Christmas is hands down my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it. Granny is crazy over Christmas and I guess that’s why I’m plumb foolish about it.
I’ve been listening to Christmas music for over a week.
If I’m at work I have Pandora going in the background with Christmas tunes and if I’m in the car I’m listening to Pap and Paul’s cd Songs of Christmas.
It’s been several years since they made the Christmas cd, but I’m still amazed by the quality of the music. By far the best Christmas music around if you ask me. Here’s a track list:
- Joy to the World
- It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Away in a Manager
- Good Christian Men Rejoice
- Silent Night
- The Little Drummer Boy
- The First Noel
- What Child is this?
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- The Friendly Beasts
- Jingle Bells
- We Three Kings
- Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Do I have a favorite? It’s too hard to choose!
O Little Town of Bethlehem has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs; Good Christian Men Rejoice has such a hopefulness about it; and Pap and Paul make Away in a Manger sound like a lullaby.
What Child Is This? gives me chills every time I hear it; Jingle Bells makes me pat my foot and think of Christmas morning; and We Three Kings is breathtakingly beautiful in a way that makes it hard to believe someone (some 2 ones) from my family played every instrument and sung every word.
You can go here Pap and Paul’s Songs of Christmas to purchase a cd of your own.
Tipper
I agree with b. Ruth: It is hard to choose just one! When I learned “We Three Kings” as a boy I liked that one. There was something about the tune and the excitement of the kings traveling great distances to pay homage to the new King. It was not till years later that I realized the Magi probably did not arrive at the time of His birth because the scripture says “. . .11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:” Notice it says ” into the house “, not a stable.
Yes, Christmas carols are for all year ’round for me. Just last week I was reminded of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”
Oh Tipper, I have already been listening to Pap & Paul’s Christmas cd that I won! What a beautiful blessing! I love all the songs, especially the Little Drummer Boy…actually they are all favorites! I love Mary Did You Know also and Sleighride! My daughters & I used to sing a trio of Dottie Rambo’s song, “I Call Him Lord.”
I almost forgot to mention my favorite Christmas song, “Mary Did You Know”. Just love everything about it!
Many blessings on your day!
I love Christmas and especially Christmas as well. I have literally over a 100 hours of different types of Christmas music. I would love to add Pap’s music to my collection 🙂
Many blessings on your day 🙂
Lonormi Manuel’s link doesn’t work but if you copy and paste it without the period it will.
Tipper’
I periodically listen to Christmas music year round thanks to youtube. I have several favorites but my must favorite is “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”. To me it speaks of what we should live by on a daily basis!!
Bill
A Labor of Love by Andrew Peterson
from the album Behold the Lamb of God,
sung by Andrew Peterson & Jill Philips.
Tipper,
please,
please,
please,
please
listen to them sing it on u tube and let me know if it strikes something in your heart the way it does in mine. Like most people, I love all Christmas music, but I love the songs about Jesus’ birth most of all.
I will certainly order the Christmas CD by your Pap and Paul, thank you for making it available.
Blind Pig and the Acorn continues to be a warm & shining light in an increasingly dark world and I am grateful and most appreciative for the window on Appalachia that you provide.
Blessings on you and your family
My impression is that men are less enthusiastic about the extended holiday seasons than their counterparts. To us “put up a tree” applies to possums or coons and the occasional bear, not blinky twinkly things on an evergreen. “Take down a tree” applies to the one that is leaning precariously toward the house. Decorations are what you earned while defending the folks at home.
Praise and adoration is righteous. Displaying it for an audience is gaudy. Presenting it for profit is sinful.
Sorry if I seem down. It happens every year about this time. Every year I get called a Scrooge and unchristian for the way I think but by today’s standards Christ himself could be considered unchristian. I do believe there is hope for the humanity but every year we look at it and let it pass by. Maybe this Christmas season will be a little different. At least I can hope!
If you don’t publish this, I understand, but I hope you have read it and it helps you understand why I am like I am sometimes. Knowing you and your family, albeit it electronically, means a lot to me and I support you in every way I know how. You all have been a great help to me and I hope I have in some small way helped you too. Thank you for the good you do, especially the good you don’t even know you do! Those are your decorations!
It’s a little early, but my favorites are Carol of the Bells and God Rest Ye,Merry Gentlemen. I would love to have one of Pap and Paul’s CD’s to add Christmas cheer.
My Christmas Favorite is a modern day, ‘Christmas Classic’. It is; Mary Did you Know, lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music written by Buddy Greene first published in 1991. To me it speaks of anticipation of the greatness of the birth like no other song that proceeded it. I listen to Christmas throughout the year. On a trip to Israel I learned that some traditional American Christmas beliefs may, in fact, be myths. Jesus may not have been a carpenter but rather a trades person, mason, who worked in stone, wood was scarce in the area where he grew up. Also, the traditional wooden manger was most likely a hollowed out stone, that is what was used at the time to feed cattle. I love the anticipation of Christmas.
It’s so hard to choose because each song brings its own joy but I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day always gives me goosebumps and, I think, is particularly poignant right now.
Oh, and my favorite carol from the CD is “What Child Is This”. I also enjoy a similar one written by old goofy Mark Lowery and the harmonica virtuoso Buddy Greene “Mary Did You know”
Jingles Bells is a fun song that just makes you feel good all over. But for that tug at your heart and make you think about the meaning of Xmas song, it has to be Silent Night for me. I’m with Miss Cindy, Happy Thanksgiving first. And thank you for giving away such a precious gift to a lucky person.
What ever time of the year I hear the Wilson family sing and play I am over-joyed. What sweet, beautiful music.
Thank you, Doug Bishop.
I love the old Christmas Carols. I think that O Come All Ye Faithful is my favorite. I find myself singing it all year long.
My favorite Christmas carol, hands down, is “Star In the East”, and this is my favorite version of it: https://youtu.be/1UMDKDJ3BR4.
My favorite is ‘O Holy Night’. I play it on my 12 string with only the standard notation notes and the double strings just ring beautifully. When I get to the part ‘fall on your knees’ you get teary eyed.
Your Christmas cd has to be awesome with Pap and Paul. Always great. Thanks for nice posts and have a happy Thanksgiving.
Tipper,
I bought 2 CD’s from you at JCCFS in 2007 or 2008 and I Love ‘EM. I recon I’m old school or something, my girls would rather listen to contemporary Christmas Music. I plan to get The Pressley Girls new CD soon. And I’d rather listen to “Songs of Christmas” because it’s My Type of Music. Since I already have the “Songs of Christmas” CD by Pap and Paul and the Gang, please let someone else enjoy this CD if I win. …Ken
Its impossible to pick one as a favorite. I was just listening to “Oh Holy Night”. It is one of those I especially like. I have a cd somewhere of children singing several songs that I usually have in the car player for a couple of months straight. I haven’t located it yet this year. Its probably my favorite Christmas cd because of the children’s voices as well as the message in the songs.
I always enjoyed the Christmas music when I could hear. It has been 46 years now since I lost my hearing when I was 30 years old.My favorite was “Silent Night”
Tipper,
I can’t pick just one…kinda like stopping at one potato chip! I love all the old Christmas Carols and hymns….
One of my recent newer favorites….lyrics written by Mark Lowry (from Bill Gaither fame/show) is “Mary Did You Know” music by B. Green (?)…
Kathy Mattea sings this song beautifully as well as some other artists…I also love the big bold sounds of the big band…Ahiem Steamroller….not sure I spelled that correctly…ha
However, for Christmas Eve and the sweet sounds of the true Christmas meaning and family memories, I go directly to the “Songs of Christmas”…with all your family!
Thanks Tipper,
PS….Gonna’ feel really cold tomorrow… a’kin to “hog killin’ time in Appalachia”! Dad always said…”Cold temperatures on or near Thanksgiving was ‘hog killing days’ and they used up every piece of the pig but the “squeal”!
I cannot recall ever having a snow at Christmas here in my part of the South, but the song White Christmas always stirs pleasant memories of Christmas’ past for me.
Oh Holy Night is my favorite. I won the CD before but if I should win again I will gift it to my brother who is a song writer and musician.
I do not listen to Christmas music until Friday after Thanksgiving. After than it’s on all the time. I have several Christmas playlists so I can listen to country, classical, or oldies Christmas songs. It definitely is the most wonderful time of the year.
I have the cd already but haven’t blown the dust off it yet this year and might not. I have been savoring my Pressley Girls cd and an esoteric one called “Words of Life.” The latter I had wished for for a good while but upon its receipt failed to acknowledge it. So, I was wishing for something I already had. All’s well that ends well I reckon!
I am not much of a holiday person. Christmas season for me starts on evening of the 24th and ends at midnight on the 25th. I do listen to Christmas carols but prefer to spread them out over the whole year. Good tidings of great joy apply all year long. The rest of the holidays are mostly ignored.
Herelately I have started buying my own birthday and Christmas presents. If I want or need something I’ll buy it “from” one of my kids. That way when they ask what I want, I can tell them they already got me something.
Angels From the Realms of Glory is a favorite as it evokes singing in the Children’s Choir. Our crisply home-ironed white robes that smelled like beach and battery-operated candles were a treat. Used to be able hit those high notes easily. 😉
My favorite Christmas song is Noel, not only because of the reason for the season, but it makes me think of my dear mom, Noella. I prefer the traditional Christmas carols because they take me back in time (way back!) when I was a child and would go caroling door to door, always welcome.
Away in a Manger is my favorite
The day after Halloween I was in town and several stores were putting up decorations. I made it a point to thank those who had not. As the internet post said :There are twelve days of Christmas and none of them are in November.
I just can’t pick a single one. Different ones have different features that are endearing. I really like the upbeat message in “Joy to the World” and the slow and thoughtful sound of “O Holy Night”. And “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” reminds me that Christmas brought hope in the midst of deepest trouble. Then at church we sing the hymn that ought to be a Christmas song but isn’t considered one “The World’s Greatest Story”. And “We Three Kings” is solemn and mournful to think how the world received its Savior.
To me, each of the Christmas songs are a call to pause and reflect on the highest and best things. Indeed, that is what Christmas itself is; to reflect on whether we have lived up to our best selves, to renew our determination to do better and to be profoundly thankful abundant mercy and grace are still with us for our faults.
I listen to Christmas music all year long…and learned that another lady in my church does, too.
Christmas Time’s A-Coming by Emmy Lou Harris from the Light of the Stable album 1979.
This CD is beautiful; an extra would be shared.
I suppose Away in a Manger might be my favorite, as I remember that time so long ago when we played that during our school play. I got the starring part in the play quite by accident when the young lady who had the part became ill. Pap and Paul always did a great job on Christmas music.
The merchants are pushing Christmas earlier every year. When my sister and I walked in a store yesterday, The Little Drummer Boy was playing by some rock/pop group that had tried to turn it into a dance tune. Pap and Paul knew how to sing real Christmas music on their CD. My favorite is It Came Upon The Midnight Clear. As much as I love their music, I won’t be playing Christmas songs until after Thanksgiving.
I’m trying not to listen to any yet. I like to wait until after Thanksgiving, but it’s hard not to. It is so hard to pick a favorite, so many good ones on that CD! I’m not familiar with The Friendly Beasts and Good Christian Men Rejoice. My favorites are: We Three Kings, The First Noel, O Little Town of Bethlehem and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. I couldn’t pick just one :o)
Songs of Christmas is one of my favorite Christmas CDs. I really do try to wait until after Thanksgiving. But, I just felt like I needed the music and listened to this CD on my 3 hour drive to work Tuesday.
You gotta do what you gotta do. I’m ready for Christmastide. I feel like we have all earned it this year.
I’m with you, Miss Cindy, but I’ll definitely make an exception to starting Christmas early for a chance to win this cd. Ok, I have caved a little and got out a few of my cd’s with instrumental Christmas music, but I can’t help it. I love Christmas!
I have been a Christmas music captive for two weeks. At least I have the CD to make it more enjoyable. It is tied for first place with Johnny Mathis.
Oh my, Christmas is coming. Tipper, your always the early bird, right on top of everything. Here’s the thing I make it a practice never to contemplate Christmas until after Thanksgiving. ….but that is a great CD, I know because I’ve heard it!