The 12 Posts of Christmas (2012), volume VII

Growing up, Christmas morning would start in one of my sibling's bedrooms, where we would get our stockings from our parents - then we would gather at the top of the stairs and our father would pass by us (usually mumbling something about the ungodly hour) and go downstairs to make sure that Santa had come.  In my house growing up - Santa decorated the tree on Christmas eve.  One of my father's other responsibilities was to put on the Christmas music before we would be allowed to come downstairs to open our presents.  Christmas music in the morning usually came from the local classical station - the pop radio stations didn't flip formats for weeks on end in those days.

I can usually restrain myself from the Christmas music shuffle on the iPod until Thanksgiving.  In fact, my iPod still has "regular" music interspersed with the Christmas music but that may change in the next day or two, obviously.  There are several radio stations that play Christmas music locally and I will listen to them in the car - I also have a wide selection of Christmas CDs that make the rotation in December.

So what are the Brave Astronaut's favorite Christmas songs?  What are yours?  Feel free to comment.

Here is the first ten Christmas songs that came up on my iPod when writing this post. (All links are to YouTube videos of the songs, when I could find them)

1. I'll be Home for Christmas - Frank Sinatra
2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Frank Sinatra
3. The First Noel - Emmylou Harris
4. Silver Bells - Vonda Shepard
5. Twelve Days of Christmas - John Denver and the Muppets
6. Who Comes This Night - James Taylor
7. There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays - Perry Como
8. Christmas Time All Over the World - Sammy Davis, Jr.
9. Whatever Happened to Christmas? - Frank Sinatra
10. Winter White - A Fine Frenzy

Favorite "Traditional" Christmas Music

1. Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful) (must include the Latin)
2. Do You Hear What I Hear?
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
4. Go Tell It on the Mountain
5. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Favorite "Pop" Christmas Music

1. White Christmas, always by Bing Crosby
2. The Twelve Pains of Christmas
3. Snoopy's Christmas - The Royal Guardsmen
4. There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays
5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - the Michael Jackson / Jackson 5 version is currently getting a lot of play right now, it's one of Joe's favorites.
6. The Marvelous Toy - The Chad Mitchell Trio (also one of the current favorites, my voice may have had a little hitch on on the final verse)
7. The Christmas Song
8. A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
9. Baby, It's Cold Outside
10. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - we miss you Andy Williams

You may note the absence of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on the Favorites list - although it did come up first on the shuffle.  Ever since my mother died, it's a hard song to listen to, as Christmas was her favorite holiday and going home for Christmas was always better when she was around.  Also missing from the list is "Christmas Shoes," a recent contemporary song.  Mrs. BA hates the song, which is fairly easy to do.  I'll let Patton Oswalt explain.