them dancing in my head every time I listen to it.

• The only Mannheim Steamroller CD I have is Christmas Celebration, and I love it.

• And of course, Michael W. Smith's "Angels We Have Heard on High." If it gets my boys dancin', it's a hit.

Now, in case you care, a few songs that will never darken the door of my home because I just cannot stand them:

• "Santa Baby," especially the one done by Madonna. It is just waaay too sexy. I rather like Eartha Kitt, so I can tolerate her version maybe once a year.

• "Frosty the Snowman"

•  "O Holy Night" is a beautiful song with meaningful lyrics, but it's difficult, and entirely too many people attempt to sing it. Usually they end up sounding like this guy.

• Anything by Mariah Carey.

• That one by The Chipmunks. It makes me want to take out my anger on harmless woodland creatures everywhere.

• Mostly anything by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I can appreciate the interesting take on tradition, the rock ballad style, the talent of the orchestra members. But their songs still nearly make me have seizures (a very real possibility for me, if you know me), particularly if I am watching them on TV. So I just stay away.

• "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano.

• And finally, "The Hat I Got for Christmas Is Too Big," performed by none other than Speedy Gonzalez. I will never forgive Zach for sneaking that one onto a Christmas mix he made for me several years ago.

If you have any more for me to add to either list, let me know! I have to restart my iPod now. Baylor is demanding Smithie.