The Nice List: Songs that Save Christmas

Last updated on: December 7, 2017 at 8:36 pm by Erin Wathen

The Nice List: Songs that Save Christmas 2017-12-07T20:36:02-07:00 Erin Wathen

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Last week, I wrote about those holiday songs that set our teeth on edge/cause ear bleeding, etc. I got some resounding ‘amens’ about most of the list; a few “but you left out!”s, and a handful of “what?? I love Josh Groban!” kinds of things.

But all in all, the feedback confirmed what we already knew–Christmas music, for better or worse, is really important to us. We have attachments and associations, some of which we don’t even understand. And the soundtrack is an important part of the holiday experience for people of all ages.

So, lest you think I only focus on the negative holly-jollies and Grandma getting mown down by arctic creatures kinds of tunes–here is my ‘nice’ list: the music that plays in the background as I work on Advent sermons, address my Christmas cards, shop (sort of) and drive through the season. It is REALLY hard to narrow down to a ‘top 10’ list, so I’ve got some general categories, some whole albums, etc. Enjoy. And tell me what I am missing, because I’m always looking for great new music that does not make me want to throttle a sugarplum fairy. And also because we all know I’ll be making a list like this again next year!

1. Best Secular All-Santa, No-Jesus song: “Santa Clause is Coming to Town,” Bruce Springsteen. Christmas that rocks and rolls. What’s not to love?

2. Best Seculalr-Artist-Does-Sacred Song: “Do You Hear What I Hear?” Whitney Houston. I know that made the elf-clubbing list for some of you, but I kind of dig it.

3. Can’t-Live-Without-It Album: Emmylou Harris, Light of the Stable. The whole thing is just pure magic, and I listen to it over and over every year. Some of the songs are collaborations with people like Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton and Neil Young. Can you imagine having NEIL YOUNG as your BACKUP SINGER?? C’mon. (pssst. Amazon has this on sale for $2.99 right now!)

4. Never Gets Old Classic: Handel’s Messiah. My mom used to sing it in the community chorus every year when I was little. She’d start playing the album (cassette tape? whichever, we’re old) to practice sometime around early October. So when I first heard those strains of the prelude pouring through the house and car, I knew Christmas was coming.

5. Best to work by: The Classical Christmas station on Pandora. Guaranteed not to give you ear worms or distract you from the deep thoughts you are supposed to be thinking.

6. Best Pure Fun to enjoy with the kids (or, ok, all by yourself): A Christmas Together, with The Muppets and John Denver. If this doesn’t make you smile, you have no soul and you are getting coal–or possibly dog poop–in your Christmas stocking.

7. Best Guilty Pleasure Song: “All I Want for Christmas is You.” I KNOW!! Don’t judge me. It is just so fun. And also makes me think of my high school boyfriend. He is now a fancy pants music manager/producer-or-something in L.A., but back in the day–and we are still friends so I like to remind him of this–back in the day, he loved him some Mariah Carey.

8. Current Wearing-out-the-Repeat-Button Track. “Christmas Must Be Tonight.” I love The Band. How did I not know until now that they had a Christmas song?? It is fantastic. As are the cover-versions I’ve found, including Hall and Oates, and the Bahamas.

9. Heart-in-your-throat Lyrics: “Who Comes this Night?” James Taylor made it famous –but my brother does a mean version too, and if he would ANSWER MY TEXTS and send me a video, I would totally share it.

10. Just Lovely–and FREE! My friend Andra Moran is gifting you with her selection of Christmas tunes. Check out her other stuff while you’re visiting her site.

Bonus: Here is my Spotify playlist of all-around seasonal awesomeness. It doesn’t include all my faves, but I was going for a certain vibe. And if you’re into bands like My Morning Jacket, the Civil Wars and Over the Rhine, you will dig it too.

Hopefully this redeems some of the awfulness that pipes through the sound system at the mall (even though a playlist can’t redeem the actual holiday mall experience). For those of you who subject yourselves to that particular brand of tinsel-y misery–I know that you do so out of love for someone, and trust that you will find joy lurking somewhere behind the muzak, the screaming toddlers waiting for Santa, and the crippling expectations set forth by the jewelry stores, the lingerie models, and pretty much everyone else who’s trying to sell you stuff. I know it’s tempting, but don’t throat-punch a kiosk guy or maim an elf. Christmas is coming! Santa and baby Jesus are on the way. All will be well. And there will be music.

#ohcomeohcomeemmanuel

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