Songs of Christmas - Bonus Day Mix

The Songs of Christmas – (15) Bonus Day Mix.

It’s Christmas time. It’s December. It is another one of my favorite times of the year. But, Christmas time, wow! I mean, among all of the other reasons to celebrate the Christmas holiday, there is also the music. The Christmas songs. So many of them in celebration of the reason for the season.

A snowy scene with a hand made wooden rail in New Hampshire.

Last May (2021) my younger brother suffered and lost his battle against cancer. While I still struggle with our loss, while remaining a big brother to one of my brothers now in heaven, I think of him constantly. He and I were both big fans of Christmas and being with family during this time of the year.

For some months now, I have been thinking of writing more about music, about lyrics, and about the connections that music makes for us all in so many ways. This December I decided to do my 14 Songs of Christmas. My late brother’s favorite number was 14. A lot of folks knew my brother as #14. Since there are 12 days of Christmas, I figured I would come up with a different number for the songs of Christmas. 14 of them, or so.

And since my Christmas playlist on Spotify is fairly lengthy and random, I added a bonus day mix for this post. So, technically this would be day #15. I doubt there will be much of an order in the countdown either. #15 also honors a life-long friend, a person much Revered, a neighbor on a circle up the road. This is for you JC. Merry Christmas!

So, here we go. This first medley is for my Mom. She had a little something to do with my brother’s life, as well as mine. She is a December birthday and one of the greatest people I have ever known. She probably won’t like a lot of my songs, or at least the versions I share, but she will like this first one.

Kling, Glöckchen klingelingeling / Laßt uns froh und munter sein / Oh du fröhliche (Kling, Glöckchen, Klingeling / Laßt uns froh und munter sein / Oh du fröhliche) – Medley by James Last (Spotify)

Then there is a song that is just called, “Christmas”. It’s by Blues Traveler. I have liked this song since the very first time I heard it. It continues to be one of the songs I play on repeat from time to time, especially on snowy drives throughout New England.

Christmas – Blues Traveler (Spotify)

Christmas – Blues Traveler (YouTube)

One border of our property, looks absolutely beautiful after 16″ of fresh March snow.

Growing up in our house there was a record player in the living room and that was my favorite room, by far, once the Christmas decorations were up. There were Christmas records playing often in the living room and I would listen to the songs as I played with toys on the floor (or with little green Army men in the tree branches).

Many times I just sat on the heater/radiator and gazed at the lights and reflections of the decorations on the Christmas tree, while I dreamed boy’s dreams. Or perhaps I stared through the front window into the night, looking past the electric candle, and searching the skies for any hints of snow. The next two songs take me right back to my perch there by the window, many years ago.

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S – Jim Reeves (Spotify) (We listened to a lot of Jim Reeves)

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S – Jim Reeves (YouTube)

Old Toy Trains – Roger Miller (Spotify)

Old Toy Trains – Roger Miller (YouTube)

I have been going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) for the last 23 years. They had the one tour cancelled because of the threat of illness, but I have been fortunate to see them several dozen times, beginning in 2000. To this day I still hear commentary from people near and far that TSO isn’t their style of music. So I have started asking what style of music people think they are. Most people can’t even describe the style that they don’t like. But that’s okay because after all of these years, they are still hard to describe, unless you stick to words like, Awesome!

Here’s an instrumental number that might just quicken the old heart beat.

Nutrocker – Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Spotify)

Nutrocker – Trans-Siberian Orchestra (YouTube)

Last, but not least in the bonus day mix, we have another song from TSO. This song is, well, it’s just its own thing. The album version is an excellent song. The live versions of this song over the years have been nothing short of goose-bump causing, tear-jerking, performances that get me every single time. It’s the collection of these tunes, arrangements, lyrics, performances, skilled vocalists and musicians under the umbrella of Christmas that continue to sell out arenas year after year.

Fans new and old meet for the first time on every tour. It’s nothing short of amazing!

For The Sake Of Our Brother – Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Spotify)

For The Sake Of Our Brother – Trans-Siberian Orchestra (YouTube) – Russell Allen 2018. One of my favorite voices every single year. Video by a friend of mine.

If you prefer a female vocalist, here’s Gabbie Rae this year from SNHU Arena. In the middle of the song, a reminder of the reason for the season. I love it.

For The Sake Of Our Brother – Trans-Siberian Orchestra (YouTube) – Gabbie Rae 2022. She brought down the house this year. Thanks BP. From Manchester, NH 7:30pm show.