This is a tough one. In no particular order, I would include…
–Go Tell It on the Mountain
–Love Came Down at Christmas
–Christians and the Pagans (Dar Williams)
–Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
–O Holy Night
When asked to name my favorite Christmas songs, I always include O Holy Night. It’s one of the songs that we are going to hear in our online Christmas Eve service this year. It’s a powerful song in its musical construction and in its words. The words are deep and broad and always stir something up inside of me.
O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appears and the soul felt its worth
It’s a need we all carry around with us- to feel worthy.
Worthy of being noticed. Worthy of time. Worthy of the love and care and attention of others. Worthy of the love and care and attention of God.
Things go awry, horribly awry when our souls don’t feel worthy. When that happens, we cause pain and harm to ourselves and others. Relationships break down because when we don’t feel worthy, it is difficult to receive love and support and it is difficult to offer love and support.
Things go awry, horribly awry when we don’t acknowledge the worthiness of the souls of others. When we conclude that certain people or certain groups of people are not as worthy, not quite as deserving as we are, things go wrong.
According to God, according to the song, all of us are worthy. Our worth is not determined by how much money we have in the bank, how many things we have checked off on our to-do list, our GPA, the number of friends we have on Facebook, our tax bracket, the quality of the furnishing in our house, what other people think of us, what we think of ourselves.
Our worth is determined by God and God has deemed us all worthy.
And we know this because of the birth of Jesus. He appears and the soul feels its worth.
Helping another’s soul feel worthy – is there any better work, any higher calling? And, there are so many ways to do it. Whenever we listen to another person – listen deeply and well – their souls feel worthy. When we see another person – stop and look, not just with our eyes but also with our hearts – souls feel worthy.
During this season of Advent and Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the one who appears and all souls feel their worth.
What is your experience of the song “O Holy Night”? What are your top five Christmas songs?
-Written by Amy Miracle
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This is a great list and it’s always tough to narrow down your choices. My Top Five this year are:
“I Want to Come Home for Christmas” – Marvin Gaye
“Wonderful Christmastime” (Cover) = Jars of Clay
“Aspenglow” – John Denver
“Christmas Everyday” – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
“The Sounds of Christmas” – Johnny Mathis
Yes! Go tell it on the mountain!
Lo how a rose e’re blooming is another favorite. It came upon a midnight clear. O come o come Emmanuel. So many good ones!
We have been listening to Christmas music by Sufjan Stevens lately. His versions of familiar songs on the album “Songs for Christmas” are really good.
Marjorie, thanks for this recommendation. I am listening to Sufjan Stevens as I type!
O Holy Night is among my perennial favorites, and I hope I can share one of my favorite renditions with Broadstreeters here. In December 2006, the television show Studio 60 featured a band of musicians from New Orleans, in an effort to support the musical heritage of that city following the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina. Their performance brought tears to my eyes then, and still does… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4YMxGUiwyY
My favorite Christmas song would be Away in a manger because of the story it tells.
Thank you for this week’s blog, and for your favorite Christmas songs. O Holy Night is special for me because my father sang it in church almost every Christmas. He had a beautiful baritone-tenor voice, and could have sung on Broadway. He was more interested in working in the medical life science field, but performed often, although never for compensation other than his love of singing. Coupled with your blog, and focus on the significance of “and the soul felt its worth,” this song, one of my five favorites, now has even greater significance for me.
I also like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, because while serving in Vietnam, fellow officers and I sang it softly in the ward room of our ship on Christmas Eve, somewhere in the South China Sea. Each of us left the Ward Room quietly after also singing Silent Night, also one of my five favorites, which also includes Go tell It on the Mountain..
Jeff, thanks for sharing the stories behind two of your favorites. These songs carry so much meaning and memory.
Silent Night, Joy to the World!, The First Noel, O Holy Night andO Come Little Children.
Good list and great post. I would add O Come, O Come Emmanuel to my list.
Lo, How A Rose Ere Blooming
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Lullay, Lullay Thou Little Tiny Child
Angels We Have Heard On High
In The Bleak Midwinter
And although not a carol, every Christmas Eve I listen to Louis Armstrong’s ‘Zat You, Santa Claus and The Night Before Christmas.
So, really two answers to this–my favorite Christmas songs to SING are “Adeste Fideles” and “O Holy Night” because I can belt them out off-key and no one seems to mind too much. Also they bring back memories of caroling in the halls of my high school as a Spanish Club project, our group singing each carol in Spanish. As far as listening, I’d say
O Little Town of Bethlehem (Julie Andrews)
Someday At Christmas (Jack Johnson)
Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi)
2000 Miles (The Pretenders)
Ding Dong! Merrily on High (Chanticleer)
Adeste Fideles sung by Atlanta Symphony choir. Hark the Herald Angels Sing. O Holy Night sung by Josh Groban. For unto us a Child is Born from Handels Messiah. When a Child is Born by Kenny Rogers.
O Holy Night is my favorite – a staple of midnight Christmas Eve services of my childhood. It seemed part of the magic of the night. I also love Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabella, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen.
Well I loved this blog! It got me listening to all my favorite songs. I did this in the middle of the night between my pain meds. When I started listening I couldn’t help but move. First my right hand keeping the best along with my toes. Then added my left hand and before I knew it I was almost dancing. It was a great upper body work out!
It was hard to whittle down my list so I added a few.
1-Silent Night
2- Some Children See Him
3-O Come All Ye Faithful
4-The First Noel
5-Away in the Manger
All conjure up images of humbleness, deep gentle love, inclusion, joy, anticipation. I also love Mary Did You Know, and Go Tell It On the Mountain. Thanks for this blog. Medicine heals the body but music heals the soul.