Last Christmas, which I spent with my mom in Nice, I brought along a Christmas play list that clearly reflected my taste and not hers (or my aunt and uncle’s). The moaning heard at Fairytale of New York (The Pogues) and Pretty Paper (Roy Orbison) was loud and they all kept asking, “don’t you have anything more uplifting?”. I just laughed and ignored them. My iPod, my playlist.
Looking back, my holiday play list was probably a more accurate picture of mood than I thought. Last year was the first Christmas we celebrated without my Grandmother. And, as nice as the South of France is, it was just my mom, my aunt and uncle, and me. I may be an only child but Christmas to me has always meant a chaotic family visit similar to Home for the Holidays. I missed the noise, the drama, the love of all of my crazy family.
I was also very, very unhappy in my job. The internal politics were wearing on me; the responsibility of mentoring and guiding a young staff (that was under tremendous pressure) was exhausting; and while I was excited about a new relationship, I was worried about how we would make it (London-DC, 40 and 47, damaged and damaged)work.
The songs that soothed me, however, grated on our little group so I found some Celtic music, combined it with some Miles Davis, added the few poppy Christmas songs I had and created a new play list, a new mood. The grumbling stopped and we resumed an otherwise idyllic holiday with yummy dinners, Christmas Eve mass and long walks along the seawall.
This year, I’m feeling much more in the holiday spirit. Who wouldn’t? My mom, her new husband, and her aunt and uncle are all coming to DC. I’ve left my job and started a life-changing sabbatical. Did I mention the five and a half weeks in Paris? I’m also reconnecting with friends and trying to figure out how to rebuild relationships with my family and even my own relationship with myself.
This year, we are two families. One in DC (including several cousins, their kids and another aunt and uncle) and one in Florida (two brothers, more cousins) but I think we’re starting to figure out how to become one again. While my year-long relationship with M is over, it was a fabulous year (Chicago, Paris, Istanbul, DC, London) and has given me a confidence and certainty about what it is I want the next time around.
But I realized I needed help, a lot of help, to build a soundtrack that could help me capture my emerging personal peace, as well as the holiday spirit present in the friends and family (near and far) that will be here for Christmas. So I did what any tech-savvy gal does and turned to Facebook. Thirty-one responses later, along with a dozen or so side emails and a few phone calls, and I now have a list of more than 100 holidays songs to choose from today. I still haven’t figured out the exact order, or even which songs will make the final cut, but this has been so much fun.
I’ve learned so much about my friends tastes; I will treasure the memories that were shared, along with the songs, and the more I have listened to these songs, the more I have revisited my own memories of the holidays. The good cheer that led to people loaning me their memories is not something I’m going to ruin by ranking the songs or even commenting on them. I will simply say, thank you. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this list, feel free to pass it along, and here’s hoping that it does for you what it did for me.
Oh, what was that? Simply, joy and peace.
The List
A couple of notes: I have included multiple versions of the same song. People like different versions and the ones here are the ones people sent me. Ninety-nine percent of these are available for download either at Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, etc. The majority of these are Christmas songs though a few contemporary, holiday songs are here. There is only one Chanukah Song, it’s the only one I know. There is a list, at the end, of traditional French carols, just because. If there is something missing, feel free to post it on Facebook or shoot me an email. Enjoy!
- 2000 miles Pretenders
- A Fairytale of New York Pogues
- A Holly Jolly Christmas Burl Ives
- All I Want The Weepies
- All I Want For Christmas Is You Olivia Olson and/or Mariah Carey
- All We Need Is Love (Christmas In the Yard) The Big Yard Family & Shaggy
- And the Angels Cried Allison Krauss and Alan Jackson
- Another rock and roll christmas Gary Glitter
- Ave Maria Stevie Wonder
- Ave Maria Aretha Franklin
- Away In a Manger Mannheim Steamroller
- Away in the Manger Nat King Cole
- Blue Christmas Elvis Presley
- Children's Christmas Song The Supremes
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) U2
- Christmas Collage Kathy Mattea
- Christmas in Herald Square Tony Bennett
- Christmas In Hollis Run-DMC
- Christmas Is Coming Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Christmas Waltz Peggy Lee
- Christmas wrapping The Waitresses
- Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental) Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Christmastime Is Here (Vocal) Vince Guaraldi Trio
- December George Winston
- Deck the Halls Ottmar Liebert
- Deck the Halls R.E.M.
- Deck the Halls / Bring a Torch Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- Deck the Halls Nat King Cole
- Do They Know It's Christmas? Band Aid
- Do You Hear What I Hear? Whitney Houston
- Don’t Forget to Feed the Reindeer Peggy Lee
- Don't Save It All for Christmas Day Celine Dion
- Feliz Navidad Jose Feliciano
- Frosty the Snowman Jackson 5
- Frosty the Snowman Fiona Apple
- Für Elise Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Gabriel's Message Sting
- Give Love On Christmas Day Jackson 5
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Barenaked Ladies
- Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer Elmo & Patsy
- Greensleeves Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over) John Lennon & Yoko Ono
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Judy Garland
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Sarah McLachlan
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Pretenders
- I believe in Father Christmas Greg Lake (Lake, Emerson, Powell)
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Jackson 5
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus John Mellencamp
- I want a hippopotamus for Christmas Gail Peavy
- I Want to Come Home for Christmas Marvin Gaye
- I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas Bon Jovi
- I’ll be home for Christmas Pat Boone
- It's Christmas Time Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Sixpence None the Richer
- (It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus Harry Connick Jr.
- Jingle Bell Rock Bobby Helms
- Jingle Bells Diana Krall
- Jingle Bells Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- Joy to the World The Supremes
- Joy to the World Nat King Cole
- Last Christmas (Single Version) Wham!
- Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Dean Martin
- Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow (Live) Michael Bublé
- Let it Snow Aaron Neville
- Linus & Lucy Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Little Christmas Tree Michael Jackson
- Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth Bing Crosby/David Bowie
- Little Drummer Boy Celtic Women
- Little Saint Nick The Beach Boys
- Love On Layaway Gloria Estefan
- Merry Christmas Baby Lou Rawls
- Merry Christmas Darling (Remix) Carpenters
- Merry Christmas Everyone Shakin' Stevens
- mistletoe and wine Cliff Richard
- My Christmas Tree The Temptations
- My Favorite Things Diana Ross & The Supremes
- My Little Drum Vince Guaraldi Trio
- My Only Wish (This Year) Britney Spears
- O Come All Ye Faithful Luther Vandross
- O Come All Ye Faithful George Strait
- O Little Town of Bethlehem Nat King Cole
- O Tannenbaum Vince Guaraldi Trio
- One Little Christmas Tree Stevie Wonder
- Our Love Is Like a Holiday Michael Bolton
- Pretty Paper Roy Orbison
- River Joni Mitchell
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Brenda Lee
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Gene Autry
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Temptations
- Run Rudolph Run Bryan Adams
- Santa Baby Eartha Kitt
- Santa Baby Madonna
- Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy Garth Brooks
- Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town Bruce Springsteen
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Diana Ross, Jackson 5 & The Supremes
- Silent Night Boyz II Men
- Silent Night Stevie Nicks
- Silent Night The Temptations
- Silent Night Celtic Women
- Silent Night Mahalia Jackson
- Silent Night Sinead O’Connor
- Silver Bells The Supremes
- Skating Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Sleigh Ride Ella Fitzgerald & Frank Devol Orchestra
- Somebody at Christmas Jack Johnson
- Someday At Christmas Stevie Wonder
- Special Gift The Isley Brothers & Ronald Isley
- step into christmas Elton John
- Stuck at the Airport Money Mark
- The Chanukah Song Adam Sandler
- The Christmas Song Vince Guaraldi Trio
- The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) Jackson 5
- The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) Nat "King" Cole
- The Coventry Carol Alison Moyet
- The Happiest Christmas Nat King Cole
- The Holidays Are Here (And We're Still At War) Brett Dennen
- The Little Drummer Boy Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
- The Little Drummer Boy The Temptations
- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year Andy Williams
- There is No Place Like Home at the Holidays Perry Cuomo
- This Christmas Joe Donny Hathaway
- Twas the Night Before Christmas Aretha Franklin
- Twelve days of christmas The Spinners
- What Child Is This? Vince Guaraldi Trio
- What Child is This? Joan Baez
- What Christmas Means to Me Stevie Wonder
- White Christmas Otis Redding
- White Christmas The Supremes
- White Christmas Mahalia Jackson
- White Christmas (1947 Single Version) Bing Crosby
- Winter Tori Amos
- Winter Wonderland Eurythmics
- Winter Wonderland Nat King Cole
- Wish you a Merry Christmas Tim Davis
- Wonderful Christmastime Paul McCartney
- You Don't Have to Be Alone (On Christmas) N Sync
Also, traditional French carols/songs, I like:
D'un coeur joyeux, chantez!
Il est né le divin Enfant
Petite ville Bethléem
Entre le boeuf et l'âne gris
Joyeux Noël
O viens bientôt Emmanuel!
Minuit Chrétiens!
La marche des Rois
Les anges dans nos campagnes
Sainte nuit
Mon beau sapin
Un flambeau Jeannette Isabelle
Que chacun s'empresse
Noël nouvelet
