December Eve Blog Party – Pt. 1 (favorite Christmas songs!)

I’m so excited to be a part of a Christmas collab/blog party put together by the lovely Lillian Keith, who you can find at https://lilliankeithauthor.wordpress.com/blog! I love music and Christmastime, so this is one of those super fun posts for me to write. 😀 I will warn you, there are a few artists I just gravitate towards and love, so please don’t mind the frequency of Cimorelli songs. 😜 They, PTX, and a few other artists like Francesca Battistelli and For King and Country are my go-to’s for Christmas songs. (Or is it go-tos? I’m afraid I don’t know. Someone help.)

In Part Two, which comes tomorrow, we will be sharing our actual Christmas playlists, so stop by this blog for mine! *winks*

Without further ado, do enjoy!

The Christmas Songs

• “O Come O Come Emmanuel” (the tune is haunting and magical and I love the lyrics! Singing this alone in an echoey place is…an amazing experience.)
• “O Holy Night” (just beautiful, and the lyrics are so powerful. Cimorelli’s version is truly epic, even though they don’t include the amazing second and third verses.)
• “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” (I adore this one!!! It’s so underrated! The melody is lovely, the lyrics so poetic and sweeping and hope-filled.)
• “Mary Did You Know” (Love both Cimorelli’s and Pentatonix’s versions. Someone created a mashup of both of them singing together and it’s so cool. You can find it here!)

Turn Up the Radio!

• “Christmas of Love” by Cimorelli (they SLAY in this one. I can’t yet hit the high B5 that Lisa sings, but it’s soo much fun to listen and mostly sing along to lol!)
• “Little Drummer Boy” – Pentatonix’s version (I think Kevin makes this song with that epic beatboxing XD)
• “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” – Francesca Battistelli’s version (Who doesn’t like this song? 😉 )
• “You for Christmas” by John Michael Howell (a bop, if I do say so myself)
• Pretty much any For King and Country Christmas song.

Christmas With You

• “Christmas Lights” (and “Christmas of Love” fits this too) by Cimorelli (Hey, I told you I loved them. XD The lyrics are fuzzy and warm and adorable, and the music perfectly fits it.)
• “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” – Joy Williams’s version (her version is so soft and lulling, and I like how you can hear her smile)
• “I Just Called to Say I Love You” – Pentatonix’s version (okay, maybe this isn’t a specifically Christmas song, but it counts. I love it.)
• “Christmas Got Colder” by Anson Seabra (this isn’t a Christmas-cheer kind of song; it’s more in the breakup direction, but um, I do love it. XD His lyrics are always genius.)
• EDIT: Waaaait, I just discovered this. “Christmas List” by Anson Seabra. I adore it. It’s so calming, and sweet, and you won’t regret listening to it! It’s currently my new favorite!

Curl Up by the Fire

• “Silent Night” (lol, my family has this inside joke we got from the movie Gods and Generals where a lady asks in a drawling voice “What…shall we sing?” and then the guy says, in his Southern accent because it’s during the Civil War; “Silent Night.” Please do yourself a favor and watch it! It’s so much better than the title makes it sound. XD Watch this clip if you need some convincing.)
• “Deck the Halls” (Cimorelli’s version is my favorite because of the creative harmony arrangement)
• “Carol of the Bells” (Pentatonix. ‘Nuff said.)
• “White Christmas” (Anson Seabra’s version has all the feels and I love it)
• “The Christmas Song” (again, Anson Seabra’s version)
• “That’s Christmas to Me” by Pentatonix (just so cozy)

Contemporary Christmas Songs

• “You’re Here” by Francesca Battistelli (just beautiful)
• “Light of the World” by Lauren Daigle
• “Heaven Everywhere” by Francesca Battistelli

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What is your favorite Christmas hymn? Contemporary song? (Yes, this is me encouraging you to gush all you want about your favorites!) Who are your go-to artists for Christmas songs? Do you like colored lights or white/yellow lights the best? Is there a Christmas hymn that you wish more people sang and loved?

By the way, I hope your writing challenges have gone amazingly this month! Remember, any progress IS progress! *passes out mugs of whipped-cream-topped hot chocolate as a celebratory gesture* If things went according to schedule *me from the future: they did!*, I did Part 2 of Christine Smith’s Know the Novel linkup (here’s Part One) yesterday, so check that out if you’re interested! I shared all about how the writing process has gone, plus gave a few more sneak peeks and such. 👀✨