www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall What are your favorite secular Christmas songs?

Anyone remember Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass? They did a version of "My Favorite Things" on their Christmas album, circa 1968.

Country music fans may remember "Santa Claus and Popcorn" from the early '80s, by Merle Haggard.

Etnick...
Waiting for the inevitable onslaught of Andy Williams singing "Happy Holidays".

Good choices, one and all. Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, all the classics. How far back can we go? I like Patapan and I Saw Three Ships. Is anyone familiar with the Narada Christmas CD? Wonderful stuff. There's actually two of them. The first is the best.
I don't remember the spelling but "Riu, Riu Chiu" is also one of my favorites. A Spanish carol. Not secular, I admit, but when sung acapella with the right harmony, it's unforgettable!

I also like making up my own lyrics--"Here we come a-hollering and falling down the stairs!" and my personal favorite--"Love and joy come to you and a piece of pizza too!"

But my parents apparently dropped me on my head a lot when I was a kid.

Timbo the bimbo

Actually, yes I do . . . and good memories they are ! Thank you for reminding me, sir !

-- John

Secular carol: Elvis's rendition of "Silver Bells"


Religious carol: "In dulci jubilo"

What, no Dominic the Donkey? Sorry about the bad vid, but it's the song that's key. LOL.



Aaron

Funny, with my Italian mother having a lot of Perry Como and Dino Martin Christmas LP's, I don't remember that song. To all my "pisans" on the Forum, have a "Buon Natale"!

Ungcsertezs(Ja Rusyno-Italiano!)

Definitely Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Ryan

A kind of sentimental Christmas song by Karen Carpenter was "Merry Christmas Darling". Not really a bad song, but not a good song to listen to if one is lonely. Another nice secular Christmas song was sung by 98 Degrees "This Gift". And not that I am an adovcate of George Michael and I hope that people are not offended by my mentioning this one "Last Christmas". Of course, the younger members of the Forum may not remember that song.

Peace,

John Doucette

"Not really a bad song, but not a good song to listen to if one is lonely." Most of the Carpenters songs would keep me in a bad mood when I was lonely.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" always bring a smile to my face.

Terry

Oh yes, that is sooo cute!!

What do you expect from the good posters of this forum?!? What can I say about their taste in music?!? They didn't even mention the barking dogs Jingle Bells either! LOL!

Alice

My husband has Perry Como's Christmas album which he got from his uncle. It is from the 1950's, and my husband just has to listen to it every year, because he grew up hearing it. It is kind of cool, actually.

I love Frank Sinatra, but Dean Martin had a far better voice. I love his music...especially 'volare', one of my favorite songs.

Regards,
Alice, ( not a paisan, but an Italophile )

One of our local FM-radio stations (WLIT, the "Lite") started airing Christmas songs 24/7 since the 1st of November: classics, oldies, newbies, and all the rest!

And I love them all as each carol brings back memories of one's childhood and those of our children!

Thus, I always break into a smile when that boy sings: "I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Last Night!" The song vividly pictures the innocence of young kids as to who "Santa" is.

And, then, the realization the next year or two that that innocence is lost forever when one discovers on Christmas day morning that the kids did not leave any cup of milk nor a few cookies for "Santa" as their mother instructed the night before!

But "Santa's secret" goes on to the next generation when our own children have theirs and live and enjoy this beautiful and endearing "lie" for themselves!

Merry Christmas to one and all!

Amado

"Alice, ( not a paisan, but an Italophile )"

You're Greek; you might as well count yourself as Southern Italian!

Alexis

I've always liked Hark! The Herald Angels Sing myself.

Be Thou My Vision has always been my favorite hymn. I really miss my Methdoist church where 400 congregants and a 30 person choir could sing those hymns like nothing you've ever heard. It is a painful sacrifice to the Lord sitting in a Roman Catholic parish, hearing the most banal of music. And when I am lucky (or unlucky) enough to hear a decent hymn like the ones we sang in my Methodist church, it is butchered every time without exception.

Catholics really, really can't sing. Call me biased, but no one sings traditional Protestant hymns better than the Methodists.

Alexis