Happy Holidays, Everyone! And a huge thanks to Meredith and Austenesque Reviews for inviting me here today!!
I love the this time of year—the sparkling lights, the Christmas cookies, the hours spent with friends and family, and those cozy winter evenings with a book (often Austen-inspired!) in one hand and a mug of cocoa in the other…
But, as a music lover (like Meredith, too, I know!!), one of my very favorite parts of the holidays are the songs of the season. Not only are they spiritually uplifting for me but—unlike the cookies and the cocoa—they’re also calorie-free!
As with all of my novels, there is a “soundtrack” of sorts that runs through my latest contemporary romance, Holiday Man. It’s a love story that takes place over a year of holidays, so, naturally, many of the songs that appear in the narrative are specific to a particular holiday. For instance, “My Heart Belongs to Me,” shows up during the Valentine’s Day dance and the “Monster Mash” makes an appearance over the Halloween masquerade ball.
Christmas, of course, is a special event for this book because I drew the inspiration for the structure of the story (and a few scenes, too…) from the classic Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire musical “Holiday Inn.” So, of course, I had to mention in my novel one of the most memorable songs from that film—and one of my all-time favorite holidays tunes—“White Christmas.”
About 20 years ago, I was part of a women’s a cappellasinging group, and we performed a holiday show based on A Christmas Carol. It melded the Scrooge story with some wonderful holiday songs, all of them arranged and sung in four-part harmony. I still smile when I hear those classics on the radio: “Winter Wonderland,” “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Do You Hear What I Hear,” among them.
But, I’m also a devoted Top 40 girl, and I’ve loved lots of the rock-n-roll variations, like Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas,” Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” and Rob Thomas’s “A New York Christmas” (even though I live in Chicago, LOL). This week, I can’t seem to get “Jingle Bell Rock” out of my head…I love that one!
What about you? What are some of your favorite songs of the season?
GIVEAWAY TIME!!! Author Marilyn Brant is generously offering to give away ONE of her THREE ebooks (pdf) Holiday Man,
On Any Given Sundae and Double Dipping to ONE lucky winner!
Winner’s Choice!!!
Since we are talking about holiday music today, to be entered in today’s giveaway we are asking readers to share their FAVORITE holiday song! (or one of your favorites, if you are like me and have 25!)
- To save your inbox from unwanted spam, please leave your email address with an [at] instead of @.
- (You could also leave a Twitter handle or Facebook username instead).
- This giveaway is open to residents worldwide. Thank you, Marilyn!
- This giveaway ends December 27th.
I like Christmas Carols and a few of my favourite songs include O Holy Night, 12 Days of Christmas, Sussex Carol and Carol of the Bells.
evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com
Lúthien,
Oh, you mentioned a few of my favorites!
I especially love the 12 Days of Christmas, too :).
I love a song called “Cold Dark Night” by Sam Phillips
Robyn,
Thanks for sharing that one! I’m not familiar with it, but I’ll definitely look it up!!
I like to listen to the CD The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas (fond memories) and the song “River” by Joni Mitchell.
Monica,
We don’t have the Sinatra album, but we are big fans of Frank here!! I’ve got to listen to this CD now… 🙂
Thanks for the interesting post and the giveaway, Marilyn, and Merry Christmas to you. I love all Christmas carols but guess my all time favorite is ‘O Holy Night’, then ‘Silver Bells’ and ‘White Christmas’. I guess I could go on and on because it is so hard to pick!
jbtaylor12(at)gmail(dot)com
Janet, thank you!
Merry Christmas to you as well. I love O Holy Night, and I can’t believe I forgot to mention Silver Bells — that’s another one of my faves!!
I do have too many favorites so I can’t name just one. ‘The Christmas Song’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘Silent Night’, ‘What Child is This’, ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘We Three Kings’, ‘White Christmas’ and ‘O Holy Night’ are probably the top ones.
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
Sophia Rose,
Thank you so much for stopping by!
I smiled when I saw you’d mentioned “The Christmas Song” — I’ve had that one in my head all day! Love it ;).
My favorite Christmas carol is Amy Grant’s version of Tennessee Christmas, and I loved Stephen Colbert’s Christmas Special, especially http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/211037/november-23-2008/a-colbert-christmas–colbert-costello-duet?xrs=share_copy
You also can’t go wrong with ‘Oh Holy Night!’
Thanks, Angie!!
Okay, I’m very intrigued by the video you linked to…I’ll check it out tonight!
Tough to pick just one… Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas By Frank Sinatra, Messiah – Hallelujah Chorus, Sleigh Ride, O Holy Night, Do You Hear what I Hear?,
Colleen,
All of the songs you mentioned are so wonderful! I *really love* “Sleigh Ride” sung by the Carpenters, though!! Karen C. had such a gorgeous voice…sigh.
Hard to pick just one, but I’d go with Carol of the Bells.
DDCKnitt,
That’s a fabulous one!! 🙂
I am just now getting into the mood to listen to Christmas carols. My favorite would probably be O Holy Night (I really like Martina McBride’s version). I also love Silver Bells and Sleigh Ride, Feliz Navidad and Mary, Did You Know? Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and I’ll Be Home for Christmas usually make me cry so I tend to avoid them lol.
I love a capella music! 98 Degrees’ a capella of Ave Maria is beautiful.
Thanks for the giveaway! I can’t wait to start reading Holiday Man.
@jaffobsession
Monica,
I love Marina M.’s voice — it’s so beautiful!! And 98 Degrees! They are awesome, too. For a cappella, one of my all-time favorite groups was The Nylons…are you familiar with them?!
Hope you enjoy Holiday Man ;).
Baby It’s Cold Outside is my absolute fav, though I love many many Christmas tunes!
@amomsday
Nicole,
That’s such a good one, too!!
Thanks for reminding me of it!
Meredith,
Thank you so much for inviting me to visit today!! I’ve had a day of meetings with another one tonight (my son’s hockey team…yikes!), but I’ll be back to check in tonight and tomorrow and the rest of the week, too :).
I’ve been loving reading about all of these wonderful holiday songs!
xox
Hmm… my favorite Christmas Carol…There are just too many to pick just one! But I guess my all time favorite Joy to the World!
Shinekamrobinson,
Oh, YES!! “Joy to the World” is so uplifting — I love it, too! There’s an instrumental version by Mannheim Steamroller that, literally, makes me dance when I hear it… 😉
Oh, my! How does one pick a favorite Christmas song? There are SO many! I love the upbeat ones: Jingle Bell Rock, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and let’s not forget Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is You! When cleaning or working around the house, to keep me in a peppy spirit I bust out my Christina Aguilera’s album, My Kind of Christmas! Love it!
Marilyn, I love learning the playlists you have for each of your books. It is always fun to see which songs inspired scenes.
Anytime I listen to music it takes me back to old memories. One of the things I love about Christmas music is reliving these memories in my head as I listen to each song!
Jakki,
I love what you said about how the music makes you relive memories… That happens to me all the time, too ;). And “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is another one I’ve always LOVED and just forgot to mention!! There are so, so many fabulous holiday song!
So many choices…Ihave amny favorites…White Christmas, Silent Night…Jingle Bells…but my most fav at the moment is The Holly and The Ivy…
Stephanie
Stephanie,
I agree with you — SO many choices!! — and, yeah, “The Holly and the Ivy” is another absolutely wonderful one :-).
Happy Holidays!
M., what a great post! I love this time of year, but especially Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the following week. So much free time to spend with loved ones! As another 80s child, music is very important to me. “Little Drummer Boy” always brings a tear to my eye. My mom loved, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” which, I’m afraid, I cannot bring myself to listen to this year. But, my all-time favorite is, “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues. Merry Christmas, my friend, I hope 2013 is your best year ever!! xoxo
Jill, my dear!!!
Thank you for visiting me and for sharing some of your favorite songs :). I know this Christmas will be a hard one for you without your mom…*hug* I’ll be thinking of you and hoping 2013 will bring only WONDERFUL things your way. You deserve the best!!
I love Jingle Bell Rock. I always want to sing along when I hear it and it makes me want to dance too, lol!
Margaret,
I *know*!! Such a dancing tune — I just LOVE it!
So glad you stopped by…thank you :).
Ok, I’m gonna just come out and say it: I really like Justin Beiber’s “Mistletoe”. Despise me if you dare! 🙂
Ooooh, everybody watch out! Monica’s throwing down the gauntlet. 😉
For the record, I kinda like it, too. And, although I try not to admit this too loudly, I also kinda like some Taylor Swift songs…
I like jingle bells and Rudolph.
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
Those are fun ones, Marlene!!
Happy Holidays ;).
I have to say “Whatever Happened to Christmas” sung by Sinatra. Always makes me think of the original Christmas celebrations and not the commercial to-do it is currently.
thx4praying at aol dot com