Free Republic

I have been listening to and collecting Christmas music for over 30 years now. During this time, I have collected well over 3,000 songs. I consider practically every song in my collection to be of high quality and in the spirit of the Christmas season. My point is that there is a huge library out there of excellent Christmas music. My question is, why is so much of what we hear on the radio, at the shopping malls, and even in the movies, so horribly lame? Already there are many radio stations (including two on Sirius satellite radio) playing Christas...

Bob Dylan has at various times revolutionized folk, rock, country and gospel music. However, any Dylan fan who says he was not surprised that Bob has released an album of traditional Christmas songs is pulling your leg. Christmas In The Heart is another surprising move by an artist famous for surprises. Yet when you hear Dylan’s direct and obviously sincere readings of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Little Town Of Bethlehem,” and “The First Noel,” this unlikely exercise seems of a piece with the rest of Dylan’s work. From the very first, this was an artist who made us look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gundu1yLjWY

Arguments are scheduled Monday in the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia on a school district's decision to censor Christmas carols – even holiday melodies without words. Attorneys with the Thomas More Law Center say they will argue to reverse a lower court ruling affirming a policy in the South Orange-Maplewood School District that banned the music after someone complained. The law firm says the school's ban was specifically aimed at preventing Christmas music, including simple instrumentals without words, during holiday concernts. The district had allowed the performance of traditional Christmas music for more than 60 years but...

Rock icon Bob Dylan will sing the old yuletide standards "Winter Wonderland" and "Little Drummer Boy" on his first ever Christmas album, with royalties going to charity, his record label said on Wednesday. Dylan's "Christmas in the Heart" album is due out on October 13, nearly six months after the release of his last studio album, "Together Through Life," which topped the charts. Speculation about the Christmas album began surfacing a few months ago, but were initially met with disbelief by some Dylan aficionados, as the singer was not known to record Christmas songs, and his latest albums have featured...

Previous Next Latest Bob Dylan’s Holiday LP “Christmas in the Heart” Due October 13th 8/25/09, 4:55 pm EST Photo: Miller/FilmMagic Bob Dylan has made his latest unpredictable career move: Rolling Stone has learned that Bob Dylan will release a Christmas album October 13th. Entitled Christmas in the Heart, the collection will feature holiday standards including “Must Be Santa,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” All U.S. royalties from the collection will benefit the charity Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Other proceeds from the disc will benefit hunger relief organizations around the world. Although...

Beautiful Christmas song, sung by an even more beautiful songstress, Kristin Chenoweth on the Fox & Friends Christmas Eve special. (video at the link)

My 12 year old daughter has been part of a small choir that her piano teacher has put together. They have been singing Christmas carols at different venues this last week. Yesterday, after work, I picked her up and drove her to a Macy's for her to perform. As I was watching her little group do their numbers, the piano teacher's father informed me that Macy's had asked his daughter not to perform "Silent Night". I asked him if he was kidding and he said no. He told me that last Saturday, they sang "Silent Night" at a Starbucks, and...

So yesterday I went to Mass with my wife's family in Philadelphia. Mass was nice except for the one year old in my arms who was the worst baby...evah. But following the Eucharist, the song was, "Mary, Did you Know?" Now, I've never given the song a moment's thought. To be honest, I think I'd only heard it once or twice on an Amy Grant Christmas CD. But I'd certainly never heard it before in Mass. My nine year old always wants to sing along in Mass so I quickly found the page for her to read the words. And...

For those of you who haven't heard of these women, you've been missing out! And for those of you who have, you know how beautiful their music is. Enjoy. O, Holy NightWhite ChristmasSilent NightThe Bleak Midwinter/First Noel Just a sample. Check them out on YouTube and elsewhere.

JOSH GROBAN PERFORMING O HOLY NIGHTOkay, I may be somewhat biased that this is the best version. My daughter graduated with Josh from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He was a great kid. He is an amazing talent. Every Christmas mass, this song brings me to tears. Yes, we hear the angels' voices.

Well still a week from Christmas but already I bet many of you are sick of hearing the same old Christmas songs. It's not that Christmas songs are bad, it's that the same 30 or so get played over and over again. There is another thread out there on the "Most Annoying Christmas Songs" and there certainly are plenty of those. But even the classic Christmas songs get tired after a while. While many radio stations go "all Christmas" this time of year, they pretty much stick to about 30 songs, including Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell...

For several weeks now a few local radio stations have been playing Christmas music non-stop, and I love hearing the songs celebrating the season -- especially the traditional carols. How can you help but feel better when you hear Nat King Cole's smooth voice singing "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." (The Christmas Song) or Bing Crosby wishing you a White Christmas with every Christmas card he writes. And when Mark Lowry asks Mary if she knew that her baby boy would one day walk on water, it gives me chills. My drive home from work from late November to...

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Josh Groban Noel (O Come All Ye Faithful) LDS Slideshow Josh Groban I'll be Home for Christmas I'll be home for christmas - Frank Sinatra Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra -- The Christmas Song Nat King Cole & Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Song Nat King Cole - O Holy Night Luciano Pavarotti - O Holy Night Pavarotti - Ave Maria - Schubert Jussi Bjorling - O Holy Night

To download these songs through Friday, right click on the links and hit "Save Target As": The Boxmasters "Slower Than Christmas" Zee Avi "No Christmas For Me" Sixpence None the Richer "Angels We Have Heard on High" Lenka "All My Bells Are Ringing" Straight No Chaser "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" *********************************Links not working through the Free Republic system?  Please click on the main article link and try again from there....also remember, these links are only going to be working through Friday December 19 so if you are trying to download after that time they may not work at...

      Here are two links at the Vatican's website that you can go to for downloading free music for Christmas as well as other occasions.  Hymns for the Celebrations of the Liturgical Year, Pontifical Musical Chorus of the Sistine ChapelOn this page, the links to the MP3 files look like this    It will probably be easiest to hover your mouse cursor over the note picture, right-click your mouse and select "save target as" to define where you want the file saved.When the file is finished downloading it will be available to be played on your computer's MP3 player. ...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24, 2008 – Mannheim Steamroller, the recording group famous for putting a new twist on traditional Christmas music, is hoping to spread holiday cheer to the military this season by giving away 1 million CDs to troops and their families. The group and its creator, Chip Davis, have started giving away copies of its multiple Christmas CDs to troops at home and abroad. The group also is giving away copies of its children’s pop-up book, “My Little Christmas Tree.” “Throughout the years, I have had the opportunity to work with many in the armed services,” Davis said. “This...

ANN ARBOR, MI — Today, July 31st at 10:00AM EST, a New Jersey Federal Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to a public school district’s policy totally banning Christmas music, including simple instrumentals without words, during year-end celebrations in its schools. The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan filed the federal lawsuit on the grounds that the school district’s ban on religious music conveys a government-sponsored message of disapproval and hostility toward religion in violation of the Establishment Clause. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center,...

They have been doing this for the past few years and play both secular and religious Christmas music.  For those who live in the NYC Metro Area you can listen to the radio at 106.7 FM, anyone can click the link and Listen Live.    also:   Free Christmas music from The Vatican in MP3 format   White House Christmas 2007 (Christmas Special on HGTV this Sunday, 12-16-07)

      2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 Christmas Music: Pontifical Musical Chorus of the Sistine Chapel Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music

A bit ago, I heard Roger Hedgecock, filling in for Rush, say that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" should be put in the tradsh bin, or words to that effect. I'll freely admit that I could live the rest of my life without "The Little Drummer boy." I agree with Dave Barry's comment that it's a song "that consists entirely fo people standing around saying 'Pum.'" What Christmas songs would you like not to hear again?

This Christmas Holiday season, in the interest of pleasing the rough (very rough) minority of atheists in the United States, I have gathered a list of God-lite or God-free songs about the holiday on which we celebrate the birth of you-know-Who. These are safe songs. These are the new classics. These will guarantee a completely God-free Christmas Holiday season in your home, to sit back comfortably among your Christmas holiday decorations, your Christmas holiday tree and your Christmas holiday presents and enjoy the Christmas holiday. Holly Jolly Christmas Merry Christmas Darling I'll be Home for Christmas Sleigh Ride The Christmas...

King 5 tv in Seattle just had a brief segment about hundreds of protesters who had gone to Seattle center. The protesters, mostly of Ukrainian and former east-block countries, were singing Christmas Carols (in Ukrainian). They explained themselves through an interpreter that they are tired of all of the political correctness surrounding Christmas, and they had come from countries where they could not speak their minds, and never expected to see it in the United States. As this is a news item that came on the 11:00 news, I have no link, but will search for one. If any other...

I must admit that I never knew the lyrics to "Silent Night," that most famous of Christmas songs, until I was well into the prime of my life. There was no reason I should have, though. Growing up in a tightly knit Orthodox community in New Jersey, I attended Jewish day schools and Jewish camps and was active in Jewish youth movements, as insulated from the Gentile world as anyone could possibly be. My first real contact with non-Jews came during my college years in New York, but even then, most of my closest friends were Jewish, and my Christmas...

Is Joy to the World a Christmas carol or a song about another event? I remember when it struck me that this "carol" really does not have much to do with Christmas except maybe the first verse. Instead it deals with the time the Lord Jesus Christ will set up reign on this earth. At that time, righteousness will prevail. It will be a time of true peace. The lion will lay down with the lamb. The vices of today will be gone since they will be unlawful. It will be a foretaste of eternity with the Devil bound. I...

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays 'Cause no matter how far away you roam When you pine for the sunshine Of a friendly face For the holidays, you can't beat Home, sweet home I met a man who lives in Tennessee And he was headin' for Pennsylvania And some home made pumpkin pie From Pennsylvania folks a travelin' down To Dixie's sunny shore From Atlantic to Pacific, gee The traffic is terrific Oh there's no place like home For the holidays, 'cause no matter How far away you roam If you want to be happy in...

Let me begin this column by informing the reader that I am a freak for Christmas songs. I'm the guy who whistles "Jingle Bells" in the grocery store; who starts the Christmas CDs before Thanksgiving. And if you pull up next to me at a red light when "O Holy Night" happens to be playing on my car radio, you might very well hear me singing through two panes of crash-proof, side-windshield glass, my arms flailing un-rhythmically like the poor shlubs in the commercials announcing a new season of American Idol. To me, this is the hap-hap-happiest season of all....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2005 – A Dallas-based band has looked to the Civil War to honor today's servicemembers fighting in the global war on terrorism. TrueHeart, an adult contemporary/urban folk band, was invited to perform at a Christmas benefit for a local hospital last year. But the band's trio of siblings disagreed on what carols to play. Ross Vick said that he and his brother, Patrick, and sister, Karen Vick Cavazos, couldn't settle on what Christmas songs to play. So he wrote three songs, including a new arrangement of the 19th century hymn, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."...

For 22 years I looked after the spiritual needs of senior citizen homes. Volunteers helped. Among them was Anna Cairnduf, a lady who hails from a mountain town in Austria. She's the grand niece of Father Joseph Mohr, the writer of the Christmas carol "Silent Night" which for a long time was ignored. Why? Great music is expected from great cities and great Cathedrals but hardly from a poor, cold, drafty little mountain church, where a few days before Christmas in 1818, a hungry mouse chewed through the bellows of the old organ, silencing it. Oh no! No music for...

(AgapePress) - A pro-family law firm has filed an appeal against a New Jersey school district that banned instrumental Christmas music. The Thomas More Law Center is asking the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia to end the South Orange/Maplewood School District's ban on religious music. The ban was implemented last year to prevent the use of Christmas music at year-end celebrations in the district. Rob Muise, the attorney handling the case for the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Law Center, argues the district is violating the Establishment Clause, found in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Muise contends...

Lutes + Synthesizers +Rock Beats = America's Most Popular Christmas Music? By JODY ROSEN Published: December 18, 2005 The Kansas Coliseum is a 12,200-seat hockey arena that rises above a wind-lashed plain 11 miles north of Wichita. [snip] The crowd had come to see the instrumental ensemble Mannheim Steamroller, but the music onstage was just part of what the band likes to call "the complete Mannheim Christmas experience," a full sensory immersion in holiday pomp. Carolers roamed the arena corridors. Santa-hat-wearing ushers distributed programs. Balconies were festooned with holly. The pièce de résistance, located at the rear of the arena...

For those following the Holiday/Christmas controversies, note that if you visit the Music/Video department of your local Barnes & Noble you will literally see a music section marked "Holiday/Hannukah/Kwanzaa." Suffice it to say no purchases were made tonight.

What's your favorite Christmas song? For me, Religious (The First Nowell), and Secular: ("Wonderful Christmastime) Twelve Favorite Carols, By Regis Behe Friday, December 16, 2005 Earlier this month, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers released a list of the most popular holiday songs for the past five years, based on number of performances. 1. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," Mel Torme, Robert Wells 2. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie 3. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin 4. "Winter Wonderland," Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith 5....

     Music For Our Troops -All music is removed on Mondays. Support the artists below by going to the following links: ArtistDirect.com l Amazon.com l Walmart.com l Ticketmaster.com l Google.com l  Songfacts.com l Billboard.com l Audiophile.com l Wherehouse.com l Sonique l  MTV.com l VH1.com l CMT.com l MuchMusic.com l Audio Realm l MSN Radio l Shout Cast l Launch Music l Live-Radio Net l MP3.com l Welcome to the FReeper Canteen's Music Mayhem!! We're proud to serve the best military in the world! Thank you for joining us this Friday night/Saturday!! If you'd like to be added to...

<p>A festive group of high school choir students from Central Islip singing at an Islandia shopping center discovered over the weekend that some people were not in the holiday spirit.</p> <p>After entering a Wal-Mart store, the choir was quickly asked to leave before even starting to sing its first song.</p>

Selection joins Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Chinese New Year tunes in student show after ADF attorney sends letter to school officials "Neutering a Christmas song to remove its religious references is not necessary under the Constitution, and it is also offensive to the majority of the population who celebrates the holiday," said ADF attorney David Hacker. BOLINGBROOK, Ill. - Officials at a suburban Chicago elementary school have changed their minds about their decision to revise the Christmas song "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to "We Wish You a Happy Holiday" as part of an upcoming student concert after a letter from...

A Wisconsin school that had secularized the lyrics of the beloved Christmas carol "Silent Night" has now agreed to change the words back to the original after receiving countless phone calls and e-mails about the issue. Liberty Counsel, the law firm working on behalf of parents upset about the secularization of the carol, says it was both public pressure and two letters attorneys sent to the school that prompted the change. According to a statement from the organization, Debra Messer, administrator of the Dodgeville School District confirmed that "'Silent Night' will be sung. 'Cold in the Night' will not be...

Dodgeville, WI - Ridgeway Elementary School has now dumped "Cold in the Night" from its "winter program." After receiving an avalanche of phone calls and emails, late yesterday afternoon, Debra Messer, the District Administrator, confirmed that "Silent Night will be sung. Cold in the Night will not be sung." Liberty Counsel sent two letters to school officials on behalf of concerned parents demanding that the school drop "Cold in the Night" and include "Silent Night" in its original version. The school's "winter program" has included decorating classrooms with Santa Claus, Kwanza, Menorahs, and La Befana (a Christmas witch). During this...

Christmastime. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Can you smell the chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Do you hear the jingle bells ring? Are you begging the weatherman to let in snow? On your Christmas wish list are you writing, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth?” Yes, the Christmas songs have been pounding the airwaves since the week before Thanksgiving. Oh sure, it would be nice to have a White Christmas. In fact, Irving Berlin, who wrote the song in 1940, knew plenty about white Christmases, having spent his early childhood in his...

From public courtrooms to the private offices of film and TV producers to advertising firms, there is a concerted effort to push the message and image of Jesus out of the public eye. In an age of political correctness and timidity, secular, commercial cartoon images have been created that offend almost no one. So they are in - and Jesus is out. Jesus changed the course of history, noted the late Michael Grant, who wrote nearly 50 books on the Greeks, Romans and early Christianity. Millions of men and women, he wrote, have found Jesus' life and teachings overwhelmingly significant...

     Music For Our Troops -All music is removed on Mondays. Support the artists below by going to the following links: ArtistDirect.com l Amazon.com l Walmart.com l Ticketmaster.com l Google.com l  Songfacts.com l Billboard.com l Audiophile.com l Wherehouse.com l Sonique l  MTV.com l VH1.com l CMT.com l MuchMusic.com l Audio Realm l MSN Radio l Shout Cast l Launch Music l Live-Radio Net lWelcome to The Music Mayhem at The FReeper Canteen! We are proud to serve the best military in the world. Thank you for doing what you do--so we can do what we do!    Artist  ...

Critics Aren't Keeping Quiet Over 'Silent Night' Lyrics Change School Under Fire for Having Kids Sing New Words to Classic Christmas Song By ADRIENNE MAND LEWIN Dec. 9, 2005 — - The latest salvo in the "war on Christmas" has been fired -- this time over the lyrics to the venerable Christmas carol "Silent Night." Many who believe Christmas has been overly secularized are pouncing on a Wisconsin school that will present the tune with different words, under the title "Cold in the Night." 'Mocking' a Traditional Song? The controversy began when the father of a student at Ridgeway Elementary...

THE ISSUE: The conservative Liberty Counsel, based in Orlando, Fla., is threatening federal lawsuits against two Wisconsin school districts on the behalf of parents' upset with removal or change of lyrics in holiday songs with Christian lyrics that makes them secular. THE RESPONSE: One of the districts says the song "Cold in the Night," sung to the tune of "Silent Night," is part of the holiday program copyrighted in 1988. The other says they have other Christian songs in their production. THE LYRICAL CHANGE: Part of the lyrics in "Cold in the Night" are as follows: "Cold in the night,...

The "war against Christmas" rages on. A Wisconsin elementary school has changed the song "Silent Night" to "Cold in the Night," and secularized the lyrics. Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville may be taking a cue from the White House, which as been sending out greeting cards in the last few weeks, wishing recipients a happy "Holiday Season" rather than "Merry Christmas." The school's "Winter Program" features a secularized version of the traditional Christmas carol "Silent Night" with the following lyrics: Cold in the night, no one in sight; Winter winds whirl and bite. How I wish I were happy and...

For a performance in its "winter program," a Wisconsin elementary school has changed the beloved Christmas carol "Silent Night," calling the song "Cold in the Night" and secularizing the lyrics. According to Liberty Counsel, a religious-liberty law firm representing a student's parent, kids who attend Ridgeway Elementary School in Dodgeville, Wis., will sing the following lyrics to the tune of "Silent Night": Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm. Liberty Counsel says this year's winter program included decorating...

HOUSTON -- At least one mother of a northwest Harris County elementary student was not looking forward to attending a school Christmas performance after learning Christmas had been removed from the lyrics of a song, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday. Officials with the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District were not aware of the changes made to the traditional Christmas song, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," until KPRC Local 2 called Tuesday inquiring about the lyric changes. District officials said Moore Elementary School's music director did not write the song, but chose a jazzy adaptation of the popular English Christmas carol,...

Dodgeville, WI - Ridgeway Elementary School's "winter program" has changed the name of "Silent Night" to "Cold in the Night." Sung to the tune of "Silent Night," the lyrics have been secularized as follows: "Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm." Liberty Counsel represents a concerned parent whose child attends Ridgeway. At the same time the school has changed the religious songs to secular, the "winter program" has included decorating classrooms with Santa Clause, Kwanza, Menorahs, and Labafana...

Okay, here are my top five Christmas CDs in no particular order. I invite you to post yours. A Charlie Brown Christmas- Vince Guaraldi Trio December-George Winston The Bells of Dublin-The Chieftains Dancing Day-Toronto Children's Chorus/John Rutter Christmas Portrait-The Carpenters

     Music For Our Troops -All music is removed on Mondays. Support the artists below by going to the following links: ArtistDirect.com l Amazon.com l Walmart.com l Ticketmaster.com l Google.com l  Songfacts.com l Billboard.com l Audiophile.com l Wherehouse.com l Sonique l  MTV.com l VH1.com l CMT.com l MuchMusic.com l Audio Realm l MSN Radio l Shout Cast l Launch Music l Live-Radio Net l    Artist   Song Eva Cassidy   Honeysuckle Rose Peggy Lee   Fever LaVern Baker   Saved Koko Taylor   Wang Dang Doodle Selena    I Could Fall In Love Annie Lennox   Why...

Last year, we ran through the list of best Christmas songs and carols. Lotsa of great memories. This year, it's time to list the WORST Christmas songs ever recorded. Some are because the version performed by the "artist" is horrid. Others because the song itself is weak and irritating. You be the judge. Either way, I had a difficult time paring down the list. I left off "novelty" songs by the Chipmunks and Donald Duck, etc. They were intended to annoy, and thus were successful in their own right! Top 7 Worst Christmas Songs Ever Recorded 7. Blue Christmas -...