The holiday season has many traditions, and we each have a favorite. For some people it’s baking, others enjoy all the parties, and some look forward to finding the perfect gift for that special someone. I enjoy all of those things, too, but my favorite part of the run-up to Christmas is singing Christmas carols.
Bang on Door number 22 to tell me to keep it down.
December 21, 2025
I have an old soul. When I was a kid the Bing Crosby and Perry Como Christmas specials were the highlight of the season. I would ask my parents let me stay up past my bedtime to watch them. They always said yes. I also waited with excitement for all of the animated specials and Rankin-Bass productions to air on TV. They all had catchy tunes which I would sing. My siblings and parents would take turns watching Christmas specials with me. I swear they had assigned a rota to prevent burnout. I was indefatigable.
The classic Christmas fare on TV and radio every year was, and still is, great fun. I also enjoyed the hymns at Mass during Advent. But my old soul longed for more. Then my father introduced me to the carols and hymns sung by English choirs on our local classical radio. His favorite was King’s College Choir. It became mine, too. Through the years we would buy the latest album, cassette, CD. The songs were the same, but the voices and arrangements differed. It was like hearing them again for the first time. Don’t even get me started on the descants.
Not to be outdone, my mother leaned into my Bing and Perry obsession and showed me that Johnny Mathis, Harry Belafonte, Herb Alpert also had the holiday spirit at their command. I soon had all of their albums, too. While my classmates were wondering “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” I was on a “Sleigh Ride” with Johnny.
To this day, I listen to this music with reverence, joy, and nostalgia. The records have long since worn out. Anyone who ever owned cassette tapes knows what happened to those. And nothing I own has a CD player in it anymore. My old mp3 player is around here somewhere. Now I have a digital playlist that I carry with me everywhere in a slab of glass that I can play at will. With so much music at my fingertips, I’ve developed my own holiday tradition. I make a playlist of Christmas music that is unique to the year. It’s a fresh rotation of choral favorites, classics, covers, and contemporary additions. It’s my personal holiday groove.
This year’s playlist features one of my favorite Christmas carols “O Tannenbaum,” known in English as “Oh Christmas Tree.” There are many arrangements of this choral masterpiece, but there’s something about listening to a German lyric version that makes it more magical. Perhaps it’s because the tradition of bringing evergreen boughs and trees into the home for the winter solstice originated in that part of the world. Give it a listen. This one has German and English subtitles. I hope you enjoy it. I know Dad would.
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