Do you hear what I hear?

One of the great things about the holiday season is the constant barrage of Christmas music. What can I say? I am one of those people who listen to the radio stations that play it nonstop. Do you have any idea just how many holiday songs are out there? Well, neither do I...but there's enough to keep a radio station on-air 24/7 without too heavy of rotation of the same stuff.

My husband gets an his annual case of the bah humbugs around this time and doesn't enjoy listening to it like I do, so I get my fill en route to work or while doing errands. My kids are getting into it as well. Just yesterday my son was walking around the house singing "Deck the Halls" and "Jingle Bells." My problem is that I don't have that many songs memorized, even some of my favorites. Every year I try to learn a new one to add to the reportoire. Since I am queen of the lists, I thought I'd list some of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. Except for number choice, "Silver Bells", the rest are in not particular order and I love all versions I hear by various artists.

• Silver Bells


• The First Noel


• Sleigh Ride


• Let it Snow


• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear


• Jolly Old St. Nicholas

Some old favorites by specific artists:

• Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano)
  
• Last Christmas (Wham!)


• My Grown-Up Christmas List (Amy Grant)


• Hey Santa (Carnie and Wendy Wilson)


• The Hannakah Song (Adam Sandler)


• Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee)


• Holly Jolly Christmas (Burl Ives)


• The 12 Days of Christmas (John Denver w/ the Muppets)


• Winter Wonderland (Dolly Parton)


• Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Five)

Now keep in mind that I didn't even list all the ones I love. Popular songs such as "Jingle Bells"..."Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"..."Deck the Halls" and such were omitted because they are kinda just givens. They are so catchy and mainstream that they are hard not to love. I miss my son attending his old preshcool. It was a church preschool so they held holiday concerts that were so great to attend.

When I was in school we got to have Christmas concerts, but many schools these days don't because of the separation of church and state. The school I worked at last year found a great compromise for this issue. They held a Winter Celebration and honored all of the holidays and cultural traditions so that everyone felt included. They held skits, dances, and sang songs for a big concert. My son's school isn't doing that, so I'm a little disappointed. The bright side is that we were invited to a Christmas concert next week that will be held at my childcare provider's church. Apparently, it's a huge deal in the community and so I'm excited for that. Can't wait for a night of Christmas music! Yes, I know. I'm a bit on the nutty side.