What's Your Favorite Christmas Carol?

[Chuck D. Bones]

The Christmas season is upon us and Christmas music is spewing out of speakers in grocery stores, shopping malls, elevators, gas stations, strip clubs...

What's your favorite? Mine is:

 

[jessenator]

As far as more secular carols go, this one is always in the rotation:

As far as non-secular carols go:

Stopped the Great War for a night. Very moving bit of history.

 

[Nostradoomus]

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

I used to busk in various brass groups in my college days. Duo, trio, the quintet being the most "successful" at drawing a good crowd and one could at least expect lunch and beer money for an hour or two of cold horn on the face. There are few xmas carols that I can tolerate but this is the one I hated the least. If you want a less obscure selection, Grandma Got Run Over or O Come, O Come Emanuel

 

[scheffehcs]

When I hear a good rendition of O Holy Night, I can’t help but fall to my knees. I can hear the angels sing! And the fear of God is struck deep into my soul, my soul so full of sin, may His awesome glory cleanse and renew me! Praise be to the Lord!!!

I don’t believe in God, so yeah, that’s a pretty powerful song

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album is a favorite of mine to the point that I listen to it year round because of how good the original songs are outside of a Christmas context. My favorite Christmas song is by far Santa’s Beard from that album.

As far as more traditional Christmas carols, I’m especially partial to In Dulce Jubilo (Mike Oldfield’s rendition is spectacular)

An album I only recently discovered that’s become an instant favorite in my house is John Fahey’s “The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album.” John is a favorite guitarist of mine as I really love that whole ‘American primitive guitar’ style that he and Leo Kottke pioneered, and I had never seen this album of his until I saw a Facebook post about it in a record collecting group. Really brilliant arrangements, and just absolutely beautifully performed.

 

[HamishR]

My first job as a 15 yr old (the earliest I could get a job) was working in the christmas tree section of a suburban department store. And after that I spent my christmas holidays for 5-6 years working long hours in that department store. We have long christmas holidays here because it's summer, and it gets really busy in the shops. Anyway, because of all that I cannot bear christmas carols. When it's sunny outside and the girls are coming into the store straight from the beach it doesn't really feel very "christmassy".

I hold a very special place in my heart for Boney M christmas songs. I hate them with a passion.

Slightly embarrassingly, the only christmas song which doesn't make me want to puke is George Michael's Last Christmas.

My favourite memory of working in that christmas tree store was switching from the cassette of godawful christmas songs to listen to the cricket. The sales manager frequently told me off for it but I showed him how many men it brought into the place wanting to hear the cricket score so he wasn't too pissed. He just told me to watch out for the store manager.

 

[t1redhands]

These weirdos did the best Christmas song IMO

For a proper carol, my favorite is "Good King Wenceslas"

 

[Erik S]

This, but pretty much anything off of Charlie Brown Christmas:

This is what I put on when it's time to quit faking it and really get in touch with my holiday depression. Works every time.

 

[ICTRock]

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

 

[Erik S]

I didn't notice Snoopy until the second watch. That's great.

 

[RetiredUnit1]

The whole album. Brings back memories of life as a child.........

 

[KR Sound]

I have a cassette tape that my friend’s mom made for her back in the 70s with all the classics recorded from vinyl. Several years ago I had a sound engineer friend take it, clean up the noise, and digitize it. It’s cool and reminds me of mom and Christmas as a kid. Some of the songs still have some of the pops and scratches that make it even more special than just recreating it as a playlist.

 

[Feral Feline]

I've got a list of Alternatives, Christmas songs that haven't been played to death — alas it's on my old computer's HD. If I feel a little less lazy, I might get it and post it here.

Meanwhile, I'm lazy, so will post the one Christmas-ish song I didn't mind playing when I was still gigging in the Celtic band:

Merry Christmas, Shane, rest in peace.

 

[Coda]

Vince Guaraldi…

 

[vigilante398]

Always has to be this one.

 

[coltonius]

I'm Coldplay agnostic, but this song is IT for me- the epitome of an intimate winter evening indoors near a lit fire and.. Is that a kid screaming from their bedroom? Oh hell. Here's the song:

 

[DailyDovetails]

I learned how to read sheet music this summer after several failed attempts over the last 20 or so years. For whatever reason there are a fair amount of Christmas songs in the beginner sheet music books. This is my favorite one. Wikipedia says it dates back to 1650.

 

[GizzWizzKing]

Literally everything Bing Crosby did for Christmas.