Do you enjoy Christmas music?

[mecch]

What are your favorite Christmas tunes?  What about the most annoying?

_________
Maybe I'll make some new mix CD's.  Haven't done any in a couple of years.

I can never make it through ANY commercial mix of Christmas music. Seems like there is always filler.  Or its just one style and after a few songs, you want a different style.

(PS  I won't put them on until December.  But if I make em now, they'll be ready in the holiday rush.)

[WillyWump]

I love Chrstmas music! I think Little Drummer Boy is my fave.

-Will

[Oceanbeach]

My mom died a slow painful morphine assisted death on Christmas Eve.  My dad made a pact with his favorite children to keep me from seeing mom before she died. I stopped at a convenience market to get some smokes and the clerk said, "sorry for your loss", this is how and where I learned of her death.  After the county coroner left with her body for cremation, the family continued their celebration of the blessed holiday with gifts and a huge feast.  The favored children did not want me to feel left out so they dropped off a paper plate of food and their well wishes.

I would enjoy Christmas music if it included my sister, putting the lard on the outside of her body (for a change) and prancing her sugarplum ass outside to feed the bears in the Colorado mountains.

I would enjoy Christmas music if it included my brother (who wishes his sister could get the hot men like his fag brother) could figure his 6 uneducated daughters, all got knocked up by losers and each of their 5 or 6 uneducated children were visited on Christmas by Charles Manson.    Have the best day
Michael

[RapidRod]

Josh Groban - O Holy Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQWXfHzOKUU

[hope_for_a_cure]

I enjoy Christmas music at Christmas.  Not in November! 

[ElZorro]

Rob Thomas, "New York City Christmas"
Eartha Kitt, "Santa Baby"
Brenda Lee, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Barbara Steisand, "It Must Have the Mistletoe"
Gloria Estefan, "Christmas Through Your Eyes"
Ronnie Milsap, "Silver Bells" & "It's Just Not Christmas (If I Can't Spend it With You)"
Reba McEntire, "Happy Birthday Jesus (I'll Open This One for You)"
Elvis, "White Christmas"

[Miss Philicia]

I don't own any Christmas music, nor do I put up any decorations.  I'm not Jewish either.

[GSOgymrat]

Annie Lennox has a Christmas album coming out this week: A Christmas Cornucopia

“All the income that I earn from Universal Child will be paid to the Annie Lennox Foundation.” The Annie Lennox Foundation, the stars own charity, raises money for charitable projects supporting and educating women and children in Africa with HIV/AIDS.

Tracklist:
1) Angels from The Realms of Glory
2) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3) See Amid The Winter’s Snow
4) Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant
5) The First Noel
6) Lullay Lullay (Coventry Carol)
7) The Holly and The Ivy
In The Bleak Mid Winter
9) As Joseph Was A Walking
10) Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
11) Silent Night
12) Universal Child

Video of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcM_fr0XF8M&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Nestor]

I enjoy Christmas music at Christmas.  Not in November! 

Ditto.

[weasel]

Oh I so  love to decorate and listen to  Ray Conif   Christmass It never gets old !

 I've already got  two outdoor trees done !

 Need to find a nice Dogwood to spray white !

  In the mood for a white christmas tree     

                                                    Weasel

[WillyWump]

I don't own any Christmas music, nor do I put up any decorations.  I'm not Jewish either.

Well Bah-humbug. you too Nesty.

-Will

[john33]

Well Bah-humbug. you too Nesty.

-Will

Is that the rattling of chains I hear???

[leatherman]

I enjoy Christmas music at Christmas.  Not in November! 

don't visit any of the malls yet then, or you'll be unpleasantly surprisd 

[hope_for_a_cure]

I hear ya Mikie.  They started putting stuff out last month in the malls around Myrtle Beach.  We all know that its all about money.  I do enjoy the holiday time when it gets here but cant seem to get into the 'spirit' until mid December at the earliest. 

When I owned that Victorian house up in MD I would go nuts with decorations, and having people over for dinner(s), etc.  That all ended when the money supply ended several years ago.  This year I am baking stuff and sending out very basic and useful items to folks on my list.  I need to brush up on my piano playing so I can serenade my family this year during the season. 

My favorite tunes would be:  Winter Wonder Land, White Christmas, and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.  Some of the music is quite sad (i.e., Toyland).  By the way, whats with that Frosty the Snowman?  He gets chased around by the police after telling them to catch me if you can.  Its nostalgic for me I guess.  The season is really not my favorite time of year and quite frankly I would rather do a July 4th picnic any day over this whole Christmas thing. 

[Ann]

I don't own any Christmas music, nor do I put up any decorations.  I'm not Jewish either.

I enjoy Christmas music at Christmas.  Not in November!  

Same here. I hear enough xmas music in the pub to satisfy me. However, my local had a music channel on the telly the other day that was playing xmas music and I fucking demanded politely requested that the landlady put something else on as ffs, it was only the first of November. Thankfully she obeyed honoured my request.  I hate the way radio stations and telly channels start with the xmas music so early. I get totally fed up with it long before the holiday is actually here.

As for decorations, I haven't bothered in nineteen years. After my ex and I split up, every xmas my daughter went with him to his mother's house in England so I never bothered. I don't celebrate xmas other than in a social way as I don't consider myself xtian, although I was raised Methodist.

My favourite xmas songs are secular. I like Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade and Fairytle of New York by The Pogues.

[Miss Philicia]

If I need to get in the Christmas mood I can get to this in 10 minutes

http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/xmas.php

[thunter34]

There are MAYBE half a dozen that I can tolerate to hear once or twice, but overall I detest it.

I'm trying to come to some sort of personal terms with the whole christmas thing.  As a kid with nothing but Santa and presents, it was great.  As a young adult queer, it became decidedly less enchanting.  It griped me (and still kinda does) that I get maligned by christian ideology all year, but then get expected to get all warm and jolly about christmas.

It kind of feels like being forced to go to the birthday party of the kid that picks on you all year at school.

I do my best to just ignore it as much as possible...except for the last of christmas night.  That's when me and my best friend roll up a fat one - I mean GIGANTIC - and go out to look at the lights  It's become our own tradition to celebrate being at the farthest point on the calender from having to hear about it all again.

[Rev. Moon]

I find holiday music to be rather annoying --with a few exceptions.  Here's a little Christmas music that doesn't suck:

** Everything from the Vince Guaraldi Trio Christmas album, but especially their version of "What child Is This"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4qe7oLlizs

** Vanessa Williams actually had a fantastic version of the same song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiGeR0lwpkI

** Louis Armstrong - Winter Wonderland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHq_HPQZlqk

** Eartha Kitt - Santa Baby (the only version of this song that matters)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOMmSbxB_Sg

** Billie Holiday - I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0677H1EPdB0

** The Killers - Don't Shoot Me Santa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cglLJJ0Czo8

** Tori Amos - Little Drummer Boy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsEfyjVGNUk

** Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdjaxzGxHCU

** Brandi Carlile - The Heartache Can Wait
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWBlQZtry0

** Spice Girls - Sleigh Ride (Jack Frost Version)... Yeah, it's actually good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bC9zOUSDCs

** Dido - Christmas Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMFzQhR9dJw

** Loreena McKennitt - The Holly & The Ivy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FvE-z8xV1g

** Norah Jones - Peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmtYs_k8WOE

[Hellraiser]

Worst Christmas Song ever imo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWuKimtUEas

[tednlou2]

I love:

O Holy Night by Celine Dion.  Damn, that girl can sing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jr-2eyRtV4

O Holy Night by Jon Secada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th-6U4n6IDc

Silent Night by Stevie Nicks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFxxQnhT5XQ&feature=related

All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA8UHeoYHQM

Do They Know It's Christmas?  Funny to look back at how these stars looked

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EJWEXrykdQ&feature=fvst

Santa On The Roof Top by Trisha Yearwood and Rosie O'Donnell--yes, Rosie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLCVIlo4leY

The Magic Of Christmas Day by Celine Dion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFYJDUt8hhE

Happy Xmas (The War Is Over) by John Lennon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb2YSAVHmIE

I end my mix with New Year's Auld Lang Syne Millinium Mix by Kenny G that adds in audio history from the 20th Century including HIV/AIDS.  Causes me to tear up.  There is an updated version called the Freedom Mix.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS6s4sifQOU&feature=related

[john33]

Oh I don't know Trey,
 this one is pretty cringeworthy too

[urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x5GM-i5IdI&feature=fvsr][/url]

[J.R.E.]

Worst Christmas Song ever imo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWuKimtUEas

I don't know, I think this one has that beat :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xam01uaj6Vg   


R

[mecch]

I do my best to just ignore it as much as possible...except for the last of christmas night.  That's when me and my best friend roll up a fat one - I mean GIGANTIC - and go out to look at the lights  It's become our own tradition to celebrate being at the farthest point on the calender from having to hear about it all again.

Now thats a spirit of xmas I could enjoy too.  I would love to take a big hit of acid and have a go round at the home light spectacles, and malls in suburban New York.  Its really wild when there is snow!  

Every year now I manage to teach with Bad Santa in a class or two.  Its a great and funny film about language and profanity, and a good critique of a lot of things American.

[mecch]

One of the things that made me think of posting this thread was I was looking at new mansions built by 90's and naughts billions.
There is this amazing Fleur de Lys mansion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu6pc0VexPQ  and last year it was rumoured that Mariah Carey had bid 125 million for it. And I got to thinking, how did that artist get so much money? And then I saw she has a new xmas album out, and unlike a lot of late-in-career xmas offerrings, she made scads and scads of dough on her first xmas album.

[carousel]

I bought Julie Andrews' Christmas album a long time ago.  Played it once and I've never wanted to hear it again.  Partly because, she seemed to love really soupy song arrangements,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdJ6ZdHaFvg&feature=related


I don't really see the point of people putting out Christmas albums.   I heard Annie Lennox on the radio this weekend flogging her new cd.  I found it all a bit sad that she's had to put out a novelty record.

[Ann]

I don't really see the point of people putting out Christmas albums.   I heard Annie Lennox on the radio this weekend flogging her new cd.  I found it all a bit sad that she's had to put out a novelty record.

She's doing it for charity.

Annie Lennox has a Christmas album coming out this week: A Christmas Cornucopia

“All the income that I earn from Universal Child will be paid to the Annie Lennox Foundation.” The Annie Lennox Foundation, the stars own charity, raises money for charitable projects supporting and educating women and children in Africa with HIV/AIDS.

[mecch]

Well Sting put his out last year so I guess Lennox was next.
Two stars who did their entertaining exciting sexy work rather young.
I've seen Lennox - or been forced to sit through her - a couple of times in the last 10 years and she's dreadful, live.

[carousel]

She's doing it for charity.

I thought going after Annie Lennox, that somebody would jump to her defence.  I still think it's s bloody awful record.

Which brings us on to the sub-genre of awful Christmas charity records.  This takes the biscuit and the fact that the 'celebs' were selflessly offering their time, makes the skin crawl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2ZnWuxhmMs


edited, to add that I am aware the vid contains Stephen Gately.

[mecch]

Xmas music that should be made:

Iggy Pop
Rammstein
Marilyn Manson
Most country stars worth their sequins

That should've been made:

Devo
Chic
First Choice
Marvin Gaye
Sex Pistols
Bowie (but glam Bowie the the earlier/earliest treacle bowie)
Ramones
John Lee Hooker
Ruth Brown
Koko Taylor
Shirley Bassey
Ethel Merman

[mecch]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2ZnWuxhmMs

Oh dear lord, gimme a whisky and don't be stingy baby.  My eyes and ears are burning!

[carousel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2ZnWuxhmMs

Oh dear lord, gimme a whisky and don't be stingy baby.  My eyes and ears are burning!

That video also contains a much younger Sean Maguire singing, who turned out like this...

[GSOgymrat]

Dear Santa...

[Ann]

I thought going after Annie Lennox, that somebody would jump to her defence.  I still think it's s bloody awful record.

I totally agree that it's bloody awful, but at least the money is going for a good cause. And yes, I realise that she will most likely still gain personally because after all, it's her charity and she more likely than not receives some sort of administrative fee for what she does.

There are a lot of people who think her singing is fabulous so I hope her charity gets a few quid out of it. There is a strong correlation between (higher) education levels and (lower) infection rates in Africa, so education is a very powerful and important prevention tool there. I admire her for what she's doing, even if I don't particularly care for her xmas album.

[aztecan]

I celebrate the winter solstice.

[Ann]

I celebrate the winter solstice.

And it's interesting to note that according to the biblical record of the birth of Jesus, he (if he actually existed) would not have been born in late December and the main proof of this (going by the biblical account) is that the sheep would not have been in the fields at this time. 

The solstice celebration was co-opted. Most northern-hemisphere cultures around the world historically have had celebrations at this time of year to celebrate the lengthening of days with the promise of the coming spring and planting season. The Cult of Mithras celebrated the birth of their infant god of light on December 25th. Saturnalia is another big pagan festival celebrated at this time of year. Assigning the late December date to the birth of Jesus was pretty much just the early Church's way of appeasing the pagans they were trying to convert.

Many of the Xtian festivals were originally pagan festivals. Go figure.

[RapidRod]

Why is this thread getting off topic? The topic is "Do you enjoy Christmas music?" 

[mecch]

I don't know, I think this one has that beat :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xam01uaj6Vg    


R

Are you nuts?  I thought everyone loved the barking dog jingle bells! It must be in the top ten classics!

[mecch]

Why is this thread getting off topic? The topic is "Do you enjoy Christmas music?" 

I won't complain about any tangents to my silly thread.  I'm sure at the proper time there will be numerous threads about the controversial wonderful oppressive event.

[mecch]

Santa On The Roof Top by Trisha Yearwood and Rosie O'Donnell--yes, Rosie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLCVIlo4leY

That's a rarity. Thanks.

[mecch]

Annie Lennox, and ilk.
Everybody appreciates the good important work of such politically / socially engaged artists.  Especially if they really go at it for years and aren't dilettantes. 
Geez, Sean Penn is living in Haiti, between film shoots.  Doing what he can.

But Annie is a kind of "benefit celebrity" - the ones you see always doing some performance or another for some cause or another - and it can get cloying, and rather dull and routine if you are in the audience or at the event. 

I think thats all some of us mean when we diss otherwise heartfelt gestures. 

When Cyndi Lauper gets trundled out at some gay cause a lot of us head on out. And Cyndi can sing! So it won't be awful, just zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Its really cynical cause once again she does great charity work.

[mecch]

I find holiday music to be rather annoying --with a few exceptions.  Here's a little Christmas music that doesn't suck:

** Everything from the Vince Guaraldi Trio Christmas album, but especially their version of "What child Is This"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4qe7oLlizs

** Vanessa Williams actually had a fantastic version of the same song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiGeR0lwpkI

Miam yes Vince Guaraldi.

That Vanessa Williams I never heard. I like her. This song is nice! The video gives me a headache however.

[leatherman]

I still like pulling out the A Very Special Christmas - Vol. 1 disc at the holidays

I'm sure at the proper time there will be numerous threads about the controversial wonderful oppressive event.

I almost started one of those tangents as I went back to look at the history of AIDS in 1987 when the "A Very Special Christmas series" was first started. I mean with World AIDS day coming up at the first of December and having had my Christmases "tainted" with the loss of 2 partners (1994 and 2008 have been the only years I just couldn't bring myself to put up a tree) that has tended to put a damper on my Christmas joy. But I still can't totally complain, at least this year I don't have to waste any Christmas tears thinking about my family 550 miles away from me. For the second year in a row, I'll be wondering where in the house I can go to escape and have a moment of quiet to be melancholy.

[denb45]

I don't own any Christmas music, nor do I put up any decorations.  I'm not Jewish either.

I 'm Black &  Jewish, so I don't celebrate, nor do I even own any Christmas Music........

[thunter34]

Well Bah-humbug. you too Nesty.

-Will

That's another thing that fucking sucks about Christmas:  If you don't get into it, you get the whole "bah humbug", "ebenezer scrooge" and "grinch" routine.

What other holidays gets you called names if you don't slobber with enthusiasm about it?

[denb45]

I celebrate the winter solstice.

Oh, Mark your my kinda man, where the hell have you been all of my life 

[Miss Philicia]

I 'm Black &  Jewish, so I don't celebrate, nor do I even own any Christmas Music........

Ah, a black Jew -- now would this be those wacko "Lost Tribe" types that stand in Times Square screaming about the Evil White Man?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb_o-a4x6Vs

[Matty the Damned]

There is only one holiday song that matters.

MtD

[HippieLady]

There is only one holiday song that matters.

MtD

I might have nightmares now.  Thanks MtD!

[Matty the Damned]

I might have nightmares now.  Thanks MtD!

Nothing like the horrors you will endure when the Old Ones return.

Merry Cthulmas, doll.

[Ann]

That's another thing that fucking sucks about Christmas:  If you don't get into it, you get the whole "bah humbug", "ebenezer scrooge" and "grinch" routine.

What other holidays gets you called names if you don't slobber with enthusiasm about it?

I embrace my inner Scrooge.