I’ve heard that smells trigger memories more successfully than anything else. For some, that may be true. For me, though, Christmas Carols are what trigger memories. These are some of my favorite carols.
- Carol of the Bells. Whether it’s instrumental or sung, this is the one carol that screams Christmas time to me. I love the hectic pace of the bells and the staccato notes. Every year the downtown shopping square of the city I grew up in would hang giant candles and wreaths from the light poles. These over-sized decorations looked like they were made of huge pipecleaners. When I hear The Carol of the Bells I think of an evening when it’s lightly snowing and I’m hurrying from store to store with my packages. It is entirely possible that I’m borrowing this scene from several holiday movies I’ve seen over the years.
- The Little Drummer Boy. When I hear this song I am instantly back in the living room of our first house in the city I grew up in. Every year my mother had a nativity scene she would display on top of the softest cloud you can imagine. Once I asked her what the cloud was made of and she said it was angel’s hair. I would sit and stroke the angel’s hair while The Little Drummer Boy played in the background.
- Silent Night. This is a favorite carol of mine only because I don’t hear it very often. When I was a child we always sang it in music class and it seemed to always be around. These days I have to search for it. I love that it relaxes me.
I enjoyed learning which Christmas albums are must-haves for you. Will you tell me what your favorite carols are and why?
Oh, and because you totally deserve it: Christmas Boomwhackers.
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The First Noel, because I can clearly remember my mother (who died when I was just 7), playing it on the piano and singing loudly to it. I remember sitting nexts to her on the bench and joining in, looking over the sheet music with her. It’s one of our happiest times.
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“O Come O Come Emmanuel,” which I suppose is an Advent carol, strictly speaking, because I love how it’s so invested with longing.
“O Holy Night” for the lines: “Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother/ and in His name all oppression shall cease.”
carol of the bells is my all time favorite! i don’t really have a memory associated with it other than playing it in the band in high school, but musically i just love it.
Little Drummer Boy is my all time fave as well. My parents had the 8 track and it seems like Christmas was the only time we broke out the big stereo 8 track/record player to play that album.
I also like Do You Hear What I Hear. I bought a random Christmas Cd a long time ago and it had that song. I just loved how it was sung. That was a time when my oldest two were babies and we didn’t have much for Christmas not even a tree and my MIL went out and bought us a tree and decor so the boys would have a Christmas tree. That song makes me think of that time.
The next one I need your help with. Last year you linked up an a capella group that sang all different Christmas songs in one song. It was awesome and it gave me chills. I can’t for the life of me think of the groups name. I know it was a college singing group. Hubs and I both loved them so much that we watched every one of their YouTube posted concerts. I couldn’t find it in your archives.
Manhiem Steamroller’s Carol of the Bells is fast, rhythmic, and completely impressive
The First Noel is my favorite. It is so melodic and soothing.
My wedding anniversary is 12/21. We had a the organist and band play Celtic Christmas Carols for Prelude and Processional music. With a hammered dulcimer, fiddle, and hand drum, it was beautiful and delicate. Their rendition of “The First Noel” makes me cry to this day! (Then we had a big blustery Bag Piper proceed me down the aisle…it blew the PANTS off of the traditional “Wedding March.”)
I didn’t realize The Carol of the Bells was a Christmas Carol until about 13 years ago when it was in a Christmas program at school. I always thought it was the jingle for the Cold Duck commercials.
Seriously, that was the only time I heard it as a kid. : )
I love many Christmas carols and drive my husband crazy when I buy a new cd.
Silver Bells is one of my favorites. When I was in middle school one of my friends sang it during a school program and it was very beautiful.
Oh, I so agree about Little Drummer Boy. Every time I hear that song I get a little teary. And do you remember watching the show on TV when you were little? I was just enthralled by it.