Category — Fun Life

Those of you who find my musical tastes a bit too eclectic will really think I’m “out there” with this one! I’ve always been drawn to Irish/Celtic music—what can I say? It’s in my blood!—so it’s not surprising that I would have a few of Windham Hill’s Celtic Christmas CDs in my collection. But today’s carol—if you can call it that—is an unexpected find on one of those CDs. It’s called “We Follow a Star”, and it’s a sound and instrumental representation, I believe, of the journey of the Three Wise Men to the birthplace of Jesus. You don’t have to work too hard to hear the plodding of camels’ feet or imagine the sting of sand blowing in your face.

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

It’s Sunday, so it’s only fitting that today’s carol—Agnus Dei, from Amy Grant’s A Christmas to Remember CD—is a worshipful one. By turns intimate and majestic, this sacred song absolutely reflects the reason for the season. Click on the audio player below to help put your perspective into, well, perspective.

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

I don’t know about you, but I could use a little rest from the hectic holiday pace right about now! With that in mind, I’ve selected God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen from Sharing the Season, Vol. III, by Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra. Here’s hoping that all of us merry gentlemen (and gentlewomen!) have a chance to slow down a bit and enjoy this special time of year!

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

More piano today (anybody have a guess what my favorite instrument might be?) from the CD Still. . .Still. . .Still, by Kelly Yost. The song—just because I haven’t featured it yet—is The First Noel.

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

Today’s CD, Bob Conti’s Big Band Christmas, is likely to put you in the mood for a party! At the very least, the jazzed up versions of traditional carols—including Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, which I’m sharing here—should put a swing in your step.

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The countdown wouldn’t be complete without a few carols just for the kiddos, so this morning I played Arthur’s Perfect Christmas—the companion CD to the holiday special featuring the animated aardvark Arthur, along with his sassy and sweet sisters, DW and Baby Kate. My kids love the long-running PBS show, so the song I’m sharing today is especially for them: Perfect Christmas. Even though I’m a grown-up, I like this CD for a couple of reasons: Arthur, the main character, celebrates Christmas, as does our family. But he has friends who celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and St. Lucia, and it’s an accessible way for kids to learn about the traditions of other people and cultures. Plus, the songs in which DW supplies her own lyrics to the melodies of popular carols are hilarious and give a glimpse into what kids are hearing in the old-fashioned language of yore!

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

So here we are, a week into the Christmas carol countdown, and my kids have confessed to me that rather than rousing them from their slumber, the morning CD serenade inspires in them a desire to snuggle even deeper beneath their covers and sleep just a bit longer. Today’s CD—Miracles, by Kenny G—is likely no exception. Come to think of it, maybe I’ll turn it on and snuggle back into my own cozy bed while it plays. I’m sharing Greensleeves, which is sure to give us all sweet dreams.

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

My husband, Shawn, is the Garth Brooks fan in the family, and he contributed this CD to our collection. So today’s song—Silent Night, from the Beyond the Season CD—is for him!

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

It’s all piano, all morning long, with today’s CD: Liz Story’s The Gift. I’m sharing Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella/When Blossoms Flowered ’Mid the Snows. Don’t let the long title scare you off. It might be a medley of two traditional pieces, but it’s a lively and uplifting way to start the day.

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!

I dare anyone to listen today’s countdown carol and not be happy! It has to be the most joyous Joy to the World I’ve ever heard. And I discovered it on a highly eclectic CD—Silent Night: A Christmas in Rome—which combines English, German, Irish, Italian, Norwegian vocals with instrumental accompaniment by everything from the Vatican orchestra to the harp, recorder and Uillean pipes. Performers include The Chieftains, the Glenstall Abbey Monks and—on this particular song—the Harlem Gospel Choir. Click on the audio player below, and get ready for some seriously spirited holiday spirit!

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Please note: It is my goal to provide a top-quality, content-driven, ad-free blog. That said, I do occasionally include affiliate links in some of my posts. For example, if you click on the CD cover above, you will link to Amazon.com, where you will have an opportunity to purchase the CD—and if you do buy it after clicking through from my site, I will receive a small commission to support my work here. No pressure—just a fun way to share resources and ideas!