Category: Christmas Songs
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Yes, you can probably imagine Jerry Seinfeld’s voice asking this question. And I’ve dated myself, which is totally fine. But why is Christmas the only season that gets music and no other season particularly does? It’s a fair question to ask. And the answer is simple, yet complex. Diving into history, Christmas music originated…
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I asked the question on social media as to when people start listening to Christmas music. I got a varied number of responses. Went from any time to after Halloween to after Thanksgiving to December to right before Christmas. And of course, it’s quite the polarizing question, since everyone is fervent in their opinion! …
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Jingle Bells is one of those songs that doesn’t mention Santa, or really anything Christmas at all….however, it’s come to be such a beloved favorite. Especially of children! One of the things that I notice when I give students the entire song to learn…..they don’t know the verses. They just know the “Jingle Bells” part…..the…
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While I’m all for the traditional Christmas carols and all the songs about the birth of Jesus, I’m also a sucker for the fun, non-traditional, non-religious Christmas songs. I will go from playing “Away in a Manger” to “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”, and appreciate both equally. Does that make me odd? Maybe…
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Growing up in Wisconsin, it didn’t take much imagining to dream of a white Christmas. Most of the time, it was just a matter of looking out of the window. Now, in celebrating my 15th Christmas in Texas, I don’t want a white Christmas, but after all of those years of living in cold and…
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Today is the anniversary of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker. Of course I have to share a song that is Nutcracker themed. It’s such a musically beautiful and iconic work, that it is difficult to pick just one. As a fan of the Tchaikovsky and his music, I love the beauty and detail created by this…
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Not every Christmas song is about joy and happiness. Take today’s song, Blue Christmas. It was around and recorded 9 years before Elvis Presley recorded it in 1957 and made it his own. One of the interesting things about Elvis’s rendition is the addition of “Blue notes” or altered notes throughout the song. You’ll have…
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Since we are 12 days away from December 25th, I figured this would be fitting. Of course, the song isn’t about the 12 days BEFORE Christmas. It’s the 12 days AFTER Christmas! There are 13 calendar days between December 25th and the Epiphany (January 5th) Historically, the time before Christmas was to make preparations for Christmas,…
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Yeah, it’s cheesy. It’s come to be cliche, but it’s fun. Actually, the song, originally written by Puerto Rican singer Jose Feliciano, was written out of a longing to be home and missing his Puerto Rican Christmas celebration. And I think that Christmas celebrations are a big part of what goes on during Christmastime. So,…