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Genevieve
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I'm wondering whether you could share your favourite Advent/Christmas CD. I would love to have a more reliable source than the radio. I just love to hum or sing along as I fold laundry or cut up some vegetables. 
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Genevieve
The Good Within
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Cheryl
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I LOVE Every Knee Shall Bend. I bought it when I was at a retreat in Connecticut and I sing along with it every year. This is a great topic. I'd like to see what others recommend.
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Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
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St. Ann
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Es Weihnachtet Sehr - lots of classic german carols. The girls and I love to sing along too. We have to do it when dh is not at home, it just drives him nuts to hear too much Christmas music 4 weeks before Christmas. We aren't to play it at all until the 1st Sunday in Advent and then sparingly. We also have extra Advent music when dh is around. Beginning the Eve of the 24th, we can play as much Christmas music as we want ....
But don't you just get the urge to play Christmas carols when it gets really wintry outside?...even if it is early November????
Stephanie in Germany
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marihalojen
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Mannheim Steamroller esp. Extraordinaire, Christmas, A Fresh Aire, and In the Aire.
I was super disappointed in the Christmas Angel and I haven't heard the rest of them. Renaissance Holiday looks very interesting. Anybody heard it?
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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lapazfarm
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We love the Manheim Steamroller Christmas also! Another favorite is Chicago 25. We also like alot of the "Very Special Christmas" series.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Dawn
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We like the old-fashioned songs on the Williams-Sonoma Christmas CD's. 
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys 
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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kjohnson
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Our family favorites are:
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas
Christmas Songs by Sinatra
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Burl Ives, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
My husband really enjoys Anne Murray's Christmas Album, but we argue over that one since it reminds me of long, boring car trips during Christmas as a child. (He turns on that CD and I immediately feel carsick.) 
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In Christ,
Katherine
Wife to Doug and Mother of 6
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5athome
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I bought the Mark Forrest cd when we purchased his rosary one and we are enjoying it. I believe he had samples you could listen to on his website.
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St. Ann
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I also really enjoy BRIGHT DAY STAR - music for the yuletide season, by the Baltimore Consort. Old carols and dance tunes from the British Isles, Germany & Appalachia. One can not always sing a long, but it is very beautiful.
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Stephanie
Wife and mother to Hannah '96, Maria '99, Dorothea '01, Helena '03
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~Rachel~
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Carols from Kings College Choir Cambridge... I like traditional... I also like Nat King Cole.
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~Rachel~
Wife to William
Mum to James 13, Lenore 8
Lighting a Fire
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Sarah in SC
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We love:
Charlie Brown's Christmas
The Very Special Christmas (I think it's from the 80s--has U2, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp--you know, the oldies!) The Sting song "Gabriel's Message" is just beautiful!
Captain Kangaroo's Christmas
Elvis' It's Christmas Time
Vince Gill Breath of Heaven
James Taylor's Christmas Album
Burl Ives Holly Jolly Christmas
But my FAVORITE is: (drum roll.....)
Harry Connick, Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas
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Happy wife to Tom and mama to Mac, 12, Hannah, 8, Rosemary, 6, Luke, now 1! and the 9 little angels that Mary is rocking.....
"What good shall we then do with today?" --Benjamin Franklin
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Maddie
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While Christmas shopping at a department store with my parents when I was ten, I wandered over to the electronics dept where they were playing a Christmas movie I had never seen before. I stood entranced and watched the movie from near the begining to the end. My parents I am sure were pleased, as I was quietly occupied and I was pleased as I had a favorite new Christmas movie. Scrooge is now a must every Christmas. We sing through the entire movie together in the Sound of Music fashion. A CD of the movie was never made, but this CD is available and we enjoy. Our favorites are "December the 25th", "I Like Life", and "Thank You Very Much". The link I provided has samples you can hear if you scroll down a bit. I play "I Like Life" on days I get discouraged.
Christmas Carols from St. John'shas been a favorite for years. You can hear samples here too. We learned to sing "Good King Wenceleslas" from this CD.
Christmas Day in the Morning by the Cambridge Singers is a favorite also. My all time favorite Christmas carol is here, "Shepherd's Pipe Carol" (#21 if you want to hear it, click see all selections). There should be a children's book written to go with this song!
Then of course, there's Bing. All time favorite of his is "Christmas Dinner, Country Style". My dear brother (db) found it one year and played it for me. He said it reminded him of me. Christmas Dinner, Country StyleThe sample here will give you an idea of the tune, but the story of the song is a country family eating the huge Christmas dinner their dear mother made. It's obviously a large family as he calls off their names to help with the dinner. I'm not doing the song justice, but I just know ya'll would love it!
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~Maddie~
Wife to my dh and Momma of 9 dear ones
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TracyQ
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I'm a *collector of Christmas CDs*. I like to call it that, rather than an obsession, as I think my dh calls it.  I think my last count was somewhere in the 80's.
My favorites are:
The Polar Express (one of my new favs because I LOVE Josh Groban's Believe and the song Hot Chocolate). 
John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas (LOVE this except for Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas  It reminds me of when I was growing up).
Charlie Brown Christmas (definite family favorite)
Bing Crosby's White Christmas- a classic
Harry Connick Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas
Barry Manilow's Because It's Christmas
Nat King Cole's Christmas album
James Taylor's Christmas album
Jim Brickman's The Gift (LOVE, love, love this song!)
Tony Bennett's Snowfall (don't have it yet, but am getting for my birthday next week. I LOVE him!
Mel Torme's Christmas Songs
I was just eyeing this one that I want to order from the EWTN Religious Catalog. It's a string quartet CD, and I know I'd LOVE it!
REJOICE!
Amy Grant's Christmas albums, especially Tennesee Christmas
Kenny Roger's Christmas He has many nice ones, but this is my favorite. It has *When a Child is Born*, which I absolutely love, and makes me cry!
I could go on, and on, and on. Christmas is what brings JOY to my heart, and Christmas music is my favorite. These that I shared are those that have given me so much joy over the years.
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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TracyQ
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Yay! So many more wonderful suggestions! I can get MORE for my collection this year!!!! 
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Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Marybeth
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Amy Grant
Bing Crosby
Nat King Cole-we play him every Christmas morning while we open gifts
Steven Curtis Chapman
Andy Williams
Harry Connick
Several years in a row I bought the Hallmark Christmas CD which was a good price when purchasing something in the store...they always have very good artists and songs.
Marybeth
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Marybeth (Mb)
http://held-together.blogspot.com
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ladybugs
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Can you believe my kid's like Manheim Steamroller so much they'll play it year round?
Don't answer that.
We also like Christmas in Vienna with Placido Domingo, Jose Carrera and Diana Ross.
Anything with Nat King Cole or Harry Connick, Jr (hubba hubba) is good, too.
Oh, we also like Big Band Christmas music.
My favorite carols are O Holy Night and Silent Night and The Little Drummer Boy.
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Love and God Bless,
Maria P
My etsy store - all proceeds go to help my fencing daughters!
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MacBeth
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| Posted: Nov 07 2006 at 11:54am | IP Logged
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OK...technology has helped me to build my own favorite Christmas music collection  , but here are some sources for my faves:
I love the Lester Family CDs both for learning harmonies, and for their great musical selections. We have used their products since the children were little to learn harmonies, rounds and traditional cannons. And it works! Now my kids are very musical, but it's still amazing for me to hear them pull a harmony line out of "thin air" as we sing in the car, or even at church. Their Christmas selections include:
Silent Night
Away in a Manger
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Joy to the World
We Three Kings
And More...
I also love The Watersons, though they didn't have a Christmas album until last year, when they were repackaged as "Yorkshire Christmas" (link above). Their seasonal CD, Frost and Fire has quite a few Advent/Christmas tunes, as well as some Easter and All Soul's pieces. The Waterson's are not everyone's taste ...they are kind of like vocal bagpipes, so if you can't stand pipes, keep away for the Watersons! The kids and I love them, though.
There are a few vocal pieces on
A Cello Christmas, including the uber-exuberant cello, tympani and vocal version of Gaudete, a must-listen for the third Sunday of Advent (I have heard many slower versions of this piece, but there is nothing more purely joyful than this amazing and fast-paced hymn!!).
And, since I was on a bit of a Rutter kick this fall, I just bought Rutter's Dancing Day from Amazon UK. Dancing Day itself is one of my favorite carols, and Rutter's arrangements of carols, sung by Toronto Children's Choir, is amazing.
I think that rounds out my opinion on Christmas music.  Now I am so in the mood to hear some!
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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Michaela
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ladybugs wrote:
My favorite carols are O Holy Night and Silent Night and The Little Drummer Boy. |
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I don't have a favorite CD, but specific songs I had to find that I heard as a child. My mom played all the German music (I can't name a single Album, but remember church bells in the music -- she still plays those albums) and my dad played Motown artists.
Last year, I *had* to find Mahalia Jackson singing O Holy Night. The Christmas CD I bought has wonderful songs. I played it even after Christmas....drove my kids nuts. LOL
Stevie Wonder singing Ave Maria & Little Drummer Boy...chills....the memories.
Of course, Nat King Cole's Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.....his entire album.
I enjoy listening to Andrea Bocelli's Sacred Arias all year, but the way he sings Ave Maria (Schubert) brings me to tears.
I don't have one specific CD, but many singles that I'd love to have on one or two Christmas CDs.
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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Dawn
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| Posted: Nov 08 2006 at 6:40am | IP Logged
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Yesterday the boys and I broke out the Polar Express soundtrack!
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Dawn, mum to 3 boys
By Sun and Candlelight
The Nature Corner
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Favorite Christmas CD you sing to.
