Monday, December 10, 2007

Christmas Music and Books We Have Known

Music we play ad nauseum come December:

Carols From Clare: Clare College Singers and Orchestra (EMI)
A Christmas Festival: The Gregg Smith Singers/Texas Boys Choir/New York Brass & Percussion Ensemble (Sony Classics)
The Mystery of Christmas: The Elora Festival Singers (Naxos)
A Ceremony of Carols: Carols From Around the World (VOX Allegretto)
The World of Christmas Carols: The Bach Choir (London)
Christmas Night: Carols of the Nativity The Cambridge Singers (Collegium)
On Christmas Day: New Carols From King's Choir of King's College, Cambridge (EMI)

Jingle Bell Jam: Jazz Christmas Classics (Rhino)
Christmas With Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Dean Martin
Barenaked for the Holidays: Barenaked Ladies (I can't stop playing Elf's Lament)
Starbucks Hi-Fidelity Holiday (mostly because of Winter Wonderland by the Cocteau Twins)
Starbucks Winterludes (also because of the Cocteau Twins, this time singing Frosty the Snowman, plus a just plain peculiar Little Drummer Boy by Marlene Dietrich)
Classical Kids Christmas

And FDPG's very very very favourite (I like it because I found it in a bin for 99¢ a few years ago when FDPG was just a glint in my eye):

Rudolph, Frosty and Friends' Favorite Christmas Songs (Sony Wonder) FDPG and I like to sing a duet of Put One Foot In Front Of The Other most every morning! (bet you won't be dropping in for coffee after hearing that, now, will you!)

And my favourite, given to me by my pal Sandy, who I've blogged about before because her repertoire of cool stuff is incredible:

The Roches Sing Christmas Songs (I've had to iPod this because my kids renege after a mere 2 listenings)

And now for the printed page, here are a few books we've recently found that we're reading this time round:

Herschel and the Hanukah Goblins (I know, I know, but we got it last year when Hanukah coincided and my kids LOVE this book)
Follow That Star by Kenneth Oppel (he's written a few kids books besides the Airborne and Sunwing series, and my kids love them - they are partial to Cosimo the Cat right now)
Tomten's Christmas Porridge by Sven Nordqvist (all the Tomten books are charmers)
The Story of the Three Wise Kings by Tomie dePaola
Max's Christmas by Rosemary Wells (we found this book when Max was 2 and we've read it every Christmas since - the kids know all the words now: "That's enough, Max!")
The Kingfisher Treasury of Christmas Stories
The Twelve Cats of Christmas (forget the author, but the drawings are utterly superb)

Well, that's all I can lay my hands on right now, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few critical items, but this gives you a good idea of what we listen to, and read, around this time of year.

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