So are you tired of the Christmas songs on the radio yet? Now that it's December, I enjoy listening to them. Well, some of them, anyway . . . . Here are my picks for great—and not so great—Christmas tunes.

Favorite traditional carol: O Holy Night - the words are classic, the tune is beautiful, and who can resist that final crescendo? "O night di-VIIIIIIINNNE . . . ."

Favorite "classical" song: For Unto Us a Child Is Born, from the Messiah. You don't hear this one on the radio too often, but Amy Grant sings a song that includes part of it.

And the government shall be upon his shoulders.
And his name
Shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor
Almighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Favorite "radio" Christmas song: Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. I've loved the drummer boy since we sang it in Sunday school (I can still see Mrs. P. pa-rum-pa-pum-pumming on her legs as she sang), and I love how these guys with such diverse musical backgrounds got together and recorded this song.

Favorite new arrangement: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings, by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan. I heard it for the first time tonight and loved it right away. J.P. already bought the CD from iTunes—I can't wait to hear the rest.

Christmas songs I would be happy never to hear again in my life: I guess there are only so many ways you can arrange the old standbys before you have to try and write something new. I don't think any of these is new, but I do find them annoying.

• Feliz Navidad
• Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time
• I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
• We Need a Little Christmas
  

I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting right now. I might have to start moblogging so I can add titles as I hear them on the car radio.

So what's on your Favorite list and your Not So Much list?

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 04, 2005 at 9:47 PM.