Christmas music

Spinning the Christmas Spirit

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For those who keep up with these blog posts of mine, you know my new favorite hobby is spinning vinyl. In non-hipster lingo, that means playing records. Now that we’re in Advent season, I love being able to drop the needle on a Christmas LP and let it take me away.

I have a mix of old and new, standard and obscure, secular and sacred. It’s the soundtrack for the season. So many of these songs take me back to my earliest memories of when I was little and hearing them for the first time. Suddenly, I can see some of the faces that had faded from my memory. I remember names I’d forgotten and miss those whom I loved who aren’t here anymore.

I love how even the most secular of artists will include a sacred selection or two. After all, it’s impossible to have Christmas without the Christ-child smack dab in the center of it all. I get that the season has been secularized and commercialized into insanity, but the music always seems to bring me back to the true meaning of what Christmas is all about.

I’m sure one of the reasons so many love music is that music originated in heaven and will be one of the first things to greet the new arrivals in heaven the moment they slip into eternity. Music is the language of heaven, so any music, no matter how far removed from its sacred origins, is a shadow and a reminder of what’s to come. I believe the best of the music here will be among the songs we’ll hear and sing around the throne of God.

So I’ll be spinning those Christmas records from now through Christmas until at least the Epiphany on January 6. Maybe even beyond if I don’t get tired of them by then. And I’ll be loving every minute of it.

Spinning the Christmas Classics

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I think music has always been an essential part of my life for as long as I can remember. Some of my first memories involve hearing my grandmother sing or listening to the old Elvis records.

It made sense when I got a turntable for Christmas two years ago that I’d start stockpiling a collection of Christmas records, especially the classic recordings from the likes of Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Ella Fitzgerald.

It’s not like I wasn’t listening to Christmas music before 2022. I had (and still have) my massive collection of Christmas CDs that will one day all be compiled into a massive playlist somewhere. But dropping the needle on a record is like turning back the calendar to 1979 when I could hardly contain my excitement for Santa and presents.

Christmas music was actually my introduction to a lot of great music from the 40s and 50s. Pretty much all the standard versions of the holiday classics are from that era. To risk sounding like an old fart, to me the music from that era was from real singers and real musicians who didn’t need autotune or pitch correction or and kind of computer software to make indelible musical memories.

I don’t even mind having to get up every 20 minutes or so to flip the records over. The physical act makes the nostalgia so much more potent. And all those great songs are basically the soundtrack for all my Decembers for as far back as I can remember. Wrapping presents and decorating the tree isn’t quite the same without a little White Christmas from Bing or a Blue Christmas from Elvis.

And of course all those carols remind me of the real reason for the season, especially O Little Town of Bethlehem and Silent Night. There’s a reason why we still sing lyrics penned centuries ago. There’s a reason why people are still recording those hymns from the 1800s. The message is still as true and powerful now as it was 2,000 years ago on the first Christmas night.

So I guess I’ll keep playing the records and adding to my collection for as long as there are Christmases to celebrate. Christ the Lord is born today. Hallelujah!

Dropping the Needle

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There’s really nothing like dropping the needle on a record to bring back instant memories of Christmas childhood days for me, especially when it’s something the family listened to back in the ye olden days referred to as the late 1900s.

It’s the physical act of positioning the record arm in just the right spot and letting it fall that does so much more than simply pressing play on a CD or cassette player. And don’t get me wrong. I still have CDs (but not really any cassettes).

For me, there are essentials when it comes to the Christmas experience. Seeing Behold the Lamb of God at the Ryman has to be one. Also, experiencing the lights at Opryland Hotel, as well as walking through the decorations at Cheekwood.

But I have my own list of movies and music that is essential to any proper Advent/Christmas season. Movies like It’s a Wonderful Life or White Christmas are always required viewing. Musically speaking, it’s not Christmas without Nat King Cole, A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, or Bing Crosby. There are more, but it would take too long to list everything.

I understand that you can just go to Spotify or Apple Music for a playlist, but it’s not the same. It doesn’t give me the nostalgia the way playing a record and then having to flip it over to get to the second side does.

As always, I welcome your favorite Christmas movies or albums, so please comment and list your essentials. And thanks again for being faithful readers of these posts. That means the world to me.

It’s Christmas Music Season

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My favorite time of the year has officially begun. One of the many reasons for Advent and Christmas being the best is because of all the great music (including the album shown above) that I love to revisit every year around this time.

I get nostalgic around the middle of November, and I’m drawn to the music that my parents and grandparents have loved. I go back to those old records I listened to when I was little and couldn’t wait for Santa to show up.

I really believe that music is the closest thing to time travel that we have. It’s amazing how certain songs can conjure up memories and images from the recesses of your mind and almost bring them back to life again. I can almost see the faces and hear the conversations and smell the bread baking in the oven.

The last two years, I have been tracking down all the old records from way back when, especially those classic Christmas recordings of yore. As much as I like some of the new music (or more accurately, a small fraction of it), I yearn for the tried and true acts like Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and so many others who set the standards and recorded the definitive versions of so many Christmas songs that we all know and love.

So from now until possibly the middle of January, I will be revisiting my Christmas collection (and adding to it whenever I get the chance). Throw in a peppermint mocha and a comfy chair and I am a very happy dude.

Behold the Lamb of God

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I don’t normally do shameless plugs, but here goes: if you’re ever anywhere near a place that hosts Andrew Peterson’s Behold the Lamb of God concert, just go. Don’t ask any questions. Just go.

The absolute best venue to see this concert is the Ryman Auditorium, but go wherever is convenient for you.

Aside Handel’s Messiah, I honestly can’t think of any other Christmas music that mines the depth and splendor of the Incarnation in the way this music does. It also happens to be a very good synopsis of the overarching meta-narrative of the entire Bible, the whole story in one short setting.

In the mean time, go buy the album. I’m making it really easy for you. Just go to this link, whip out the ol’ credit card, type in those numbers (including that pesky little 3-digit number on the back), and make that purchase. You will not for one second regret it.

https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Lamb-10th-Anniversary-2-disc/dp/B0040QTHMW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1481775641&sr=8-2&keywords=behold+the+lamb+of+god

The theology is solid and the songwriting is among the best. My new favorite Christmas song may just be Labor of Love. The whole album is profound and moving in a way very few Christmas albums I’ve heard are. So go buy it.

Here endeth the shameless plug.

 

More About Music

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So far, I’ve had my share of good Christmas music to help me cope with all my commutes to and from work, church, and other places.

I’ve made it through The Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah, as well as Christmas compilations by Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley.

I took a small break from all the holiday tunes with some Waylon & Willie. In case you are uninformed about all things classic country music, that’s Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, both whose body of work is astounding and legendary. They collaborated on a 1978 album that is the epitome of everything country music should be. At least in my humble opinion.

If you think that country music doesn’t go any further back than the 2000’s or if you think that bro-country is real country, try this album. It might change your mind.

I could just about listen to it on repeat for days. I actually did play it through twice today on my various trips. It’s that good.

Listen to the music that makes your heart happy. Listen to what makes you come alive — even if it’s Florida Georgia Line. Branch out from what you’re familiar with and try different types of music, even stuff that’s off the top 40 radar. I promise you won’t regret it.

And now I will go back to my regularly scheduled Christmas music.

 

Plan B (With Apologies to Pete Wilson)

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No, this has nothing to do with the book by Pete Wilson. Hence, the title.

My plan for the better part of the day was to leave work and go to Uncle Julio’s, a new Mexican restaurant in the Brentwood area. I had it all worked out in my mind how the evening was going to go.

I forgot to factor in Nashville traffic. Oops.

What should have taken 45 minutes or less took an hour and a half. While I don’t necessarily mind sitting in interstate traffic when I have Bing Crosby Christmas music playing, it put a bit of a crimp in my plans.

By the time I arrived at said restaurant, the wait was an hour and 15 minutes. Hence the need for a plan B.

Plan B ended up being a tasty burrito at Chipotle with chips and guacamole.

I came away from this Friday night with a few takeaways.

  1. Nashville traffic sucks. It always slows down at the worst possible time and there’s usually never a justifiable reason for the slowness.
  2. Maybe it’s not the best idea to decide to try out a trendy new restaurant on a Friday night.
  3. Plan B doesn’t have to mean a bad night. Sometimes, Plan Bs can be just as good as the original plan.

One thing I know is that with God, there are no plan Bs, especially when it comes to you and me. He is working out His perfect design in each of our lives and knows exactly what He’s doing. Everything– and I do mean everything– that happens happens for a reason. God still works all things together for our good.

You are not a Plan B. You are God’s original design, fearfully and wonderfully made. There will never be another you and there will be another who can play the part God wrote for you in the grand play of life better than you.

In case you were wondering, the chips and guacamole were perfection.

 

My Secret Christmas Room

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b_christmas-decorated-room-1366x768

For those of you who have lots of money, I just thought of a way to help you spend it. I mean besides buying me stuff like Red Mini Coopers and Mac Book Pros.

I think it would be super-duper neat to have a secret room in your really big house. One of those that you get to by turning a book in the bookcase or pulling a hidden lever located behind the family portrait.

But not just a secret room. It would be a secret Christmas room, all decorated with a Christmas tree and a fire burning in the fireplace and Christmas music playing from hidden speakers in the ceiling.

Some days you just need a little Christmas. Even in the middle of July. After a hard day at work, how nice would it be to be able to spend a little time in your Christmas room, lit only by the fireplace fire and with strains of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas wafting in the air.

That’s what I’d do if I suddenly came into a lot of money. I could save all the trouble of packing up all the Christmas decorations and just move them all to this little room. And you’d be welcome to come over and visit my little secret Christmas room whenever you were needing a bit of the yuletide spirit.

Just let me know in advance when you’re coming over.

 

Additional Worthwhile Christmas Music

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pentatonix-christmas-album

I may or may not have mentioned that I have one of the most awesome collections of Christmas music ever. If not, then I do have one of the most awesome collections of Christmas music ever.

Although I prefer the older Christmas music, I still occasionally pick up new recordings by newer artists from time to time.

Here’s a list of some of my most recent acquisitions that I think are pretty darn good:

1) Sting – If On a Winter’s Night

2) Barbra Streisand- A Christmas Album

3) Johnny Mathis- Merry Christmas

4) Pentatonix- That’s Christmas to Me

5) Bing Crosby- The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Recordings

6) Richard Marx- Christmas Spirit

7) Mahalia Jackson – Mahalia Sings Songs of Christmas

8) Shawn Colvin- Holiday Songs and Lullabies

9) Mary Chapin Carpenter- Come Darkness Come Light: Twelve Songs of Christmas

10) Barry Manilow- In the Swing of Christmas

That’s not a definitive list of all my new favorites. First of all, I don’t have that kind of time to list them all. Second, I don’t want to come across as the world’s biggest nerd. But that is a sampling of what I’m listening to these days.

To me, it’s not really the Christmas season without Christmas music. So I hope this will help you add to your enjoyment of the season of celebrating Christ’s birth.

The Day After Christmas

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achristmasstory

It’s December 26, or as it is officially known, the day after Christmas. Canada and other former British colonies celebrate today as Boxing Day (which has absolutely nothing to do with actual boxing, much to Mike Tyson’s chagrin).

In the past, December 26 always was a let-down. I had waited for weeks and weeks for Christmas to arrive and when it did, it went by so quickly and was over. The presents were nice, but it seemed sad to have nothing to look forward to again for another 364 days.

Of course, you could always celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, made famous by the old song. That gives you until January 6 to keep your Christmas lights and decorations up if you’re dreading having to take it all down.

But I remember something one of the characters in a movie version of a Christmas Carol:

“Mortal! We Spirits of Christmas do not live only one day of our year. We live the whole three-hundred and sixty-five. So is it true of the Child born in Bethlehem. He does not live in men’s hearts one day of the year, but in all days of the year. You have chosen not to seek Him in your heart. Therefore, you will come with me and seek Him in the hearts of men of good will.”

(Ok, I cheated a bit. I remembered a a bit of that vaguely and looked it up on google and found the rest.)

The child born in the manger deserves more than one day a year to celebrate his arrival. Why not make every day a reminder that Emmanuel, God with us, has come and has not left us.

I personally think that it’s perfectly acceptable to watch Christmas movies all year long, should that be your heart’s desire. And if you want to pull out your Christmas music in July, I say go for it!

But most of all, we should strive to be like old Scrooge, who learned to keep Christmas well in his heart not just the one day a year, but every day.