December 6, 2008

What would Christmas be without great music?  I can't imagine it!  I know some people aren't huge music fanatics, but I am, and for me, music is the backdrop for the whole season.

It's really hard to narrow down my favorite Christmas CDs to only 5, but I can do it! These are my favorites at the moment:

• Nat King Cole “Christmas Favorites” – “The Christmas Song” is on this CD, but there are other songs on it that I love even more, like “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “The First Noel”.  Nat's smooth voice on these classics just makes them warm and cozy favorites all over again.  This is the CD you want in the background when you're gathered around the tree with your family opening gifts.

• Avalon “Joy” – There are so many incredible songs on this CD! How about “Jesus Born on This Day” and “We Are the Reason” for starters? Then throw in “Don't Save it All for Christmas Day” and you've got a winner!  It was released in 2000 and half of the group's members have changed, but it's still a great recording.  If you love Jody McBrayer's voice as I do, also check out his solo CD “This is Who I Am” (2002).  It includes one of my favorite all-time songs “To Ever Live Without Me”.  You may recognize it by Jody's incredible lyrics: “It was all about a man, it was all about a cross, it was all about the blood that was shed so I would not be lost.  It was all about the love that was bigger than a life.  It was all about a freedom that was given through your sacrifice. ‘Cause you would rather die than to ever live without me.”  Thinking about that makes me teary; let's move on.

• Amy Grant “A Christmas Album” – This CD came out in 1983, I can hardly believe it. 25 years later, it's still one of my favorites. I don't know what it is about “Tennessee Christmas” but I love love love it. “Emmanuel” and “Heirlooms” are also songs I play over and over again at Christmas.  This is a fun but really warm and sentimental CD.

• Martina McBride “White Christmas” – Martina's voice says Christmas to me, and it just seems like her heart is in all these songs. I adore “What Child is This”, “Do You Hear What I Hear”, and all of the other classics on this CD.  Martina can't sing a bad song, and she does an amazing job on all of these selections.

• Rob Johnson “O Holy Night” – Rob's version of “Mary, Did You Know” is stunning!  The title track, “Welcome to Our World”, “Who Would Imagine a King” and “You are the Light” are also standouts on this CD that came out last Christmas.  Rob was the worship leader at my former church, and is now with another church in Keller that a friend and I visited for a while before I moved farther away.  We did visit again for last year's Christmas service, and grabbed up this CD afterwards. When Rob was leading worship for us, one of the things that we always loved about him was his JOY, and this CD reflects that completely.  It's joyful from beginning to end.  Who doesn't want more of that?

Oh, fudge!  I forgot Selah's “Rose of Bethlehem”. And Elvis' “Blue Christmas”!  And The Chipmunks!  And “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”!  There's so much music for such a short season!  Hey LilSis, what Christmas tunes are playing on your iPod right now?

~BigSis