We finally got our tree decorated last night. Our traditional music for decorating the tree is Peter, Paul, & Mary’s A Holiday Celebration. The kids sometimes make fun of my other Christmas music, but not this one. Peter, Paul and Mary really have a timeless folk sound. They are accompanied on this CD by the New York Choral Society.
This CD includes songs I’ve never heard anywhere else. “The Friendly Beasts” is a fun song that tells the story of the animals who participated in the first Christmas. The “animals” take turns singing. The listener hears the cow who gave hay for a bed. The sheep gives wool for a blanket. The dove puts baby Jesus to sleep with her song. It’s a favorite song for little children. “The Cherry Tree Carol” is another one I had not heard before. It is a ballad that is at least as old as the 15th century.
Traditional songs like “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, and “Twas the Night Before Christmas” are included too. “Light One Candle” is sad, but beautiful and inspiring as Peter, Paul and Mary encourage us to not let the go light out even in hard times.
The album/CD is not exclusively Christmas music. “Light One Candle” is a beautiful song about Hanukah. “A Soalin’” is adapted from a traditional English song about “soul cakes” that is from All Souls Day. The last song is Bob Dylan’s Blowing In The Wind” which is definitely not a traditional holiday song, but fits so well on this CD.
This CD is also a great choice for mixed aged gatherings. It’s traditional enough sounding to please the grandparents and fun and joyful enough to please their grandchildren. It’s one of our favorites. You can listen to clips of the songs here at Amazon. Play time for the CD is just over 45 minutes.
I hope you enjoy the songs.
Also See:
Winterlude: Instrumentals for Contemplative Christmas
The Benefits of Christmas Music