December Daily: Christmas music

[resonant]

Since nobody claimed today, I'm going to answer the question nobody asked, which was: "What's new in the Christmas music collection this year?"

For those who haven't known me long, I collect Christmas music, and if you hate Christmas music because it's all either shiny shiny plastic or an unseemly show of sentimental piety, I might have a pleasant surprise for you.

My Christmas car playlist is up to 579 songs -- that's with all the instrumentals taken out, and only including songs that either have three or more stars or are brand-new and thus unrated. Every time iTunes upgrades, I have to go looking for another workaround to do what apparently no one but me wants to do, namely: first shuffle a playlist randomly, and then hang onto that random order and play them in that order every time. (Apple's random shuffle is actually random, which isn't good, because when I have a playlist of 579 songs, I get really cranky if I hear the same song twice in one day.)

Download six songs here:

• Jackie Oates, The Halsway Carol. Trad-folk. "Sing for the coming of the longest night."
  
• Joel Mabus, The One-Horse Open Sleigh. Solo acoustic guitar, old-time country feel.
  
• The Miserable Offenders, A Stable Lamp Is Lighted. Because how could I resist a band called the Miserable Offenders? Piano and voices; the music's OK but I chose this one for the words. "And every stone shall cry, and straw like gold shall shine."
  
• Kate Rusby, The Christmas Goose. Trad-folk. Basically a slightly bawdy joke turned to a ballad. (I discovered when I did a search for this that I have six songs with "goose" in the title, and I'm pretty sure they're all different.)
  
• Blast From the Past, Joy in the Morning. A capella choir.
  
• Thea Gilmore, Sol Invictus. A capella voices. Not Christmas, strictly speaking, but don't we all need a song of rebirth this year?
  
  Go here to add your own question.
  
  
  1.
  2.
  3.
  4.
  5. grammarwoman: what's a go-to comfort meal for you?
  6.
  7.
  8. monanotlisa: What's the hardest thing to write for you, and how do you get around it and yet write it?
  9. china_shop: Thoughts about writing original fic vs writing fanfic, whether it's different processes, different feelings (or the same process, and the same feelings), or whatever.
  10.
  11. reginagiraffe: what was the best birthday present you ever got? (You can supply your own definition of "best".)
  12.
  13.
  14.
  15.
  16. zulu: best vacation/break you ever had?
  17.
  18. kass: What do you enjoy most about parenting a kidlet of this age?
  19. kass: what fannish character is bringing you the most joy right now?
  20.
  21.
  22.
  23.
  24.
  25.
  26.
  27. muccamukk: Moments in canon that still emotionally resonate with you, many years later.
  28.
  29.
  30.
  31.

Comments

[isweedan]

TY for the songs! Loving Sol Invictus <3

[nestra]

Oh, man, I love Sol Invictus. I wish I was 100% sure what some of the lyrics were, but the internet doesn't seem to know either.

Edit: I mean, from an official source. The internet has many guesses.

[fairestcat]

I'm always up for more christmas music. Happily downloading!

[umadoshi]

Thank you for sharing. ^_^

[king_touchy]

Music, excellent! Thanks.

[kass]

Thank you for sharing this enthusiasm with me and thereby reminding me that I can be happy about (some) Christmas music.

[nomelon]

Thank you for the xmas music. I do love it dearly, and while I'm only halfway through downloading your six, these sound wonderful and nothing quite like what I have already. Thank you!

[runpunkrun]

Thanks for sharing! Whenever you talk about Christmas music I think of Connie Willis's "All Seated on the Ground" novella; the characters in that know a lot about Christmas music, and aliens.

[resonant]

I've been hit or miss with the Connie Willis I've read so far, but that sounds like something I really need to track down and read.

[runpunkrun]

I liked it, and it's fun to read around Christmas. As I recall, one of the characters has (develops?) an encyclopedic knowledge of Christmas carols, which is why it came to mind.

You can read it online if you don't mind it's from a non-legitimate source.

[grammarwoman]

Thank you for the music! I love holiday music and the different interpretations of it. :)

[singulardegenerate]

Hello!

I was putting together a Christmas playlist, and realized that the arrangement of 'Rise up shepherd and follow' I'm thinking of seems to only exist in my head and not on the internet. It's a simple folksy arrangement, adult female voice with someone coming in on the 'follow's.

My current theory is that it is the Mike and Peggy Seeger version you posted here literally 10 years ago, because in the same batch you posted my all-time favorite version of 'In Dulci Jubilo', by Cathie Ryan and Liam Tiernan, which also doesn't exist on the internet -- that one I still have on my laptop -- so it may just be your way to post endangered Christmas earworms, damn you and your good taste. Perhaps you could have pity on me and re-upload the 'Rise up'? If the track is actually the shrill childrens' chorus version that the Seeger Sisters recorded I will be totally stumped...

Best,
SD

[resonant]

It makes me really happy that you remember specific songs! They should both be here; link

[singulardegenerate]

YES. This is it, thanks so much!!!! And thanks in general for sharing your Christmas music, it's always a delight.