Winterlude: Instrumentals For a Contemplative Christmas is always the first Christmas CD I listen to. The gentle and peaceful songs ease me into the holiday spirit. I don’t break out Christmas albums until after Thanksgiving, but this one usually doesn’t even get put up in the Christmas boxes. It’s also usually the last Christmas music of the year.
The songs truly are contemplative. I like to listen to the CD while cooking or decorating. Even if the kids are playing loudly in the next room, this music relaxes me and makes me feel quietly festive.
Winterlude is a gentle, relaxing instrumental CD of religious and secular Christmas songs including Silent Night, Pat-A-Pan, Good Christian Men, Rejoice, O Tannunbaum, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Here We Come A-Caroling, Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Coventry Carol, and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. It’s not a long CD, it plays under thirty five minutes, but it’s so good that I can hit repeat a few times before I grow tired of it.
It’s a great CD to have on in the background during dinner, too. It isn’t at all obtrusive. And it makes nice soothing lullaby music for children (and even for their stressed out mamas). The music makes me think of quiet starlit nights and the hush of snow instead of the craziness of the season.
There are other CDs in the Winterlude series to try including Guitar Winterlude, Piano Winterlude, and Sax Winterlude.
Also See:
What Do You Like About the Holidays?
The Benefits of Christmas Music