Christmas Music

I admit it, I love Christmas music.  When I listen to the songs of the Holidays, I feel peace.  I feel the love of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I am not talking about songs like Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, that focus on the commercialism of the season, but the traditional Christmas Tunes that I learned as a child and that were played in our home each year.  I can remember sitting for hours by our old record player putting on one record after another.  Songs like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer reminded us to have fun and that everyone was important.  The Christmas Song with lyrics of chestnuts roasting and Jack Frost brought visions of comfort at home and family togetherness.  O Tannenbaum spoke to my heart of hope, everlasting life and the steadfastness of God's love, while Silent Night told the story of that miraculous night with simple words and tune and O Holy Night resonated with the power that single event had to change the world.

This time of year, I can come out of the closet with my love of Christmas music.  I can openly admit that I own every Mormon Tabernacle Choir Broadcast on DVD I have been able to find.  The Playlist on my MP3 player changes over to Christmas tunes.  I am a sucker for a good Christmas CD.  I also love a good Christmas special.  Whose heart doesn't beat a little faster to the extradornary kicks and heels clicking of the Rockettes? How I miss the days of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Andy Williams.  Thank goodness for YouTube, so I can share some of those magical moments of childhood with my own children.

Here is my all-time favorite memory from Bing Crosby:

So to all of you I say Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and enjoy the songs of the season.

(If you don't want to buy all the DVDs of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concerts, you can watch the abbreviated version of many of them as shown during Music and the Spoken Word by clicking here via the Mormon Tabernacle Choir YouTube Channel.)