Christmas!

[mstakenidentity]

Ok people, recommendations for good, traditional carols? I would prefer the non-religious Christian type.

Thanks!

Comments

[dukesnorre.livejournal.com]

I'd just go with Ultra-Lounge Christmas and maybe the 8bitpeoples.

[dukesnorre.livejournal.com]

ooh and we sang and went around the christmas tree today and there was this one song that had something about jesus and light from his face sort of thing and I just thought it was about Laser Jesus. :-D

[delphaeus.livejournal.com]

Good King Wencelas? 12 Days of Christmas? Deck the Halls?

[deathbyshinies.livejournal.com]

Good King Wenceslas is my mostest favourite carol of all time. It is quite tricky to think of traditional carols that are also non-religious, though. For a few that are not so religious as to trip my 'annoyed' switches, at least, you could try In Dulce Jubilio (there's a really pretty Mediaeval Baebes version of that), Gaudete (OK, that *is* really religious, but it's less irritating in Latin!), In The Bleak Midwinter, or The Holly and the Ivy.

Also, do you like Dar Williams? The Christians and the Pagans is definitely not traditional, but I think it makes a great Christmas song anyway!

[mstakenidentity.livejournal.com]

Thanks, they're all great suggestions. And I love the Dar Williams song :-) I'd not heard it before, it's very nice.

[naturalredhead.livejournal.com]

Gaudete becomes decidedly less religious when you make up your own verses.

My favourite is the words to Roger Ramjet...

[drjon.livejournal.com]

http://www.cthulhulives.org/Solstice/

[seagoon.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Stuff about eating and drinking is good.

Boar's Head Carol? Past Three O'Clock?

Good King Wenceslas, sung to "Estuans Interius" a la MUFS?

Um.

Even "we wishoo merrycrismuss" if you can stomach the tune? I have the newly-learnt bass part stuck in my head atm

[joee-girl.livejournal.com]

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

I discovered yesterday that the 16-yo ballet girls learned a completely different version to me
"They never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games (like Monopoly)"

... Monopoly?

[asmodel.livejournal.com]

They also called Rudolph funny names like Pinnochio. More lyrics are here

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

Good King Wencaslas always reminds me of that poor tiny little bunny in the muppet Christmas carol XD

[clappamungus.livejournal.com]

For a Kris Kringle one year, some smart-arse gave me this

The music actually isn't bad. ;)

[vass]

Do you mind if I ask what you're trying to do?

[mstakenidentity.livejournal.com]

Not at all :-)

I really love Christmas, but I hate some of the things associated with it. I can't stand Christmas pop songs, I don't like music I think of as "commercial" in the sense that it's asking me/us to buy something, I dislike things that detract from the festival I guess. It's hard to explain.

I used to like decorating the tree and listening to the Messiah, or to other traditional religious carols. I'm not so religious these days, in fact I've spent a large part of the last two years trying to work out where I stand on the whole religion issue, what my faith is and how I feel about it all. So I feel a bit of a fraud celebrating Christ's birth, especially because I did used to celebrate it with true religious fervour and feeling. However, it's not like i can avoid Christmas, and I do like things about it that aren't part of the religion aspect, so I was hoping to find some music to listen to while decorating the tree (which still hasn't arrived...) that was appropriate, wouldn't make me feel guilty , and wasn't "Jingle Bell Rock", "I saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus" or anything by Bing Crosby. :-)

Of course, with that in mind I then got a blank and couldn't think of anything not religious or insipid, so I asked the internet. :-)

That rambled, sorry about that! In short: I want to decorate my tree when it gets here.

[clappamungus.livejournal.com]

Oh, but come on. Bing's the King!

I get where you're coming from. It's part of the reason that I hate Christmas nowadays. When I lost my faith, I guess I lost all tolerance for any sort of festival with even vaguely religious overtones.

[vass]

I can't stand Christmas pop songs, I don't like music I think of as "commercial" in the sense that it's asking me/us to buy something, I dislike things that detract from the festival I guess. It's hard to explain.

No, I'm totally with you there.

In short: I want to decorate my tree when it gets here.

Good luck with that, and good luck with the religious thing too. It can be very hard. And most of the best tunes are religious (I've struggled with that one myself: Bach's a powerful argument for Christianity. And the only non-religious carol I like is Deck the Halls (I wouldn't count Good King Wenceslas as non-religious.)

(This icon is from my favourite Advent carol, 'Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent'.)

[ephant.livejournal.com]

I have a barenaked ladies chrismas/holiday album (at least one member of the band is jewish so there are a couple of hannukah songs on there) which I quite enjoy. Are you coming to my housewarming party? I can give you a copy then. I do not see you very often and would like to see you more frequently. Perhaps we could have lunch some time?

[ephant.livejournal.com]

and by 'quite enjoy' I mean that I think it is very awesome indeed (it's BNL how could I think otherwise!?)

I especially love love LOVE their lyricless version of Carol Of The Bells.

[kitty-ryan.livejournal.com]

oh my god, that sounds genius.

[mstakenidentity.livejournal.com]

I am planning on coming to your housewarming, and I feel the same, we should catch up more. I only have a short lunch break but if you're ever around near the uni at lunch and would like to catch up give me an sms. I also finish at 4:30, so am up for an after work beverage :-)

And I'd love a copy, it sounds brilliant!

[naturalredhead.livejournal.com]

I quite like this version of Twelve Days of Christmas

[asmodel.livejournal.com]

I believe some of the commenters are a little confused about what is religious:) "Holly and the Ivy" and "Deck the Halls" are decidedly Pagan, as the Holly King is an important part of the Pagan Yule myths. Most winter related songs also nod to winter aspects of Yule.

Of course if you all mean 'Non-Christian', then perhaps you should use that instead of non-religious:) If you want a funny non-Christian song, I recommend Santa Claus is Pagan, Too

*is very embarrassed*

[mstakenidentity.livejournal.com]

Oh shit. Sorry, that was unthinking and offensive of me. I did in fact mean "non-Christian". Forgive me please.

Re: *is very embarrassed*

[asmodel.livejournal.com]

Don't worry. It's a common enough mistake. I'm not offended, hence the smiley faces:)

[pearl]

Carol of the Bells.

Not too traditional, since it's a 20th century invention, the most non-religions 'traditional' traditional hymn I can come up with is Tempus Adest Floridum (tune of Good King Wenceslas). But it's a song about springtime and not Christmas, which could be seen as being a bit more appropriate for those in the Antipodes. :)