Christmastime has always brightened my demeanor and buoyed my spirit. It is the season of peace and goodwill, and it never fails to infuse me with old-fashioned joy.
Each year, I am excited to bask in the arrival of holiday commercials, TV specials, annual viewings of Christmas movies, and other such traditions (e.g., concerts, The Nutcracker, church programs, theatre productions, and driving around neighborhoods bedecked with elaborate and fanciful decorations).
As we move toward the end of the calendar each year, I am eager for that pivotal day during which we decorate our tree with all the trimmings and twinkles—bringing magic to our home.
Christmas music plays no small part in the seasonal atmosphere for me.
I love the classic holiday recordings from the 1930s through the 1960s: Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, The Count Basie Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Mercer, and the like.
However, I want to share several musical treasures that may be unknown to many of you, so that you, too, can enjoy their pleasures.
Don your Santa hat, sip some hot cocoa, gather around the hearth in the light of your tree, and cozy up with these tunes.
ON CHRISTMAS DAY (AVE MARIA), by Smalltown Poets
What a delightful song! This is a musical blessing for the holidays.
It has all the ideal ingredients that I love in my Christmas music: great lyrics, perfect instrumentation (piano and cello), angelic choir backing the lead vocals, catchy melody, modulation, majestic crescendo.
I selected this as the first on my list because it somehow elicits the wonder of Christmases from my childhood. That makes it a perfect opener.
SWEET DECEMBER, by Kelly Clarkson and Brett Eldredge
This catchy duet will put you in the yuletide mood. His textured voice and her sweet and soaring vocals blend perfectly while singing about their plans to enjoy the holiday together.
Like me, you’ll find yourself humming this tune or randomly singing it while folding laundry or waiting in the grocery store checkout line.
THIS CHRISTMAS, by Ingrid Michaelson
No. Not the ubiquitous Donny Hathaway song.
This is entirely different.
A delicate piano intro and a soft voice set the stage for an intimate and blessed Christmas season tune—and we are swept up in the distinctive experience of “This Christmas.”
Let’s make it “the best we’ve ever seen.”
SANTA CLAUS IS ON HIS WAY, by Sammy Kaye & The Three Kadets
This cheery throwback is a treat for the kiddos, proudly proclaiming the exciting news that Santa is on his way.
It is for the child in all of us, too. Think back to your childhood and that brand of anticipation swirling in the cold December air. If you distilled it into music, you’d get this song from 1941.
Plus, there is this charming of-its-time lyric:
Say a prayer each night
When you go to bed
Do a good deed every day
'Cause the flash in Winchell's column says
SANTA CLAUS IS ON HIS WAY
THE CHRISTMAS SONG, by Owl City
No. Not the classic “chestnuts roasting” song.
This is entirely different.
Multi-instrumentalist Adam Young (who performs as Owl City) has given us the perfect pop music confection for the holidays. His electronic sounds, catchy beat, and earnest vocals give us a fabulous Christmas song worthy of anyone’s seasonal playlist.
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE, by Bebo Norman
No. Not the classic song from the Charlie Brown Christmas special.
This is entirely different—and I love everything about it: melody, voice, musicality, fervidness, lyrics, and sentiment. (And even a banjo!)
If you like it, check out his album: Christmas from the Realms of Glory.
HERE WE COME A WASSAILING, by Kate Rusby
I know.
It is likely this song isn’t new to you—but I want you to hear THIS version.
I love Kate Rusby’s gentle, emotive voice and her expressive performance.
And if you love this (like I do), you should look a little further into her catalog, because she has several Christmas albums, and they are chockablock with holiday gems like this one.
I first heard her singing “The Wild Goose” on the soundtrack for November Christmas (a Hallmark holiday movie from 2010). That led me to discover her many Christmas collections.
IT’S ONLY CHRISTMAS ONCE A YEAR, by Norah Jones
The remarkable Norah Jones brings her jazz sensibilities to this track from her 2021 holiday album, I Dream of Christmas.
Norah (daughter of famed sitarist Ravi Shankar) crafted a song befitting that common circumstance of spending a holiday season without the presence of someone important to you.
Her lyrics capture her yearning and hopefulness that she will get to spend Christmas with her loved one. That is a holiday sentiment we can all embrace.
CHRISTMAS ALWAYS FINDS ME, Ingrid Andress
As an adult who has had great affection for Christmas through the decades, this track—both plaintive and purposeful—speaks to my inclination to dwell on bygone holidays while also anticipating the approach of a new Christmas season.
Perhaps it similarly speaks to you.
CHRISTMAS DAY, by Michael W. Smith (with Mandisa)
Michael W. Smith has several Christmas albums. The track I am touting is from It’s A Wonderful Christmas. That whole album is stacked with brilliant, rich orchestration and slick production.
In “Christmas Day,” musical clues sprinkle hints of magic and conjure the warm feelings inspired by the holiday. Michael's and Mandisa’s voices adhere to the album title's sentiment while combining to sing of the sacred day.
WHEN CHRISTMAS COMES TO TOWN, by Dad Harmony
This song debuted in The Polar Express soundtrack, but I bring you a version courtesy of the great harmonies created by Dad Harmony.
Listening to this beautiful recording always reminds me of those long ago Christmases when we watched the movie with our young daughters. In a sense, this song invites the holiday into our town and our home.
I hope it does the same for you.
IT’S ALMOST CHRISTMAS, by A Great Big World and Ingrid Michaelson
The pure and clear voice of Ian Axel (from the duo A Great Big World) opens the song, and things really soar when Ingrid Michaelson joins in extolling the enchanting wonders of Christmas.
Their vocals dance together and lift all our spirits when proclaiming that it is almost Christmas.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS, by Candace & Michael
This pleasant song is short and sweet. I heard it in the background of a Hallmark Christmas movie and went on a quest to find it.
It grabbed my attention, and I find it a perfect selection for my Christmas playlist—providing a brief departure from the long-established carols and traditional holiday fare.
O COME EMMANUEL, by Ed Cash, Allen Levi, and Bebo Norman
Okay. I presume you have heard the song, but I really need you to hear THIS a cappella version.
It is one of my favorite Christmas songs, and this recording is most beloved by me.
Such a spectacular arrangement. Their voices are like an early Christmas gift.
You heard Bebo earlier on the list. And you may know of Allen Levi from his recent novel that has garnered much ballyhooing: Theo of Golden. If you haven’t heard of it, you are sure to when the movie arrives (purportedly with Tom Hanks).
Meanwhile, luxuriate in this harmony:
AULD LANG SYNE, by Kurt Nilsen
True: this tune is very old, but I present you with a version that fully embodies what the song should be.
This haunting, old-world rendition sums up the existential ambience of New Year’s Eve, which arrives amidst the traditional 12 Days of Christmas that stretch between Christmas Day and Epiphany.
It has a simple-but-poignant arrangement. Front and center: that voice—ethereal and cloaked in the emotional weight of the occasion.
I first heard this Norwegian sing when he competed in (and won!) the World Idol singing competition.
PINE CONES AND HOLLY BERRIES, by The Osmonds
This is a yuletide example of polyphony or counterpoint, blending the melodies of “Pine Cones and Holly Berries” with the classic “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”—and performed with the fabulous family harmonies of The Osmonds.
I only recently discovered this performance, and wish I had known of it long ago.
CHRISTMAS TIME ALL OVER THE WORLD, by Sammy Davis, Jr.
The incomparable Sammy Davis, Jr. has a voice like no other, and he manages to deliver the joy of Christmas in this celebratory song.
My initial inclination is to label him a generational talent--but then I realize he and Nat King Cole are of the same generation.
Perhaps I can sum up its importance this way: I need this tune every Christmas season.
CHRISTMAS PRESENCE, by Bella Ruse
The quaint video for this song always comes to mind when I hear it.
The lyrics enumerate all the things that are not needed for the holiday, reiterating the one important thing that is needed: your presence.
The heart-warming sentiment is represented in the companionable composition.
IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME AGAIN, by Peggy Lee
There is a smoky sultriness to Peggy Lee’s voice. She is a stellar singer/performer, and she exudes the warmth of a yuletide fireplace…evoking the perfect picture of idyllic holidays from yesteryear come ‘round again.
I’m a sucker for nostalgic Christmas recordings.
After hearing this, I couldn’t believe this particular performance has not secured its place in the canon of Christmas classics that people return to year after year. I do. And perhaps now you will, too.
BUON NATALE (MEANS MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU), by Nat King Cole
Truly, Nat King Cole has given us one of the greatest Christmas albums (originally The Magic of Christmas and reissued in 1999 as The Christmas Song)—and his recording of Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song” is the quintessential version beloved by virtually all fans of Christmas music.
However, this track from the same album puts the merry in Merry Christmas. Its rhythm, vocals, and sentiment join to form a fun, upbeat celebration of the holiday.
Listen.
And Merry Christmas to you.
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