I usually make it no secret that I am not a fan of Christmas music. While I appreciate all kinds of music, I have a problem with the fact that it all but takes over the radio waves this time of year. On top of that, they seem to keep starting earlier and earlier with how soon they play it. Before you know it, we will start hearing Christmas songs before Halloween.
In fact, I am such a non-fan of Christmas music, that I have an entire playlist on Spotify called "Christmas songs that don't annoy me". They are mostly made up of more current tunes that I think I have shared with you in the past. The highlight would be the Kelly Clarkson/Brett Eldredge tune "Under the Mistletoe" that debuted a year or two ago.
I could listen to that song on repeat and not be mad at all.
Despite my loathing, there are some Christmas songs that I appreciate enough that I can tolerate them and in some cases I actually like them. These classic "standards" have stood the test of time and though many of them have been re-imagined through the years, the originals that we are most familiar with really stand apart from the rest.
In case you haven't guessed, that's what I will be covering today for this #threetunetuesday sponsored by @ablaze. Classic Christmas standards that don't make me want to drive my car off a cliff.
It's official, Christmas is less than a week away. Can you believe it? Just about a week ago now, @mrsbozz and I went to a local production of "White Christmas" at the theater. I didn't have high hopes for the production given it was comprised mostly of local talent, but I have to admit, it was quite exceptional.
Along with the short list of Christmas songs that don't annoy me, there is also a pretty short list of Christmas movies that don't annoy me. I don't really include the kids movies in there because those aren't something I despise, just something I have outgrown. In fact, there are probably more Christmas movies I haven't seen than ones I have, simply because I have the ones I like and I am good with that.
Along with National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and Die Hard, White Christmas sits at the top of my list. I can't think of anything that screams Christmas more than this Irving Berlin classic.
Yes, it's a musical. Yes, it's dated, but there's just something about it that I really dig. Maybe this movie is part of the reason my wife and I were drawn to Vermont on our latest trip.
Not really...
This next one I am including for a couple reasons. First, it's actually the song that is the standard and not so much the person singing it. Though I do love me some Kelly Clarkson. Second, this happens to be one of @mrsbozz's favorite Christmas songs, so I felt it only right to include it here. It is the season of giving after all!
I really dig this song as well because it is one of those ones that starts of pretty slow, then it builds to this epic crescendo and if you have the right singer singing it, the effect can be quite moving.
This might end up being a pretty short post, because quite honestly, these songs pretty much speak for themselves.
For the last song, I felt myself pulled in several directions. I really love the song "We Three Kings", but I feel that is more of a carol than an actual "standard", so I decided not to include it here. I also love the "Snoopy and the Red Baron" song, but that is more of a kids song, so I didn't want to include that either. If you ever get the chance to listen to it though, you definitely should.
I was leaning towards the Nat King Cole version of "The Christmas Song" because I do love that song and it is probably one of the most classic Christmas songs you can imagine, but ultimately, I decided to go with this:
Similar to Christmas songs, I'm also not really a fan of Elvis too much. I know that's probably kind of sacreligious, but I've just never cared for him too much. However, like Christmas songs, there are a few of his that I genuinely enjoy and this one just happens to be a crossover between the two.
"Blue Christmas" is definitely a classic. The slow smooth delivery and the simple lyrics and tune are just perfect for a little Christmas ditty. After watching this video, I honestly didn't realize that Martina McBride and Elvis had some overlapping time in the spotlight. I would have told you he was long dead before she became a star.
Clearly, I would have been wrong.
There are any number of songs I could have included here. As I sit and think about it, I can probably list more Christmas songs that I don't mind than I initially would have lead you to believe, but these are the three I picked that I could hear multiple times in a Christmas season and not want to shove a bamboo skewer in my ears.
I hope you enjoy!
What's your favorite Christmas song? Let me know in the comments!
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