It’s The Most Wonderful Time of Year

I know, I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet then again it’s only 68 days till Christmas!! Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Everything about Christmas makes me smile from the snow-covered rooftops to the ice-covered roadways, from the warm hot chocolate in a mug to the freezing temperatures, from the feeling of giving to the smell of cinnamon candles. I just love Christmas-let us dissect all the wonderful things about it.

The Songs

My favorite Christmas hymn is O Holy Night sung by none other than Straight No Chaser.

Other carol favorites are Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, Angels We Have Heard on High, and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. The minor keys and the complex harmonies characterize these hymns. What about the classic Christmas songs: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Feliz Navidad, or Winter Wonderland? I like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Who can forget that scene in Meet Me in St Louis when Judy Garland first introduced the world to the song? As a side note, the words she sang in the movie were not the original words. The original tune was the same but the original words were horrendous. I’m so glad they changed it.

The Movies

Who can forget the timeless song White Christmas in the movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye? Wonderful movie!!! Another popular Christmas movie is It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. It’s not my favorite; in fact, it’s very far from my favorite. I think it’s one of the most overplayed Christmas movies; however, I have to mention it as the playing of this movie on TCM is a sign of Christmas. Other famous Christmas movies are A Christmas Carol (the famous Charles Dickens book), The Miracle on 34^th St, and some even consider Meet Me in St Louis a Christmas movie. Of course we can’t mention Christmas movies without mentioning one of the most popular Christmas cartoon: Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Who can forget the famous melody Linus and Lucy that has so characterized the movie?

Some day I will play learn it on the piano. Then are the cartoons about Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. “You’re a mean one Mister Grinch…” It’s perfect for a bass voice and one can have so much fun with it. The best rendition of this song is the original sung by Boris Karloff.

The Traditions

Every family has a special tradition for Christmas. My family and I read the Christmas story every year and we have homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Others may open presents on Christmas Eve, light the Yule log, or some may even read The Night Before Christmas. And of course, everyone has gifts!! As a child, I could hardly sleep as I waited with anticipation for the next morning to open the gifts.

Ah Christmas time!! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. The spirit that surrounds Christmas is that of love, giving, and selfishness. It can make one wish that it would be Christmastime all year. This time of year instead of singing in the rain, I’ll be singing in the snow. 

So now I leave you to reflect on the wonderful joy of Christmas with my quote of the blog from Roy L Smith “He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”

The End