tidings of comfort and joy

i LOVE Christmas music! there, i've said it. now it's written in stone and i can never go back on it.

the other day i was bragging to my Irish brother about my extensive collection of Christmas music. but when i went to find some of my cd's so i could actually play some festive holiday music, none were to be found. i searched high and low to no avail, so i gave up and moved on to other projects. projects? ok, ok, frittering away time on the computer.

but then as i sat in my computer chair, i thought to myself: "where would i be if i were a Christmas cd?"

lo and behold, as i glanced at the box of Irish travel books to my left, i realized there was a small carton under that box. i pulled it out, and voila, there was the label "Christmas music" ... huzzah!

so for the last few days i've been playing a great selection of music while frittering away my time, er-r, working on Christmas projects. i love the old, traditional music like you find on "Croon and Swoon" and "Croon and Swoon II" ... who doesn't remember Gene Autry's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Bing Crosby's It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas, Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas, Mel Torme's Christmas Song, Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, Johnny Mathis's Winter Wonderland. This is the music I grew up with, and they're all sentimental favorites. Included in the mix, of course, are quite a few classical cd's, like the Three Tenors, Mannheim Steamroller, and a mix or two of opera stars singing the holiday classics. Really lovely music.

Every year I add 1 or 2, or 3, new cd's to my holiday collection. The last few days I've listened to James Taylor, Loreena McKennitt, Emily Lou Harris, Celine Dion, Yo-Yo Ma and Friends, Sting. Coming up soon will be Josh Groben, Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler's Cool Yule, Asleep at the Wheel's Santa Loves to Boogie, and my new ones for this year, Annie Lennox and the Puppini Sisters.

i love to play my Christmas cd's while i'm working around my apartment, whether it's the mundane activity of washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, or holiday activities like wrapping gifts or making spiced walnuts and rum balls (yes, i've actually done that in past years, imagine that!), or fun activities like working in my holiday journal.

how about you? do you listen to holiday music? if so, what are your favorites? who knows, i might find a new favorite from YOUR list. feel free to share, no one will know, there's nobody here but just us chickens, having a private yuletide chat, slurping, er-r, sipping our Harney & Sons Holiday Tea. ain't life grand?!