I know that for many normal people, the time for Christmas songs starts in the beginning of December (earliest)... I, however, being a total Christmas nut, begin my Fa-la-la-la-la-ing way back in November... ONLY because if I start earlier, my mother, sisters & boyfriend will risk the temptation to shoot me.
Whenever people ask me why I'm so bloody in love with the Christmas season and all it brings with it, I just say that I don't really know... I just get an overwhelming feeling of happiness, a rush of happy memories - Christmas eve parties at my grandparents' house, my younger cousin dressing up as Santa and helping grandpa pass round the presents, big family lunches, seeing everyone happy and together... I guess it's super cheesy, but hey, whaddaya gotta do, right...?
Now, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the obvious things: the decorations, the cosy jumpers, the excuse to go shopping, the carols randomly blasted out of Public Address Systems... But I think what makes Christmas special (to me, at least) is the whole "peace on Earth, goodwill to mankind" ideology that comes with it, and I wholly intend to practice that this Christmas, by not just focusing on the usual presents-problem or the "oh no, I've eaten one mince pie too many", but I'll try to go out of my way to make everyone around me feel happy, to accept anyone that might usually piss me off, to make it more CHRISTmas instead of just the normal, commercialised Xmas...
Now, since this is technically a "Musicology" post, it would be quite unfair not to share my favourite Christmas songs with you... Let's start with what is my favourite Christmas song ever - and which has mixed reviews of either "cheesy" or "classic":
This song has soooo many things going for it: The mix of many artists, the fact that it was written for a good cause, Bono and Sting... xD I agree the video might be a bit cheesy, but, come on, it was 1984... There have been many remakes of this song, arguably the best is the Band Aid 20 version, released in 2004, featuring Robbie Williams, DIDO, Chris Martin, Fran Healy from Travis, BUSTED and Joss Stone, among others. Probably the worst adaptation of the song is one made by the German "TV Allstars" - don't ask me when, I don't know, but from the clothes and hair, some time in the late 90's/early 2000... It's cheesier than a plate of nachos, and the 1989 remake is not much better, apart from Kylie and Cliff Richard...
Another favourite of mine is by the aforementioned Sir Cliff: Little Town. Again, pardon the colours and tracksuit, but it was 1982... I just love the way he portrayed this Christmas classic, and how it doesn't sound dated (to me)...
Then there's this little ditty by Chris Rea: Driving Home For Christmas... another happy-sounding song... and it works wonders whilst I'm driving home during the 17:30 traffic...
I only recently discovered this song whilst randomly listening to my newly Christmas-filled iPod on shuffle - I Believe in Father Christmas. This was originally by Greg Lake back in the '70's, but I reckon U2 have done a pretty decent job in covering it... (What can I say, I <3 Bono...)
And being a true Irish nut, I also love this song by the Pogues and the late Kirsty McColl... I love how it's so raunchy and rude, yet still feels Christmassy... xD
These are just random Christmas singles that make my car a little happier during November and December. However, this Christmas album has been making me smile since I can remember - and that's saying something:
Before you start rippin' on my man Barry, you should hear the songs he's got on this particular album: A particularly steamy version of Baby, It's Cold Outside, and an excerpt from Handel's Messiah... Yeah he has some cheesy songs (Sailing, anyone?), but his Christmas album kicks butt...
Now I've ordered a copy of Michael Buble's new Christmas album (which was released in October) and I can't wait for it to arrive!
Thanks for reading this (tremendously long) post! Don't forget to leave me a list of your favourite Christmas songs! :)
Cheryl
xXx
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