Since I had this typed out elsewhere, and I'd been meaning to post it here, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone (no offense to the ornithologists among us).
Most of this emerged two days before Christmas this year, so we just barely got to enjoy them, but they're all primed and ready for next year and many years to come.
Our Christmas iTunes Playlists:
Advent (coincides with our family Advent service)
1. Away in a Manger – Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
2. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus – Azure Fields
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
4. It Is Well With My Soul – America’s 25 Old-Time Favorite Gospel Songs
5. Joy to the World – Various Artists and Eugene Ormandy
6. O Come, All Ye Faithful – Various Artists
7. The Old Rugged Cross – Don Marsh Chorus and Orchestra
8. Silent Night – America’s 25 Favorite Christmas Songs for Kids
Christmas Worship (mostly contemporary Christian Christmas songs and traditional songs done by CC artists)
1. Joy to the World – Blind Boys of Alabama
2. O Come All Ye Faithful – Third Day
3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel – Bebo Norman
4. What Child is This? – Third Day
5. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Jars of Clay
6. O Holy Night – Third Day
7. Kyrie Eleison – Leigh Nash & Friends
8. Joy to the World – Third Day
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - MercyMe
10. Angels We Have Heard on High – Third Day
11. Messiah Has Come – Bebo Norman, Cindy Morgan, Danielle Young
12. Silent Night – Third Day
13. Away in a Manger – Third Day
14. Here With Us – Joy Williams
15. The First Noel – Third Day
16. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - MercyMe
17. Go Tell It On the Mountain – Blind Boys of Alabama
Instrumental Christmas (this one needs fleshing out but will have to wait until next year, and the Auld Lang Syne actually has vocals at the end)
1. Jingle Bells – Glenn Miller
2. Babes in Toyland/March of the Toys – Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops
3. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers – United States Army Field Band
4. Auld Lang Syne – Guy Lombardo
Kids' Christmas (may add a few kids' versions of traditional songs to this one; overlaps a tad with "The Holidays" playlist)
1. White Christmas – The Drifters
2. Jingle Bells – The Brady Bunch
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
4. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurle Ravenscroft
5. Frosty the Snowman – Gene Autry
6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Jackson 5
7. Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry
8. Feliz Navidad – David Crowder Band
The Holidays (secular Christmas songs, most done by the artist that originally recorded them/made them famous [thank you, Wikipedia])
1. White Christmas – The Drifters
2. I’ll Be Home for Christmas – Bing Crosby
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting) – Mel Torme’
4. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
5. Silver Bells – Bing Crosby
6. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow – Vaughn Monroe
7. Twelve Days of Christmas – Christmas Tribute
8. Winter Wonderland – Bing Crosby
9. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Perry Como
10. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
11. Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
12. Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
13. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
14. Feliz Navidad – David Crowder Band
15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland
16. Auld Lang Syne – The Drifters
Traditional Carols (I'm aware that a couple of these are actually more contemporary, but they have a traditional feel)
1. Do You Hear What I Hear – The Harry Simeone Choir
2. Here We Come A-Wassailing – Cambridge Clare College
3. We Three Kings – Most Excellent Vocal Manoeuvres Choral Christmas
4. We Wish You a Merry Christmas – Cambridge Singers
5. Ding Dong! Merrily on High – Choir of King’s College
6. I Saw Three Ships – Cambridge Clare College
7. Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring – The Choirs of the Church of Our Lady
8. Deck the Halls – UCLA Madrigal Singers
9. Little Drummer Boy – The Harry Simeone Chorale
All of this was bought on iTunes (from a Christmas song list on Wikipedia), so it's available there. I did not exactly keep track of how much I was purchasing as I went along, and I was a bit shocked when I got the bill e-mail. Realistically, though, my family will be enjoying this music for years and years to come, and I think it will be worth it in the long run.
