I’m almost finished work for the year, and thank God because this week has been stressful and just plain horrible. Oh, to be able to quit the day job and write full time. It’s the dream. Right, on to today’s post: Songs, so many to choose from, but these ones make me smile every year.
Fairytale of New York by The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl. Whenever I hear this, no matter where I am, I feel at home. It gets going at 1.26 and everyone in every pub in Ireland has the best craic belting out the lyrics. I have so many happy, fun memories of singing and dancing to this song with family and friends over the years.
O Holy Night. There are so many different versions of this haunting, moving song. It reminds me of going to mass on Christmas Eve when I was a child. “Fall on your knees” gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.
Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin’ Stevens: Just a happy, merry song.
I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake. This one makes me sad. It’s a beautiful song but filled with melancholy and even some anger. The lyrics are quite dark. “They said there’ll be snow at Christmas. They said there’ll be peace on Earth…” “They told me a fairy story, ’till I believed in the Israelite..”
Saviour’s Day by Cliff Richard. This song was on my Dad’s VHS tape from 20 or so years ago. I’m sure I still have it stored away in a cupboard somewhere. I love the end of it, “calling, raise all your glasses, and drink to the King..”
Films
Love Actually
All I Want for Christmas
One Magic Christmas
Santa Claus: The Movie
The Family Stone
What Christmas songs and films touch you?
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The Family Stone can be a hard one to watch, but worth watching. I just love A Christmas Story! And my son’s rendition of Jingle Bells is my favorite Christmas song at the moment. 😉
I cringe at the dinner table scene in The Family Stone, but the cast is excellent. I have to watch it every Christmas. Aw, that’s cute about your son. I don’t know A Christmas Story.
*gasp!* It is a MUST see! They usually do A Christmas Story marathon around Christmas on either TNT or TBS. You should most definitely tune in! 😀
I looked up the trailer on YouTube. If it’s on TV this year, I’ll definitely watch it. Thanks.
OK Here goes……..Santa Claus the movie, Prancer, Elf, Miracle on 34th street, Willy Wonka & the chocolate factory, The Holiday, Love Actually, Little Women, Joyeux Noel, A Christmas Romance, The Nutcracker Prince, You’ve got mail (I know this isn’t a Christmas one but it has a nice Christmas scene in it!) And then for songs, there’s Shakin Stevens, Jonah Lewie with Stop the Cavalry, Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt and Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee! and many many more! My personal best at Karaoke, Last Christmas by Wham! 😀
Whoa, that’s quite a list, Laura 🙂 I haven’t seen Prancer in years, watched The Holiday only last week – I love Kate Winslet’s cottage. Good choices! Santa Baby is one of my favourites too. Let’s do some karaoke to Wham over the holidays!!!
Great choices! I always have to watch It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. I love all the Christmas carols!
Hi Rhonda, yes, definitely love the carols, too. It’s been years and years since I watched Miracle on 34th Street. Think it’s time to sit down with it again this year.
Ah, the Pogues! I love them, but haven’t heard any of their songs in far too long. My favorite song is “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” and all-time favorite movie is Elf. Well, Miracle on 34th Street runs a close second. Argh, but then there’s Love, Actually, too. Too many great songs and movies!
Merry Christmas Emma!
I adore “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, so much so that I just popped over to YouTube to get it playing right now 🙂 Merry Christmas, Tameri.
Yes if we could live the Dream:O) Great list! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Michelle. Maybe next year we’ll become New York Times bestsellers 😉
LOL…Cross fingers, toes and eyes:O)
Thanks for sharing all the great songs. Happy Holidays Emma.
Happy Holidays, Sherry.
I think you know all of my favorites already. Lol. 😉
That I do 🙂
Cool list, Emma. For Christmas songs I love O Holy Night, the Little Drummer Boy, Good King Wenceslas, Do They Know it’s Christmas and (don’t laugh) Snoopy and the Red Baron.
Movies: A Christmas Carol and Elf.
I can’t believe I forgot “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, oops, that’s a major one for me every year. Sorry, Mae – I laughed! 🙂 Merry Christmas.
Sleigh Ride is my favorite Christmas song and my favorite Christmas movie is The Christmas Card. I can watch that one over and over.
I’m not familiar with The Christmas Card, must go and check it out. “Sleigh Ride” is such a happy, feel good song.
It’s been one of those weeks for me as well Emma. One of the songs that always gets me in the Christmas spirit is Jingle Bell Rock. Something about the upbeat tempo of it always picks me up 🙂 Happy holidays to you!
Hope you get to relax for yourself soon, L.J. Yep, Jingle Bell Rock is good one for lifting the spirits. Happy holidays, too.
Hrrm… I actually don’t know many of these songs or movies. And yeah, I’m having one of those weeks as well. Grrrrrrr
As for favourite songs, well Silver Bells and Joy Oh Joyful are tops on my list.
Movies: Christmas Story and the animated Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and being a man who likes movies that go BOOM! the first Die Hard is a Christmas must.
Happy Holidays to you and your family! I’m off to arm wrestle a snowman!
Hi, Hubbard. Seems like a lot of us are having one of those weeks. Let’s raise a glass to having a better weekend!
I’m listening to “Silver Bells” right now, thank you. Die Hard is on every Christmas in our house, too 🙂
Good luck with the snowman. Let me know who wins.
Hmm this is interesting because the only one of those films I’ve seen is Love Actually, looks like I’m missing out! The Grinch is my go to Christmas movie. 🙂
I love Fairytale of New York, always gets me in the spirit.
I hope you have a good Christmas Emma!
I think I’ve only seen The Grinch once; I must rectify that.
Merry Christmas, Becky.
What an awesome post. Exhausted from the hubub of Christmas I sat back and went through your selection. Truly wonderful. Thanks for adding to my Christmas cheer.
All the best
Jo-Ann
Hope you found something new here, Jo-Ann. Merry Christmas.
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Great selections Emma. I adore a Fairytale of New York and Love Actually is a must watch. I would add old class Christmas songs like White Christmas, and the adorable classic movie A Wonderful Life. But The Holiday is a modern favourite. XX
You know, Shah, I haven’t watched A Wonderful Life in many many years. Think it’s time to sit down with a glass of wine or hot chocolate and give it another watch. I adore Kate Winslet’s cottage in The Holiday; I want to live there 🙂 Merry Christmas and best of luck with Finding Esta. I’ll put up the post shortly.
You have a great selection here. Every year my husband pull out the Sinatra Christmas tunes and I go for the Celtic holiday music. I also like a little Blues. But that’s when I have it playing in the background. My daughter has been serenading me with a rendition of Silent Night constantly. 🙂 As for movies, I just watched Miracle on 34th Street, both the original and remake. The original is by far the best. But you know me, I love the action so I’m curling up to Die Hard and enjoying my egg nog while watching Scrooged. I thought I’d be watching more holiday movies this year, but my youngest is currently obsessed with Titanic and wants to watch nothing but. Sigh.
Thanks, Debra. Celtic holiday music? I like the sound of that. Aw, that’s sweet about your daughter, and I love that particular Christmas Carol; reminds me of my schooldays. Die Hard seems to be on a lot of people’s Christmas movies list 🙂 You can’t beat Titanic. Enjoy it all x