What is your favourite Christmas Carol/Song?

[RAF4EVER]

This is mine:

 

 

To me this is the best Carol ever.

Edited December 6, 2024 by RAF4EVER

[stevehnz]

I have come to loath modern Christmases with their crass commercialism & complete eschewal of the original Christmas message of peace & hope, all things we could do with some more of. To me, this song ticks most of those boxes.

Steve.

[Andy H]

 

[cmatthewbacon]

Cheating, I know, but:

 

 

 

 

best,

M...

[Whofan]

This is an interesting thread.

 

Like Stevehnz, I have gone right off Christmas in the sense that I find the commercialism too much, I mean newspapers eagerly reporting on "Christmas ads" by major supermarkets which are simply exhortations to spend vast amounts of money on Christmas food and drinks.

 

I also dislike the fact that we see Christmas in shops from early September onwards, and yet the Church 0 both Catholic and Protestant - do nothing to protest about this.

 

However, while I may come across as a modern day grinch, hell I AM a modern day grinch (!) there are still aspects of Christmas I love - just now my (5 year old) Grandson is learning his line for the nativity play at school, while in the car with us every time he sees a house with Christmas lights he shouts Christmas lights, and hisjoy at seeing them is  infectious; and I get to hear these, my two favourite pop Christmas songs;

 

 

and 

 

 

Honourable mentions must go to 2000 miles by the Pretenders and Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses.

 

This one of course is another part of the Christmas album;

 

 

I always remember hearing this for the first time, on Songs from the Wood, (for me Tull's second greatest album, their greatest being Broadsword and the Beastie) and being absolutely stunned; it remains too the only Jethro Tull album my wife likes!

 

As for Christmas Hymns, from my school days when we bellowed out the wonderful hymns at School Carol Services - especially the joint one with the girls high school, where afterwards over mince pies and tea (provided by the gimlet eyed wardresses - oops, teachers at the girls school we would try to chat up girls (mostly failing of course) to go to the Christmas dance with us, this has always been one of my favourite carols to bellow along to;

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2024 by Whofan

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

My top three would be the original “O Tannenbaum.” For some odd reason I always picture the Christmas truce of 1914 when I hear this song. 

 

 

Second is Greg Lakes “I believe in Father Christmas.”

 

 

Third favorite is “Silent night, Holy night.” Particularly this version from the documentary “Dear America: Letters home from Vietnam.”

 

If you’ve never seen the Documentary or read the book I highly suggest reading or watching it. A close runner up is “The little drummer boy.”

 

 

Please enjoy them as much as I do. 
 

 

Dennis

[dnl42]

4 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

A close runner up is “The little drummer boy.”

 

This was my favorite as a child. Perhaps even this version as the image evokes a memory...

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

20 minutes ago, dnl42 said:

This was my favorite as a child. Perhaps even this version as the image evokes a memory...

I think we share similar memories. 

[Karearea]

 

Edit- and to go more modern, I think my favourite Christmas record would be Emmylou’s

 

 

Edited December 7, 2024 by Karearea

[brewerjerry]

Hi

    Faireytale of new york 

      cheers

        jerry 

 

 

 

[Bullbasket]

My top three are Greg Lake, "I believe in Father Christmas", Simon and Garfunkel, "Silent Night/6 o'Clock News", and Johnny Mathis, "When a child is born". The last one especially as fifty three years ago, mid morning on Christmas day, the hospital had that playing on the radio, just as my daughter made her grand entrance.

 

John.

[Antoine]

Was thinking about posting something on the line of AC DC Highway to hell, when suddenly....

 

 

[Farmer matt]

My first job was working in a supermarket, which basically meant that by 5.00 pm on December 1st Christmas music of any kind was loathed to say the least. Despite that, always had a soft spot for this one, 

 

 

Matt

 

[Des]

 

Kind of anarchaic.

[Andy H]

I love the 'Well, we nailed that one." face on one of the women at the end of this...

 

 

[Mr T]

Greg Lake 'I Believe in Father Christmas' 

'Carol of the Bells' 

https://youtu.be/FydDhuAYcOI?si=Sf-iPnfyBNbmfZVB

'Torches' 

 

[flyboy2610]

Not really written as a Christmas song, but this is really the only time of year I hear it, so:

 

[Paul821]

I must admit that after 50 years of being involved in Church services over Christmas I have become somewhat adverse to Christmas Carols. I think my record was 9 carol services in one year. However I had been known to insert the odd hymn, that might be better known as a Christmas carol into services at other times of the year.

 

Twelve years ago, when we retired to our current house, we found that a local theatre tended to book a couple of folk bands on their Christmas tours, and we started attending. These tend to be either Maddy Prior's Carnival Band and/or The Albion Christmas Band - so these have become favourites. Unfortunately my spell of ill-health this year has meant we have not been able to attend and that was disappointing as the Carnival Band have announced this is their farewell tour.

 

So as next Sunday is Gaudete Sunday I should nominate Steeleye Spans song of that name as a favourite, One carol I will mention, and has already been covered is: Silent Night, as when I was leading a carol service in 2014, a young member of our congregation offered to sing it as a solo in German to commemorate the Christmas truce. A memory that will stay with me.

[Graham Boak]

Elaine Page: Incredible Fat (the Innkeeper's Cat).  We often go to Maddy & The Carnival Band, Meg sings in the choir line when they include a choir somewhere reachable.  She'll be there in Birmingham this year, but I'll miss it.  We are going to see Green Matthews in Lytham tomorrow night.

[IanHx]

 

 

[RAF4EVER]

On 07/12/2024 at 03:13, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

My top three would be the original “O Tannenbaum.” For some odd reason I always picture the Christmas truce of 1914 when I hear this song. 

 

 

Second is Greg Lakes “I believe in Father Christmas.”

 

 

Third favorite is “Silent night, Holy night.” Particularly this version from the documentary “Dear America: Letters home from Vietnam.”

 

If you’ve never seen the Documentary or read the book I highly suggest reading or watching it. A close runner up is “The little drummer boy.”

 

 

Please enjoy them as much as I do. 
 

 

Dennis

Just for you @Corsairfoxfouruncle

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

3 hours ago, RAF4EVER said:

Just for you @Corsairfoxfouruncle

 

 

Thank you, Is this from the new “All quiet on the western front” tv series, or is it from a stand alone movie ? Sad how the madness of war can stop momentarily but will still continue when it wants too. 

Edited December 8, 2024 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Andy H]

32 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Thank you, Is this from the new “All quiet on the western front” tv series, or is it from a stand alone movie ? Sad how the madness of war can stop momentarily but will still continue when it wants too. 

 

It's from Joyeux Noel [2005] - a very good movie that might well leave you in tears. Particularly poignant at this time of year.

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/?ref_=tturv_ov_i

 

"The character of the Male opera singer is based on that of German tenor Walter Kirchhoff (1879-1951), who traveled to the front in order to perform for the troops. His performance was met by cheers from the French lines, where upon he decided to climb onto no-mans-land to see who was cheering."

 

[Admiral Puff]

As usual, Tom Lehrer is right on point:

Tom Lehrer | "Christmas Carol"

 

[Noel Smith]

Just recently been listening to Christmas Songs and Carols on Classic FM. Choral versions are so relaxing to listen to rather than listening repeatedly to  Noddy Holder and Slade at this time of year.

 

From more current Christmas Tracks I quite like Carol of the Bells.

 

I agree with some posters on here that the rank commercialism of Christmas from September onwards is a bit much. As a frequent visitor to Malta, a generally devout Catholic Country off season in October and November, nothing really starts to gear up for Christmas until mid November. What a noticeable difference to the UK.

Edited December 9, 2024 by Noel Smith