Feel Good Friday

[MAS_Nurse]

As Christmas nears, I suppose many of us are shopping for presents. And at this time of year the one thing that’s hard to avoid is the Christmas music playing in most department stores which seems to include only the most repetitive list of ‘old favourites’.

So that got me to thinking about what I would include if I could choose to play only my own favourite Christmas songs? For better or worse here are a few songs that would make it into my list.

1.Merry Xmas Everybody’ – Slade

2.Driving Home for Christmas’ – Chris Rea

3.Fairytale of New York’ – The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

4.The Ronettes - Sleigh Ride

5.Nat King Cole - Christmas Song

Maybe you could let us know if there is a song that you particularly like to hear and that usually gives you a bit of a December cheer.

Warm wishes to you all

[freezingspark]

Great post! You've definitely selected some classics. I think Driving Home for Christmas has to be my number one and, I hate to say it, I love a bit of Mariah Carey (All I want for Christmas!)

[Hidden]

Hi MAS_Nurse,

I'm never sure whether I'm fan of Christmas 'musac' in shops and so forth, but I noticed the other day when out shopping that it seems a lot less prevalent these days than it once was.

I have one absolute favourite carol though, which is O Holy Night. One year whilst living in Duesseldorf, Germany, we went as an extended family to a service at the English speaking church near the bank of the river Rhine. We spanned three generations and the fourth was in my daughter in law's tummy.

Duesseldorf has a fine opera house and several of its core operatic singers used the same church. On this occasion two of them sang O Holy Night as we sat, a big family group, listening in awe, in flickering candlelight that reflected in the church's stained glass windows. It was glorious, and I can still hear it replaying in my head all these years later, now and whenever I think about it.

I hope you are enjoying the run-up to Christmas, even though it's such a busy time.

[FredaE in reply to Hidden]

I was singing with the Hospice choir for residents in a complex of retirement flats yesterday. We dp it every year and get a lovely reception. I like Christmas music but not pumped into myprotesting ear from September onwards and especially I hate the musac version of Have yoreself ay merry liddle Chrissmerse. Why we need a bad american version I do not understand as it can be fine properly sung

[secrets22]

I am not over keen on the usual drone of Christmas music,but if I had to choose it would be Boney M singing Mary's boy child & Jingle bells,they do everything with a Caribbean swing,and I like that.

[oldwomaninpain]

I would have to pick your no.3 only because it was the late OH's fave.

I got dragged to a Pogue's gig once and the best bit was when Shane MacGowan fell over on stage after nipping back for his umpteenth swift 'lubrication of vocal chords', he was tripping over words, never mind his own feet!

My personal fave is probably the mellow tones of Harry Belafonte's Mary's Boy Child - does that date me?

My daughter would go for Wham's Last Christmas