Thursday, December 14, 2006

Top 22 Holiday Mix

Alright, so with the melting snow, we all need a little more Christmas cheer, so yes, I'm providing you with yet another Holiday Blog. I've been listening to Majic 100 at work, which is our local Holiday Station, and I've been taking note of the songs that I like the most. I've taken the opportunity to play DJ and I have compiled a list of Christmas Favourites to share with you. So here, in no particular order, is my Top 22 Holiday Mix:

Merry Christmas, Baby by Bruce Springsteen - They've been playing the live version, and it just makes me want to get up and dance. Bruce's voice is at it's hot & raspy best, and it's an awesome song to have playing at a Christmas Party...with lots of festive drinks!

White Christmas by Bing Crosby - I love this song. Of course, around here, the guys are singing "Green Christmas" and that's depressing. But even if there is no snow on the ground on the 25th, this song will lift my spirits no matter what.

O Holy Night - It's quite possibly my favourite Christmas song, when sung by a strong voice (they've been playing Josh Groban, but he's not my favourite). If you've got the pipes, it's a good one to belt - it starts off so softly, but gets increasingly dramatic, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

New York City Christmas by Matchbox 20 - I believe the boys in Matchbox 20 wrote this song after 9/11 to bring a city some Christmas spirit when they were desperately in need of some. I love the line: "And the sidewalk angels whisper 'Hallelujah'" - it captures a moment of hope amidst so much fear.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town by the Pointer Sisters - It's upbeat, it's fun, and it's all about knowing the Big Guy is watching you all year long. I heard the Pointer Sisters' rendition yesterday, and it's my new favourite. "You better watch out, you better not cry..."

What a Miracle by Gail Gavan - This is the title song off Gail's Christmas Album, which I listen to every year while wrapping gifts. She's a Quyon girl, so of course she had to make the list. It's an uplifting song and it puts me in the Christmas mood everytime I hear it.

Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band-Aid - Seems like every music superstar from the '80's got together to do this track to raise awareness that people are starving in Africa everyday. While we're sitting down to our big festive dinners, it's important to remember those who are less fortunate, and to make every effort to give them support year-round.

Away in a Manger - Almost every year at church, the kids get up to sing Away in a Manger, and it's always a highlight. It's a sweet lullaby for Baby Jesus, and you can almost imagine a group of children standing by the manger singing it to Him.

Little St. Nick by the Beach Boys - It's next-to-impossible for me to imagine spending Christmas on a beach, but if I were to be stranded on some desert isle for the holidays, I would hope I'd have this Beach Boys tune with me to keep me feeling festive!

Frosty the Snowman by Gene Autry - I think it may be the only Christmas song my dad could ever play on the guitar, and I'm not sure he or Uncle Garry actually know the words, but when all else fails, they can just give 'er the ol' "Thumpity-thump-thump, thumpity-thump-thump"...and nobody even notices.

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey -I just heard this song for the first time last year, and I love it! It's kind of a tongue twister, and I giggle everytime I hear it. I tried singing it to Caden last year and he just cried, so I'm hoping for better results this year.

Christmas Time by Bryan Adams - I'm a fan of Mr. Adams, and I really like his seasonal offering. When he says, "It makes me wish it was Christmas all year long," I can't help but think, "I'm with ya on that, Bry."

Christmas in Sarajevo by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra - This is the rockin' instrumental from the Home Alone movies that is supposedly one of the most requested songs for radio play during the holidays. Once it's in your head, you won't be able to shake it. It's almost like a head-banging song...Awesome.

Old Toy Trains by Roger Miller - I learned this song last year on the guitar to sing to Caden on Christmas Eve. Of course, it didn't mean much to him last year, but I have the feeling this year when I sing, "Little boy, don't you think it's time you were in bed?", his mommy & daddy might be thinking the same thing...

Christmas in the Valley by Wayne Ronstadt - You know the tape. You've all got one, or your moms do. The original that spawned so many volumes here in the Ottawa Valley has become a local classic. It's about the only Wayne Ronstadt song I know, and he even played it at Jam Fest a few years ago. In July.

Silent Night - Christmas Eve just isn't Christmas Eve unless Rolly Bernier plays this on his guitar with the lights dimmed at the end of the church service. It gives me chills every year. We all hold candles and sing along, and then he just keeps playing as everyone gets up and leaves the church. It's magical.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee - What a festive, spirited song - you just can't stand still when you hear it. In that American Dreams episode I mentioned in the Christmas Special Blog, Kelly Clarkson kicks off the show by singing it on Bandstand as Brenda Lee, and I would have loved to have been in that audience for real.

Christmas Day by Dido - Dido's got such a hauntingly beautiful voice, and this song is perfect for her to sing. It's sort of a wistful, bittersweet song about a girl waiting for a boy, who has promised to come back for her on Christmas Day. It's another one that has recently become one of my all-time faves.

Jingle Bell Rock by Bill Haley & His Comets - It's like the Christmas version of Rock Around the Clock, and it's a great tune to dance around to. "What a bright time, it's the right time, to rock the night away..." Sounds like every Christmas Eve party I've ever been to!

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Corey Hart - OK, anybody singing this is fun, but they play Corey Hart's live version on Majic, and I love Corey Hart, so I'm picking that one for the list. Every kid loves this song, because you get shout out things, such as "Like a lightbulb!" and "Like Monopoly!" and "Like George Washington!"

Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley - You guys know I love the King, and this is one of my favourites, but if you're not an Elvis fan, you're guaranteed to split a gut laughing at the Porky Pig version. Recently, on the Team 1200, this song was in the running for worst Christmas song ever - not because of Elvis, but because of the loopy background singers. But seriously, who doesn't love to join in on the "Oooo-ooo-ooo" parts?

The Coconut Song - Bet you're saying, "Hey, that's not a Christmas song!" Wanna bet? Ever been to a Young Family Christmas Eve party? Lots of feet stomping, lots of roaring voices, and everybody belting "A-roll a bowl a ball a penny a pitch!" It's just not Christmas without it. One more time!!...

And that, folks, is my Top 22 Holiday Mix. I know, I know, there's so many songs missing...But these are the ones I thought of in the past few days. Feel free to add to the set list in the comments section. If nothing else, I hope you were humming along at some point!

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jill definatly the number one Christmas song......I will have to tell Randy tonight when I get home.

Anonymous said...

I like the songs you picked Jill and I also listen to Magic everyday - O Holy Night, like you said sung by the right person is awesome, like Martina McBride - i absolutely love her version...i really enjoy hearing Christmas Shoes by Newsong but I always have tears when I hear it - it's such a sad song and if you have seen the movie, you would know why. On Y101 every morning I believe, they have this funny Christmas song and yesterday was a little girl singing and it was about her farting on Santa's knee and she wouldn't be getting anything for Christmas because she let one sneak out...oh it's so cute and funny...ok so I looked it up online and it's called "I Farted on Santa's Lap" by The Little Stinkers which is a a group of girls led by a 7 year old. Anyways got a lot of work to do - check in later!

Jill said...

Thought you'd like that one, Kenny. :o)
Stace, I like the Christmas Shoes song too, but like you, it makes me tear up. And I've never heard Martina McBride sing O Holy Night, but I bet it's 10 times better than this Josh Groban version I keep hearing.
Also, I forgot the Hannukkah Song by Adam Sandler. I love that song, makes me laugh every time. (Plus, apparently Wade Redden can play it on his guitar...lol)

Anonymous said...

Your blog just saved me. I was on my way to the post office, but I thought I would check to see if there was any comments, and there was Kenny's which I read and then left. I was almost at the stop sign when I witnessed an accident. A red car pulled out in front of Billy T and he plowed into the front fender of the car and the car ran up the stop sign. it sounded like the demolition derby. So see, if I hadn't taken the few seconds to read your blog, I could have been stopped at the sign and these vehicles could have hit my car. Thanks. There was smoke coming out of the hood of the car, so I just turned around in the hotel yard and went by Curves then through the lights. When I got to the lights there was already a cop car at the scene, and when I pulled back into our yard a second cop had just pulled up. They are efficient today, I guess they just happened to be nearby. And I'm sorry to say that our Otter Lake snow is disappearing too, it's like half gone. It is going to be a weird Christmas for us, no snow and our Christmas Eve service is at 2 in the afternoon instead of at night. That sucks.

Jill said...

PK: Glad to hear the blog came to your rescue! I always knew it would come in handy some day! ;o)
There are definitely cops in the area today, because when I came back from the mail, there was a cop car sitting right at the end of the Hammond Line on the highway.
Well my day is just flying by! Because Todd's here we got pizza for lunch, so that was fun. Tonight I'm going to Mom's UCW Christmas party as her guest ('cause Dad won't go). And I'm looking forward to all the yummy food.

Anonymous said...

Well i just had a surprise shower here at work - and I received $150 walmart card which we are using to get the playpen and bathtub then we're all set!!!
Tonight I guess is the last episode of Survivor - the finale is Sunday night...have fun at the christmas party Jill - hope you enjoy the food!!

Jill said...

I was thinking that your work would be having a shower for you at some point! So cool! Now you've got pretty much everything covered. That's awesome!!

Anonymous said...

Okay who is this Todd guy everyone else seems to know so much about.....I promise I won't tell SD

Anonymous said...

Well Jill, that was a very uplifting Blog, I am late checking it out today as I spend 1 1/2 hourse in Health Services for my neck which is in pain. Here I thought my tumble pain was over with and today it's 10 times worse. But the doctor said that that's completely normal that the pain gets worse 3 to 4 days after it happens. And it will stay worse for a couple of days... and then decrease and I should be good by Christmas. I just have to stay really still. UGH! Falling sucks!

Jill said...

Kenny: Todd's just one of our Sales Reps here, on the Ontario side (you may recall him from your Ferry days) - and he's a royal pain in the ass. I don't think anyone on the Blog really knows him, but they've all heard me whine about what a doorknob he can be...lol! But I do love him, he's not a bad guy, just a...doorknob. haha...
Sharon: Sorry to hear about your neck. I've heard that before, that if you fall, you won't get the full effect of the pain until several days later. Joel told me that once when he was trying to get me to do squats in the gym at Heritage. Four days after doing them, I could barely walk, and I thought I was going to have to get my legs amputated or something. And then, the next day, they felt much better - I'm sure you're neck will improve by tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

Jill - I know Todd - he kinda reminds me of your cousin Jim...i dont know why but there is some kind of a resemblence.
Is everything set for Saturday night yet? Who's bringing what etc...?
Today is going by really long and for some reason I have hit a rut and I am really not feeling myself - my stomach feels in knots and i just don't wanna be at work anymore today - i feel depressed. Oh well tomorrow is Friday and at 12:30, I'm outta here and I am getting the rest of my Christmas shopping done - that's it that's all!!

Jill said...

Stacy: Yes, you've mentioned that before, and I know what you mean. I really shouldn't be so hard on Todd - he's usually very nice to me and praises me for all the help I give him, etc. He's just a little scatterbrained and he can drive a person insane with all his dumb phone calls. (And when he's here, he's practically sitting on my desk, saying, "Can you find me this? Can you do that?") But he did bring me a honey crueller, so I shouldn't complain!
Anyways, try not to be depressed...I'm sure once you're gone from work, you'll be fine! I hate that feeling of being in a rut.
Anyways - I think everything's set for Saturday night, and I'm very excited for it! Can't wait!!

Jill said...

When I said you'd mentioned that before and I know what you mean, I was referring to you saying Todd looks like Jim...lol ;o) Just re-read my reply and it was kind of confusing.

Anonymous said...

lov eteh Christmas songs...I love the Band-aid one and Happy Christmas by John lennon- the obe that's on commercials, just cause it makes you think! And Martina does an awesome O Holy Night! You really should hear it Jill. I went to renfrew Tuesday night with my sisters and all I let them listen to were carols..Kelly was pissed cause she really wanted to listen to Hinder but too bad!
I had to put 2 kids in the hall today! imagine...prek'ers in the hall! all the teachers going by were doing double takes.
I'm off to a Christams supper at teh Village Inn tonight. And I might make a gingerbread house when I get home.
Can't wait until Saturday night!
Maybe I'll finally see your stuff Stace!
Hope you're feeling less painful Sharon!

Anonymous said...

Saw this on Canada.com, it's actually a song book of Christmas music, check it out! http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/songbook/pdfs/songbook.pdf

Anonymous said...

Nice to see my Brucie get a mention. I saw him singing Merry Christmas Baby on Conan O'Brien a few years ago and he looked so damn hot. Yum.
A lot of those I've heard, a lot I haven't. But I have to mention one Christmas song you absolutely HAVE to hear. Its called Fairytale of New York and its by the Pogues. I heard it for the first time 3 years ago and it blows away every Christmas song that I've ever heard. Go download it or something before Christmas, its soooooo good and so unexpected you'll be thanking me. I'm gonna go listen to it now.