Fi has posted her Christmas favourites this evening and as I was of a mind to do similar this week I’m following suit. I’m a big Christmas fan, not so much of going overboard with decorations and frills and furbelows but with all the things that make it a special time. The God stuff for sure, but the music, baby, the music is a big deal come Yuletide…
Counting down from number 5… Carol of the Bells. I heard this first on the Home Alone movie… dates me, for sure but there’s a catchyness about the track and this version of it done by Celtic Woman is no exception. I love hearing how others have arranged fabulous tracks. I plan on doing it in our choir’s Christmas repertoire eventually… we actually have to get the choir off the ground first…
Number 4… The Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. This is a dodgily recorded version of the ‘Soulful Messiah’ which is a brilliant cover of the oratorio, given the gospel treatment… have I said I used to sing in a choir like this???
Was the time of my life…
3. Walking in a Winter Wonderland. What is it about a white Christmas that just seems more… Christmassy? I think it’s our European heritage in the Antipodes that puts us crook… we really are young countries and our ancestors had white Christmases and we follow suit… this song says Christmas to me… I love too that this version is sung by one of my teen idols… Amy Grant.
Number 2 was a toss up. I could have put it in as number 1 but God always wins in these contests…
You can’t grow up in New Zealand without singing a Christmas folk song called Te Harinui. It recounts the bringing of the gospel (all that Jesus stuff) to New Zealand, not on a snowy night… not with angels… but in the words of Samuel Marsden, the first missionary to NZ. Fi, he preached this sermon up your way… guess that’s where Marsden Pt gets its name…
Anyway, couldn’t find a video or even a halfway decent track so I did what every Garage Band owning singer does… I made one for you. Red, this is for you… you asked me donkey’s ago to sing for you… and now I am… So, here it is, one night only. Deeleea Singular singing her homesick Christmas song… (PS… please forgive the tragic midi backing track… )
Number 1. Christmas is the God stuff for me. An outlandish tale of God stepping into the world all for the sake of ratbags like us. That’s some big love, right there.
There isn’t a song that captures it better for me than Silent Night. Josh Groban gives it his treatment here…
Oh… my… word! That was absolutely, absolutely beautiful and the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a looong time. Girl, your voice is golden. I always suspected that you were a good singer (precisely because of your modesty), but I had NO IDEA that you were THIS spectacular.
I have to say that out of all of the things to click on, I went straight to hear you sing, and, my word, you sing beautifully! Thank you very much.
And she does a blinding Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” too :)
I’ll have to wait till I get home to hear you, all being well with the farmyard dialup :)
What is it about snow? I think it’s something in our European genes…centuries of it must make their mark!
Carol of the Bells! Yes! And Home Alone, double yes!
And your voice? AMAZING. I just want to keep replaying it.
Loves.
(I just got your postcard! LOVED it. Growing up, my grandma was quite smitten with mice dressed as Santa, so it was perfect. Yours is on the way! too.)
That was bee-you-ti-ful!