When I was young, I loved the month of December because the entire month felt like a celebration. There were Christmas parties at church and school, special Christmas concerts at church and school, plus Christmas, plus my birthday, plus New Year’s celebrations. And the music! Nothing can beat Christmas music for its sheer beauty and variety!
Now that I’m adulting my way through life, there are few, if any, Christmas parties and I’m grateful for that. 🙂 The birthday has become a thing to shrug about, and my synagogue doesn’t have a Christmas concert. Hubby and I haven’t even exchanged gifts in years because we’d rather give to the kids and grandkids (and as adults, we usually buy what we need when we need it).
But we still have that glorious music, and we still have the reason for the season, and that’s why I still love Christmas and December. Last year I led an online study of my advent devotional STAR OF WONDER, and it was so much fun to see people realize what life was really like in the first century, and to learn where our traditions came from–or didn’t come from.
I pull our decorations out the day after Thanksgiving (usually), and these days I focus more on the outdoor decorations than the indoor decor because we have more people seeing the outside than the inside of our house. I don’t bake nearly as much as I used to, and I can’t remember the last time I bought a Christmas sweater.
But I still love Christmas–and did I mention the music? I’ve created a Spotify List of all my favorite Christmas music, so if you’d like to listen, here’s the link. I hope you enjoy it–and that you have a wonderful Christmas all month long!
What’s your favorite Christmas song? What says “Christmas” to you?
~~Angie
Latest posts by Angela Hunt (see all)
- Do Animals Understand Death? - May 5, 2025
- March 19th was National Poultry Day! - April 21, 2025
- Funerals - April 7, 2025
I couldn’t begin to choose just one favorite Christmas song/hymn/carol. There are too many that I love, even if only because they bring with the melody a wonderful memory of Christmases past. I fainted when I saw the Christmas tree when I was four. That should tell you something about how much I’ve loved the month of December from childhood on.
I love that you fainted. :-). Sheer sensory overload, right? That speaks to your sensitive nature.
Angie
I love all the Christmas music too–the hymns and songs of the true meaning of Christmas, but also all the fun ones. Yesterday for the beginning of Advent we sang “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” which is perfect for setting the stage to celebrate.
I know–Christmas music has something for everyone! I love the serious songs, too–like “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent.” So awe-inspiring!
I think two of the prettiest Christmas songs are Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming and Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song) sung by Amy Grant. But there are so many! It’s almost always the MUSIC that finally gets me in the Christmas spirit.
Those are beautiful songs! and of course, “Mary, Did You Know” has become a standard. I hear it everywhere!
Merry Christmas Darling by Karen Carpenter
That one is beautiful, even if a little sad. Of course anything Karen C sang was amazing. 🙂
I love Christmas music! I start playing it on Black Friday and go until New Year. Same for listening to it on a local pop radio station in my car. I also have some Christmas CD albums (pop, classical, soundtracks, and world) in my collection.
Blessed and Happy Advent season everyone!
Same to you, Elisa! Enjoy the sounds of the season!
I scanned your list of Christmas favorites and was interested to notice several by The Derric Johnson Vocal Orchestra. I heard Re’Generation several times back in the 70s, but did not realize that Vocal Orchestra was part of the name. I enjoyed their music. I also was able to attend a Bible study led by him at an event in 1976. I thoroughly enjoyed that. He made it come alive.
They added “Vocal Orchestra” several years after Re’Gen disbanded as a way of indicating that it was the a cappella music, I think. I sang in Regency VII–loved every minute of it and learned so much! Pastor Derric is and always has been an inspiration!
Make that ReGen VII. Silly auto-correct!
“It came upon the Midnight Clear” was my favorite as a young adult
… now my favorite is a song that has become meaningful to me, “In the Bleak Midwinter”.
Oh, Bleak Midwinter is a lovely tune, and is really old, I think. So meaningful!