Friday, December 11, 2009

A snowy singalong for all holiday seasons



In continuing our look at holiday pop culture,we now turn to song. Christmas carols are a time honored tradition,just as important to some people as the trimmed tree,the stockings hung up with care and the milk and cookies left out for Santa. However,there are those who feel a bit left out of the festivities and while strides have been made to include everyone,it's hard to share the joy of the season with folks by only singing about your holiday instead of theirs.


Don't get me wrong,I have no intention or desire to cut off anyone else's holiday pleasure at the expense of another(that's the wrong way to go about it). What I do suggest for folks who want to bring cheer and goodwill to others outside of their faith is to pump up their musical playlist with songs about snow,something that everyone can agree on that is a delight of the season.

There are a handful of snow friendly songs out there and while you can mix and match other types of holiday music to your satisfaction,let's take a look at the most well known of the bunch and see why they still stand the test of time today:

WINTER WONDERLAND
: Yes, it does mention a Parson Brown but other than that,this is a great neutral song for group singing. It's all about enjoying the snowy landscape with friends and lovers,plus snow men building is truly good clean fun:



LET IT SNOW: A lot of these snow songs have a very romantic vibe to them,such as this one about using a snow storm as an excuse to cuddle by the fire. It's subtle about the lovey-dovey,so even singing this one with the kids is okay and the theme carries over easily to other cultures:



BABY,IT'S COLD OUTSIDE: This darling duet is a charming courtship tune,playing with the age old debate amongst romantic couples about when the date is over. Maybe more for the grown-ups,it is nevertheless a fun and flirty tune suitable for many an office holiday party:



SLEIGH RIDE:I know,more snuggling with your sweetie stuff and yeah,it does reference a Christmas party but you can always switch out a word or two there if you want to. It's just such a fun song that even thinking about it gives you a warm,happy holiday feeling:



HAZY SHADE OF WINTER: Rather a stretch here,but finding strictly snow songs is hard and this version by the Bangles(from the Less Than Zero soundtrack) is a favorite of mine. It may not be the perfect singalong but it would certainly make your New Year's Eve party rock out big time:



With tonight being the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas only a couple of weeks away(plus other wintertime festivities),I thought it would be nice to unite everyone in song. No matter what you celebrate,this is a time of year to share your love with family and friends,which is the most important element of the season. Giving the gift of song is a great way to do it,even if some of your loved ones have names not easy to rhyme. Happy holidays to one and all!:

1 comment:

  1. There are actually a lot of neutral "Christmas" songs out there and I truly enjoy those even more!

    My favorite Winter Wonderland cover is Louis Armstrong's version. Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow! Dean Martin is the one I grew up listening to singing this one. I've never liked Baby, It's Cold Outside for some reason... gotta love Phoebe!

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