What’s your most favourite song(s)/piece(s) for Xmas?

I always have a list of go-to Christmas music available at my finger tips, most of which I listen to/play every year. It’s also refreshing to try and discover another one of those that’s worth knowing or listening to so I can add to the list, too.

And somewhere below inside today’s exclusive blog, you’re going to discover the TOP 5 Christmas Music I have selected for you this Xmas.

But before cutting into the meat of the story…

Althogh I don’t want to make it a long discussion at all, I’d just been wanting to address it once straight as it’s something that’s often bothered me a lot:

(*So please, if you can’t stand my bluntness and honesty, you’re free to stop reading this and make your way to the exit.)

Whenever we have festivities like Christmas, Halloween or Thanksgiving etc, there’s an aura of people assuming them to be a pretext to get drunk and the contest to decide who had the most fun.

I’ve found this very common not only around school but also in the real world.

For instance, here’s how a lot of people nowadays see holidays:

1. Holidays are “an escape” from their normal life that’s become stale, bland and typical.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have “the one thing” that you love to do and you’re passionate about 24/7, and on the side you may go out partying on a Friday night or get hammered until 11 a.m. on the weekend, which is fine.

However, if you spend all week looking forward to getting drunk and partying with everyone on the weekend, what does it imply? It is a warning sign for you that the main thing you’re suppose to do has become less important than all those minutiae which you see as an escape.

Others see it as a convenient timing to rule out or even ridicule people who appear to be missing out and aren’t getting on the tide. Their purpose of life’s all about beating others and that’s the only way they gain significance in their life. That’s the only place where their personal zest resides.

2. As for Christmas, they also see it as somehow “a rare opportunity” to express their love to someone or “a romantic moment for a couple”. As if that’s “the only thing that matters”.

Songs like “All I want for Christmas is you” or “Last Christmas” etc., are often a trigger for them to be overconscious and make this day-to-day minutia too much more meaning than it deserves (especially when they think they don’t have someone they want).

These are possibly the worst tendencies of all (that have been the order of the day) because they create a lose-lose situation between people.

They’ll make merry sad Christmas. 😦

And honestly, all these things couldn’t be more overrated.

You see, those people haven’t grown up enough to realize the truth about being free and happy. They’re too affected and pressured by this idea of burning it to the ground in every way instead of seeing it for what it is, which is just a small piece of the puzzle.  

But this isn’t really their or your fault. Here’s why:

The phrase “All I Want For Christmas Is You” didn’t gain in popularity because it was educational or it was the secret for longevity or there was a million dollars hidden in it. (lol)

It is a mainstream concept that TV and media are falsely spreading out to the masses who have little to no control over it.

What most people don’t understand is that the lyric is so catchy it hypnotizes the brain into having a terrible thought patterns and habits.

According to a statistics, in 2006 for example, this song recorded the total digital track at more than 500,000 downloads in the US. And it’s been continuously played on TV and radio, too, throughout Xmas for the past decade.

Think about it: If the song is as catchy as All I Want For Christmas Is You with certain melodies and rhythms, what does it mean?

It means the lyrics starts getting repeated again and again over your head.

And if it gets repeated a bunch of times, what happens next?

Our brains become what we think about.

Things doesn’t magically “happen” for you because you wished. They happen when you DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT. It’s why “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is the most absurd words I’ve ever heard being spoken.

In case you didn’t know, my Xmas is almost the same as any other day. I don’t have an agenda or expectation for how the perfect Xmas should go. But I do love my path, love my life and love all people who have put love and trust in me, which is more of an every-day thing for me. I don’t think I need anything beyond that (except the assurance for not getting caught in a disastrous accident or sickness). Surely it’s enough to share (if ever) with a few closest people at most.

My point?

 As Lao Tzu once said, be content with what you’ve already got for yourself (whether you think you have everything you could ask for or not). There’s always more than a good reason for everything you have to be loved and given faith. That’s the surest way to have the best Christmas (and the future) of your life.

Now.

Let’s get down to it.

The list!

 – Listen to THESE instead

1. O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)

 This is a famous Christmas carol that people have sung for many years widely as Red Flag (and a military song) in the United States, the Great Britain and Ireland. It originates in a folksong from Northern Germany, dating back to as far as the 16th century. And because it is a folksong, it doesn’t have “the right form” and currently many arrangements exist to date that offers you with the idea of how it could be appreciated.

The American military version:

Andrea Bocelli (tenor) version:

André Rieu (violin) version:

2. “From the Sky” (Vom Himmel Hoch)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), Godsend, the single-most gifted composer of his own class, is known for the “Wedding March” and the Violin Concerto above all that we hear on everyday occasions. To the best of his abilities he literally wrote all music for all instruments. However, there’s one area of his music, in particular, that’s been considerably neglected for the last couple centuries: choral music. The name of this Christmas Cantata derives from the hymn “Vom Himmel Hoch, da komm ich her” written by Martin Luther, a Christian reformist of the 15-16th century. The style of the composition derives from none other than Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), for his enthusiasm in letting Bach’s music known to the world was all-time high following his sensational success in 1829 conducting “St Matthew Passion” entirely by heart.

Start at the 17:35 mark:

3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Another Christmas chorale written by Mendelssohn under the text of Charles Wesley – simply way too popular to be ignored. This one comes from Festgesang (cantata) that Mendelssohn composed in 1840 in celebration of Gutenberg’s quadri-centennial printing press. Beside these corales, he also wrote “Weihnachten (Christmas) ” from 6 Motets, op.79 and Kinderstücke (Pieces for children) op.72 which are practically enjoyed as Christmas piano pieces today. Go find them if it interests you.

4. Christmas Oratorio (Johann Sebastian Bach)

The first ever Christmas oratorio was written by the “god of music” Johann Sebastian Bach in 1734. Customarily this 6-part oratorio is supposed to be played in the period from December 25 to January 6, with each one of the parts played per day, accordingly to the liturgical calendar.

5. Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer

The lyrics tells us all about how it goes and we don’t really need further explanations, do we? Except the underlying message that if you stand up and and take action for someone you truly care, you can change their lives. It may not have saved a poor daughter’s mother, but if you do something about it, the reality can and will change for you.

There they are, Top 5 Christmas Music selected by me.

Here’s to you,

Merry Christmas!

HM