08 December 2006

Fa-la-la-la-la Friday Five

'Tis the season to deck the blogs with Boston Charlie, as Gramps would say... So, here y'are RevGals.

1. A favorite 'secular' Christmas song.
I love Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas as sung by Ella Fitzgerald. I also love the Glenn Miller Band's version of the Nutcracker Suite. That's great background music for Christmas parties.
2. Christmas song that chokes you up (maybe even in spite of yourself--the cheesier the better)
Breath of Heaven -- the one sung by Amy Grant, especially since becoming a mother. I remember thinking it was SO melodramatic when it first came out. Now it gets me every time. Of course, that could be gestational hormones...
3. Christmas song that makes you want to stuff your ears with chestnuts roasted on an open fire.
O Holy Night. Mainly because it's usually sung by people who have no business singing it. Unless you are of the caliber of Julie Andrews back when she could sing (and have independent varification from someone not-related to you and not in any way associated with the show American Idol or its knock-offs), please, spare us...

4. The Twelve Days of Christmas: is there *any* redeeming value to that song? Discuss.
It was made into a kick-rear pop-up book by Robert Sabuda. And one of my favorite ornaments is a buckeye pod from Eureka College campus painted to look like a pear. That's redeeming enough for me.
5. A favorite Christmas album

I love the Boston Camerata's A Medieval Christmas, A Renaissance Christmas and A Baroque Christmas boxed set. They get a lot of play time here. Secularly, Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas tops my list!

9 comments:

reverendmother said...

Love the Ella song too--that whole album's great.

Deb said...

OOhhh forgot about "Breath of Heaven"... and it is good (and I'm NOT pregnant and hormonal, either!)

(o)
Deb

chartreuseova said...

I agree about O' Holy Night. I actually love the song...just not most attempts at singing it.

Iris said...

A very kind music minister gently steered me away from singing O Holy Night at a Christmas Eve service when I was 16. Thank God!

I want to find the Ella album now.

Unknown said...

I'll have to find that Amy Grant song!

Dorcas (aka SingingOwl) said...

Yeah, Breath of Heaven gets me too.

And Ella is on my list too. As for the trilogy...wow I know I'd like those.

Anonymous said...

Ella's Jingle Bells is most fun.

js

Anonymous said...

The BBC Radio version of 12 Days with Penelope Keith is the most hilarious version ever!
hard to find....unless you hear it on STLouis Classic 99, as they play it a few times a year. check www.classic99.com for live streaming and a schedule.
js

Unknown said...

You go girl.
Love it.
Love your choices.
Love breath of heaven, but I counted it as religious.

I agree about "O Holy Night"