Christmas at the iPod corral

Exactly one year ago today, I posted the first of several holiday season posts that continued through December 25th. In that post, I laid out my thoughts on the season and on starting to think about it so soon, so I won't belabor the points except to quote myself thusly: "Christmas is really a secular holiday, or more precisely a pagan holiday in Christian clothing. Sorry, but Jesus is not the reason for the season: the reason is cold and snow and darkness and agrarian seasonal cycles, and the need for a little magic and partying and kindness and reassurance in the middle of the darkest and coldest days of the year."

So on to my iPod Christmas playlist. Again, I babbled quite a bit about the kind of Christmas music I like last year; this year, I'll just mention some of the the stuff that's on the iPod. My preference is for three kinds of Christmas music. First, traditional carols in a classical-style, usually a choir accompanied by some orchestration. Oddly the Morman Tabernacle recordings have a bit too much bursting orchestral color for me. I like a better balance, with the voices outweighing the background by at least a bit (Robert Shaw Chorale, Royal College Choir). Second, songs by the old-fashioned crooners. I've got a lot of Bing Crosby, though not "White Christmas," which I don't mind hearing on the radio but I don't need to have as part of my regular rotation. Also Perry Como, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Andrews Sisters, and The Carpenters. Third, new agey instrumental music, with pianos and synthesizers and chimey bells and occasionally creamy layers of background vocals.

The carols I have multiple versions of on the iPod include those I grew up with, like "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "We Three Kings," and carols I grew to like later, such as "Carol of the Bells," "O Come O Come Emmanuel," and "Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming." As for seasonal pop tunes, I've got Elton John's "Step Into Christmas," Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (the only Mariah Carey song I can stand to listen to), a couple of "Sleigh Ride"s, a couple of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"es, several "Silver Bells," two or three versions of Joni Mitchell's "River," and some music from A Charlie Brown Christmas. I also have the theme from The Bishop's Wife and a little-known carol featured in that film, "O Sing to God." For novelty's sake, I have k.d. lang's raucous "Jingle Bell Rock" from the Pee-Wee Herman Christmas special, a Coca-Cola holiday ad, and a Gap ad from a few years ago that melded "Ice Ice Baby" with "Sleigh Ride" (genius).

I'm not just any old Christmas goober; I won't be listening to my Christmas playlist 24/7 all season long. My holiday moods tend to ebb and flow over the next several weeks; sometime right after Thanksgiving, I get a little tired of it all, but then a week or so later, I'm back in the swing of things. But right now, I'm listening to Bing Crosby sing "Adeste Fideles," even though it's only one day after Veteran's Day and 50 degrees outside. I'll enjoy it while I'm in the mood.