Oh, golly.
I am a book lover. And when it comes to needlework books, I might be somewhat of an addict. I learn so much, and I take so much enjoyment, from well-written and well-presented books. I doubt I’m the only one of us who does… right?
This is what I’m always so delighted when Search Press North America joins in on A Stitcher’s Christmas. They offer wonderful books… fun books! Fabulous books! And always generous collections of them.
Today, we’ll look at the first of two installments from Search Press North America, in which you have the opportunity to expand your library with one of two lovely collections of needlework books.
But first, business – I’ll announce the winners of Monday’s Snowflakes!
On Monday’s installment of A Stitcher’s Christmas, the subject was Snowflakes! Using a random number generator, I pulled three of you from the comments and I’m sending them a hand-stitched snowflake ornament straight from my tree, as well as a downloadable PDF of Snowflakes: Twelve Winter Projects for Hand Emboroidery.
And those three snowflake recipients are Carol Sprout, Kathryn Crepeau, and Marie N. I’ll email each of you this morning, so please keep an eye out and get back to me as soon as possible. Thanks!
And now, onto today…
Today’s Stitcher’s Christmas involves two collections of needlework books. One is a reference collection, the other a special collection of technique & project books.
The reference collection is a group of four of the newly republished RSN Essential Stitch Guides: Crewelwork, Canvaswork, Goldwork, and Stumpwork.
These books have been around for a little while, but they’ve been republished in a beautiful new (and larger) format. They are excellent instructional reference books to have in your needlework library. Definitely aspire to having the whole collection on your shelf eventually – you won’t be disappointed! To get you started on your collection, these four cover all the essential information you need to know for getting started in crewel embroidery, canvas work, goldwork, and stumpwork.
In the specially embroidery collection, the books are written by contemporary embroidery designs and teachers, and they focus on teaching specific techniques through the projects in the books.
In this collection, you’ll find Frisian Whitework by Yvette Stanton; The Kew Book of Embroidered Flowers by Trish Burr; The Embroiderers’ Guild Transfers Collection by Annette Collinge; Needlepainted Plants & Pollinators by Victoria Matthewson; and Goldwork and Silk Shading: Inspired by Nature by Hazel Everett.
So, those two collections are up for grabs today! Make sure you leave a comment before this Friday morning, if you’d like a chance to expand your needlework library in a very substantial way!
(We’ll hear from Search Press North America again next week, too, with two more delightful collections!)
Give-Away Guidelines
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This give-away has ended. Thanks to all who participated!
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Gotta ask it, cuz it’s a Big Part of Christmas for my family. Music! What’s your favorite holiday tune?
Hard question for me! My favorite type of music this time of year is choral music, and especially traditional carols. I love the Cambridge Singers and most of John Rutter’s arrangements. My first CD ever was Christmas with the Cambridge Singers. I played it to absolute shreds in my college dorm room, where I had a cheap string of colored Christmas lights hanging above my desk from about October until February. I was sad the day I inadvertently cracked that CD. I never found a replacement. (But now there’s Spotify! Yay!)
7. This give-away ends on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 5:00 am Central Time. The winners will be randomly drawn that morning and announced in the give-away for that day. The winners will also receive a notification via email. If your name is drawn for the give-away, you’ll need to reply to my email within three days (72 hrs). If I don’t hear from you within that time frame, I’ll draw for another name.
The give-away is open to anyone, anywhere. The prizes will be shipped from the business offering them. Please understand that any additional fees or import taxes or anything similar are the responsibility of the winner. Needle ‘n Thread is not responsible for lost or damaged packages. Winners should be aware that shipping may be delayed, and that there’s no guaranteed arrival time frame. Some prizes in this series will probably not arrive before the end of the year.
When you leave your comment on the website, it may not appear right away. Comments are moderated to avoid spam on the website. This means that I manually approve each comment before it is posted. Never fear! It will show up eventually!
Currently “Mary did you know?”
Also Pentatonix Christmas album is a big hit at my home.
Merry Christmas!!
Little Drummer Boy, love that one.
Hard choice, but I favour the singalong Messiah. I’m not much of a singer, so this event is a rare treat.
New inspiration for 2022!
Pat R.
I’ll be home for Christmas. A wonderful tune that has withstood the test of time.
My favorite Christmas holiday tune is “O Holy Night.”
Jingle Bells because when I was a kid, sometimes we did have a white Christmas and we did go to grandma’s house although it was by car. We always sang that song as we drove.
My favorite holiday tune is silent night
I, too, love Christmas choral music! I have lots of CDs but now mostly have Alexa play my selections. I really enjoy stitching and singing along- in the privacy of my home!
The books are an awesome gift, thank you for offering these.
Maudericcar
Right now it’s Sleigh Ride. A friend of mine was just visiting and we toodled around the nearby neighborhoods to see Christmas lights. While doing so, we kept singing Sleigh Ride. It became a “thing” we kept doing the whole time she was here. What fun!!! We even managed harmonies at times!
My favourite holiday tune is Silver Bells (in a dead heat with I’ll be home for Christmas).
My all time favourite is the Carol of the Bells…but I do also love the traditional Carols.
What a wonderful book collection!
Well, it impossible to choose a favorite Christmas song. I love it all, from pavoratti to Mannheim steamroller! It’s like trying to choose my favorite Christmas cookie. I love them all! Merry Christmas ❤️❤️
My favorite song is White Christmas with O Holy Night as my favorite hymn. I love all the oldie Christmas songs but can only listen to them when my husband isn’t home or in the car!!
My favorite piece of Christmas music from my childhood is Jingle Bells. We sang it over and over and over as children do. My current favorite contemporary Christmas music is Crazy for Christmas Lady by Genevieve Goings. It’s a very fun song! Genevieve is a friend of mine and creates wonderful music and content for children. I would love to win either of these book collections as I also love any type of good embroidery book.
I’m not a fan of Christmas music
JOY TO THE WORLD! Our planet could REALLY use it right now!
O Come, O Come Emmanuel is my favorite. Technically it is for Advent, not Christmas, but I love the anticipation it brings and it is one I remember my dad singing with gusto because it was low enough.
My favorite Christmas song is White Christmas, just because of the nostalgia…and it just doesn’t feel like Christmas otherwise.
Wow. favorite Christmas music. There are so many. I think “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.”
My favorite carol is The First Noel. Favorite contemporary Baby It’s Cold Outside sung by KT Oslin.
I don’t have a specific song but I do prefer the traditional Christmas Carols as performed by Il Divo, Pentatonics, and TranSiberian Orchestra. Each are uniquely different than the others, but all are wonderful.
My favorite Christmas music is Christmas Rebels or now they may just be called The Rebels. It is a lovely mix of Irish and English Christmas music.
You can never have to many needlework books. I husband is getting me one for Christmas. Since I’ve forgotten what book I asked for, it will be a surprise.
Favorite music/song. I love all the old Bing Crosby, and “Baby it’s cold outside” and lastly “ I want a hippopotamus for Christmas”. (Love the humor)
Merry Christmas,
Barbara
Bing Crosby’s White Christmas 🙂
There are so many holiday songs that I like it’s hard to pick just one but Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton is a favorite.
My favorite is Hark the Herald Angel
sing! Followed very closely by Silent Night. The lyrics have such meaning but also the memories of many Christmas Eve services surrounded by family and church family. Have a Merry Christmas Mary!
My favorite Christmas song is White Christmas sung by Bing Crosby. It was my mother’s favorite, and has now become mine, because whenever I hear it, I remember how she loved it.
I live in the south and have always love Frosty The Snowman music.
Silent Night – especially when it is sung by the Seattle Men’s chorus followed by them signing it in ASL. The silence being only broken by the sound of sleeves moving as they are signing. Brings tears to my eyes every time.
I almost said Carol of the Bells, because I have three different versions of it on my playlist. But I changed my mind and I’m going with Canon in D (Pachelbel’s Canon). I don’t think it’s particularly a Christmas song, although I tend to hear it this time of year. There’s a Transiberian Orchestra version of it called Christmas Canon. That’s my pick for favorite Christmas tune.
Being deaf, I don’t think about music. I do love books though.
I love Carol of the Bells. But I must admit there isn’t a Christmas carol I don’t like!
Though I have to adjust the volume (am in my 70s), I enjoy almost any Christmas music by Trans Siberian Orchestra.
My favorite Christmas tune is Silent night. I truly enjoy listening to any tune sung by a child or group of children.
Love these books!
The music from the classic film Holiday Inn.
I, like you love the classics but if I HAD to choose I think maybe carol of the bells. I sang it in choir in junior high and the memory has stayed with me all these years.
Just one song!?! Yikes! Just because it doesn’t get enough love, ‘Hooray for Santy Claus.’
I love to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing the Hallelujah Chorus.
My favorite Christmas song has to be”Silent Night”!
(I like Jingle Bells and Rudolf, too, though)
My favorite music for Christmas is anything by Mannheim Steamroller. I love the sound of those ancient instruments and the different arrangements of favorite carols.
Greensleves
I love Christmas music! I think my husband has that Cambridge singers album. My favorite CD is the Boston Camerata Medieval Christmas.
My favorite Christmas s
Love the TranSiberian orchestra Christmas music and the the Pentamic’s Christmas album
The one Christmas song that comes on the radio and I turn it up full blast is Bruce Springsteen’s rendition of “Santa Claus is coming to town”.
Christmas hymns for me–especially if they are just instrumental.
Probably the same for me for enjoying traditional carols the most. A lot of the classic songs they play in shops this time of year I enjoy as well. I wouldn’t opt to play them full blast in my home, but in the background out and about they’re quite enjoyable.
It’s a toss up between “I want a hippopotamus” and “Mele Kalikimaka”, both are so fun to sing while decorating the tree!
Christmas is the time to say I love you, Billy Squire.
My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night. My second favorite is Merry Christmas by Bonnie Raitt and Charles Brown. Favorites can be a mix of styles, right?
Favorite Christmas tune… that’s a hard one!! I love Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Canon, but also Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, and so many more! I’ve got to agree with you though, John Rutter’s arrangements are absolutely wonderful!
“Silent Night”
White Christmas
O Holy Night I love Christmas music, it restores my soul.
My all-time favorite holiday tune is “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson. Happy Holidays!
My favorite Christmas tune is Birthday of a King. I have always loved it, and always wished I had a big enough voice to sing it.
Hi Mary,
I like Christmas carols.
Have a nice day:)
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
Such a beautiful anthem for the season.
Words are not enough.
White Christmas. We as a family watch the movie every year along with Holiday Inn. My daughters took me to the off broadway play one year for my birthday. It symbolizes family and holidays to me.
I have so many favorites! Handel’s Messiah, Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, John Rutter carols, traditional carols.
My favorite type of music varies daily, if not hourly! I even enjoy Bob Dylan’s Christmas album.
My favorite holiday song is Silent Night. The tune makes me think of a quiet snowy night with the moon shining.
Mary, Did You Know?
Reflects on the true reason for the season.
I can think of a music favorite for every mood I might be in; that’s the blessing of music! Something for every occasion. And Christmas is such a winner, when it comes to memories and moods. Is it possible to have just one favorite at my age, when so many lovely Christmas memories surface? I will pick one that brings to mind a Bucket List Christmas experience: Once in Royal David’s City, because it is the opening to the Lessons and Carols service in English cathedral Christmas Eve services. I was in Lincoln Cathedral to hear it in person one year, with the lovely sound of the first school boy’s voice reaching to the high cathedral rafters and back to us on the floor of the great stone vault. That is Christmas to me.
Happy holidays! These books are beautiful! I hope to own them all someday!
My favorite Christmas tune is definitely Nat King Cole’s version of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”. Even though I’m in my early 30s I’m such a sucker for the old timey classics. I also adore Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas album. I play it on repeat!
O Holy Night is my favorite Christmas song. I love to hear the choir sing it. My favorite music to listen to around the house is anything by Johnny Mathias.
Golly there is so much wonderful music. But have a traditional favorite of Vince Guaraldi.
What a great question! Music is important to my family as well. One of our traditions is to take part in is a sing along of the Messiah. Our community does it every year. Guests soloist are provided from our local college and high school musical departments. But the entire audience is given a score to mass sing the choruses, especially The Hallelujah Chorus. I don’t have a great voice. But singing those beautiful words to that glorious music along with friends, families, and community is Christmas to me.
The music I listen to depends on what I am doing at the time. Calmer music when I an still and more upbeat music when I am moving about. One of my favourites in the moving about category is the song “Mer Jul” by Adolphson & Falk. It’s a humouristic song that translates into “More Christmas” and was never intended for more than a days use in a radioshow, that day was 40 years ago this year.
One of my favorites is Boogie Woogie Christmas by The Brian Setzer Orchestra. It always gets me dancing around the house.
Hi, Mary,
My favorite holiday tune is “For Unto Us a Child is Born” from Handel’s Messiah.
If that doesn’t count as a “holiday tune,” then my favorite is “Angels We Have Heard on High.” Ever since I was litlte, I’ve loved the glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria part. 🙂
Thanks for these giveaways.
Beth B in Charlottesville, VA
I love needlework books. I’m always looking to add to my collection.
Anything from Barenaked for the Holidays by Barenaked Ladies, especially their We Three Kings collab with Sarah McLachlan. But there’s also Christmas at Sea and The Burning Babe from Sting…or Chicago’s Christmas CDs…
I don’t have a favorite tune but I like old stuff-medieval, Renaissance, madrigals, etc. Especially done on original instruments.
My favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night”, because it tells a wondrous story so beautifully.
I just love a good old christmas song – I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas. Boring perhaps but just simply nice.
My most played music for the last few years has been the Christmas albums from the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. I also love Mary’s Song (Breath of Heaven) by Amy Grant and Mary, Did you Know? by Pentatonix. When I listen to Frank Sinatra ( Mistletoe and Holly), Andy Williams and Peggy Lee, I am taken back to my mother’s kitchen. I confess that it’s all Christmas music from November to January!
I love Burl Ives singing any Christmas song!
definitely “Have yourself a merry little Christmas”. thanks for the chance to win such awesome books
Manheimsteamroller – fresh air 🙂
Pentatonix! Specifically “Mary Did You Know” and of course everything else that they do.Their voices are perfection. Also B.E. Taylor’s concert at Heinz Hall. He was an incredible artist and his Christmas show will always be my favorite.
My favourite Christmas music has to be the traditional carols sung by the likes of Bing Crosby.
My favorite holiday tune is White Christmas. I love the movie and I love Bing Crosby singing the sentimental old tune. It is also something we will never see in Brisbane, Australia.
Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire by Nat King Cole.
I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
and Mary Did Your Know.
Bev H
I love Bing Crosby’s White Christmas album (vinyl of course).
My favorite Holiday music is always Classical Christmas tunes, and hymns! Handel’s Messiah!
My Christmas favourite music is Carol Bells by Vivaldi!
I love your posts and look forward to all the wonderful information you hand out. Embroidering is a craft passed on to me by my mother years ago when I was a child. I have enjoy this craft over the years and look forward to learning more stitches and doing more projects.
Love books – especially needlework books !
One holiday tune is hard – ‘dreaming of a white Christmas’ comes to mind this morning
My favorite is “I’ll be home for Christmas “ ; it was written during WWII and my father was overseas in the Army. Looking through my father’s photos of the war esp the winter photos. Reminded me that hope of returning home is a powerful dream to hold on to.
i love Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas. Thank you for another giveaway!
My favorite is “All I Want for Christmas is You”.
Since I’m pretty much homebound books and this website have really helped me learn to embroider. What a wonderful gift this would be!
We have the exact same taste in Christmas music! I grew up on a selection of King’s College Choir, John Rutter arrangements, Christmas at Clare Hall… My mom recently sent me a Cambridge choir CD (“The Holly and the Ivy”) and while I like it, it’s a bit tinkly and precious. “Messiah” always gets put on at this time of year, of course. A new favorite is “Weinachten: A German Christmas” (I think that’s the title) by Seattle Pro Musica. Lovely traditional German carols. I will be spending Christmas with my in-laws, where Rankin-Bass songs and Mannheim Steamroller are the order of the day. I will smile and smile and say nothing.
What’s your favorite holiday tune? I love so many, but I guess my favorites are the classics like Handel’s Messiah. It just lifts me up and transports me to a place of joy.
My favorite holiday song is,
The Christmas Song” sung by Mel Torme…”chestnuts roaring by an open fire, Jack Frost❄️ nipping on your nose…” Those lyrics and melody get me in the holiday spirit . Carolyn J.
I am all about the music at Christmas. Choosing a favorite one is like choosing a favorite child. I guess today I will say The First Noel. Tomorrow it will be different.
My favorite Christmas song is Angels We Have Heard on High. I sing soprano in our church choir and this is the song that we get to shine!
My 2nd favorite is the Muppets & John Denver’s recording of The 12 Days of Christmas! It makes me happy every time I hear it.
Last night I “got” to ring handbells for 4 hours at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, and I survived! I love Christmas music!
Ooh. My favorite Chriatmas music goes back to my childhood… Mitch Miller’s Christmas album. Just love listening to that. My current favorite song would be Mary did you know. Merry Christmas everyone.
O come O come Emmanuel!
Christmas music? I was just thinking of that this morning. I like mostly the carols. I love listening to Jim Nabor’s beautiful baritone voice. And speaking of baritone’s, Thurl Ravenscroft’s version of the “You’re a Mean One, Mr Grinch” always seems to put a smile on my face.
If I have to choose just one Christmas tune, it would be Winter Wonderland. I love the traditional carols, too. Merry Christmas!
Favorite song at Christmas is Mary Did You Know. I love the Pentatonix version.
My favorite Christmas song is “Mary did You Know” It is so profound and beautiful.
I love Blue Christmas by Elvis and Oh Holy Night.
Feliz Navidad and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
O Holy Night – every year. This year I’m really enjoying Handel’s Messiah on Idagio. All too beautiful!
Single tune is Little Drummer Boy by Boney M. Album is Michael Buble’s Christmas Album.
I love any of the traditional Christmas Carols sung in the traditional manner. Thank you for this great giveaway.
My all-time favorite is Joan Baez’s NOEL. I have added one from last weekend’s concert Joseph Martin AWAKENING.
I absolutely love Christmas music! The one this year that I’ve wanted to listen too over and over again is “Little Drummer Boy” sung by Carrie Underwood and her 4 yr. old son. It’s amazing!!!!
My favorite is”The Birthday of a King”. I, too, am a big fan of John Rutter. We have sung many of his arrangements in my choir at church.
Handel’s Messiah, so exhilarating, first performed in Dublin for Easter, it is now regarded as Christmas music!!!!
My favorite is I wanna Hippopotamus for Christmas because Christmas music makes me happy. But on a more Reason for the Season song, I love Mary Did You Know
Christmas music: the old favorites like White Christmas, Little Drummer Boy. . .
Favorite Christmas tune. Only 1? This morning it is “Ángels we have heard on High” since I am feeling especially grateful to an angel today.
I LOVE to read needlework books! These look fabulous!
Christmas music is my favorite. I can’t say I have a favorite but, in general, the traditional ones are a favorite, Mannheim Steamroller, anything lively. I tune the TV to them, tune the car radio to them, play them on the computer, … You would think I would be tired of them, but no.
My favorite holiday tune is “White Christmas” … sung by Bing Crosby!
Carol of the Bells. Pretty much love any version, but I truly enjoy the Pentatonix version. As I do all their Christmas music. TSO and the Christmas canon is always n my play list as well 🙂
It is silly but my favorite is “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”. I married my husband 2 weeks after I met him. I was born and raised in the SF BayArea in California and moved to Kansas city, MO. One of my first experiences was walking the Plaza when they turned on the Christmas lights which reflected on all the beautiful snow as we ambled thru thru the Plaza madly in love.
This may sound really odd but I’m not a big music person! But right now my husband has just taken up piano late in life and I really enjoy listening to him try to figure out Little Drummer Boy and Jingle Bells. But other than that I’d say my favorite Christmas song is Gloria in Escelsis Deo.
Amy Grant’s Home for Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio.
My favorite holiday tune is Silent Night—I sing it to my granddaughter year round when she’s having trouble falling asleep!
My favorite Christmas music are the traditional Christmas carols. My favorite is The Little Drummer Boy, which nearly brings me to tears. What a beautiful story/song. I even have a drummer boy figurine in my nativity set.
Thank you, Mary.
Merry Christmas
My favorite song is Jingle Bell Rock.
I love reading your posts and would love one of the books. Im a beekeeper and will look at the pollinator one!
Dawn b
Twelve Days of Christmas – Ray Conniff & singers.
Wow! I would love to have either one of these sets of books for my library! In fact, I’m going to add several to my wishlist. I think one of my favorite songs would be “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!” Thank you again for offering these! So much fun!
My favourite music is generally what I grew up listening to in the 60s. But, Christmas hymns have a big place in my heart with “Silent Night” being the one that fills me with the peace of Christmas.
Oooooh needlework books are such a joy – even if you never stitch anything from them some are just wonderful to read and study!
As for favourite Christmas music, there is a Dutch hymn called “Ere zij God” (“Glory to God”) which is traditionally sung at the end of the Christmas service (at least in the church I grew up in and similar 🙂 ) and it would also be part of pretty much every Christmas concert (especially male voice choir ones), often with the audience joining in. For me it marks the season, and a particularly special occasion was when my church here in England learnt to sing it (in secret!) so that it could be part of the Christmas service when my mother visited from The Netherlands. Tears of joy.
I would love to add any of these wonderful books to my collection. I used to thumb through cookbooks for fun. Now I thumb through needle craft books.
Carol of the Bells- in almost all of the recordings I have ever heard of it!
Hard to say, really. I actually like all the classic carrols.
It has to be Santa Claus is coming to Town and White Christmas, Jingle Bells is a bit of a favourite too…..all the old tunes!
Everything Mannheim Steamroller, is my favorite music. Can’t pick just one song. Give me the whole album please.
Hands down, my all time favorite is ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. What an unlikely combo. Very powerful and very beautiful.
O Holy Night is the most beautiful tune to me. Makes me cry when I hear it. Reminds me of my father in his beautiful tenor voice singing it while I played the piano as a child.
My favorite Christmas song is Michael Crawford’s version of “Mary , Did you know?”
My favourite Christmas song is Feliz Navidad.
I, like you, prefer the traditional Christmas carols sung by a choir or smaller group. Back in the mid 1980’s we owned an ALBUM of carols by a small mixed choir. I have never been able to find it again and I have long forgotten the name of the choir. AHHHH!!! It was probably never transferred to cassette or CD. I also enjoy the Manheim Steamroller music at Christmas – it is so grand and stirring.
Happy Holidays,
Lois
Even tho I am a California Girl, my fav holiday song is Musical Sleigh-ride by Leopold Mozart (Wolfgang’s dad!)
These books all look fantastic! I love old fashioned carols for Christmas music, so lots of sing alongs happen around here.
Especially during the last two years my heart warms to, Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. We will muddle through somehow. That somehow is the hope that was born on Christmas, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Karole King
My favorite Christmas song is White Christmas with Bing Crosby on vocals. Brings me right back to my mother, her cooking, and the sights, smells and feel of the kitchen!
My favorite Christmas song has always been the lively “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree “
My favorite Christmas music is anything I can sing along with. Any of the old carols and songs from the animated shows will get me singing along whether I sound good or not.
Mary- my favorite tune is oh holy night, but I must say my favorite collection is Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers Christmas album. Like you did, I play it incessantly around Christmas. I even take the CD in the car!
Favorite Christmas Carol: Joy to the World – it proclaims the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesy of the coming Messiah.
This year I also have an earworm filled with Ella Fitzgerald – Dashing Through the Snow – there’s no songstress like her. She’s the BEST!
White Christmas by Bing Crosby
I love any of the old Christmas Carol’s…the one we sang in church… Silent Night, Away in a Manger, The First Noel, and a,few more..
“I heard the bells on Christmas Day”. Absolutely love this one!
Merry Christmas Mary. Thank you for being such a great stitching resource throughout the year.
My favorite comes from my childhood. We listened to the Kingston Trio ‘The Last Month of the Year’ album my whole life. My favorite song off that album is Go Where I Send Thee. We owned it on vinyl, then cassette tape, and now cd.
Oh, I love acapella music, and my favorite carol is “Mary, Did You Know?” (But it’s hard to pick just one!)
My favorite secular carol is “Oh, Holy Night” followed by “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and my favorite non-secular song is “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” followed closely by “Sleigh Ride”.
O Holy Night is my very favorite Christmas song. My two children are violinists and I never tire of hearing them play this carol and it always brings me to tears.
Oh Holy Night is my favorite Christmas tune. I always tear up when I hear it. I love embroidery, been doing it for almost fifty years !
My Christmas favourite is “The Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty McColl
Music has always been a big part of my family and especially at Christmas time. My favorite for many years has been Ed Ames and his version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The whole album was wonderful but that was my favorite song. Merry Christmas to all.
Thanks for this giveaway! My favorite Christmas recording/video of all time is the Australian band for King & Country doing Little Drummer Boy. A close second is Dolly Parton at the age of 75 performing Mary Did You Know.
I love just about all Christmas instrumentals — sometimes the lyrics do not go with what I am thinking or feeling. But, since Greensleeves is my all time favorite melody, I would have to say the What Child is This is my favorite carol. My husband and I enjoy an old CD collection by Windham Hill in which each CD is titled Winter Solstice. The first one is my favorite but they are all great, mixing traditional music with newer compositions. I just really like the music surrounding this time of year.
My favorite Christmas song is Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 Instrumental by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
These are beautiful books that I would love to have in my library. These giveaways are so generous, and you have already been so generous with your knowledge and expertise. Thank you.
I love holiday jazz, classical, pop and choral. And some indie rock mixed in, a nice variety is my favorite.
Hallelujah Chorus in Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel. Goes the whole year around. Easy text to sing along, too!
My favorite Christmas tune is any version of Oh, Holy Night. It almost always brings me to tears – it’s such a beautiful song in both the words and the music.
I am a music listener and many times the words matter less to me than a beautiful melody. So here are two of my favorite melodies (there are so many more):
River (I believe originally by Joni Mitchell)
Carol of the Bells
Thank you!
What a collection! I have two songs – Silent Night reminds me of my dad and Little Drummer Boy reminds me of my cousins.
Many years ago I found a discount Jazz Christmas cassette tape, it has been my favorite Christmas music ever since, TSO comes in at a hard second!
Ahh, Mary, you have hit the heart of the holidays for me. I actually listen to Christmas music all year! My favorites are: anything by Mannheim Steamroller and anything by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (I’ve seen them live, like, 6 times!). As for my favorite SONG, it would have to be O Holy Night. That tells the story of Christmas in just a few verses. I actually learned to do it in ASL (sign language) while I sing it — but that was YEARS ago!
Merry Christmas!
My favourite Christmas music is the beautiful haunting Christina Rosetti carol, In the Bleak Midwinter. Both words and music are so sipe yet stunning and the harmonies sublime
Hi Mary!! Love the books galore giveaway. My favorite christmas song is still Oh Holy Night. To me it truly depicts the true meaning of what Christmas really is all about.
Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
xoxo
Joelle Mahoney
I love the Christmas classics, like Frank Sinatra’s, I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas!
I really enjoy The Huron Carol on a snowy Christmas Eve!
I love all the traditional Christmas tunes played by modern artists. Anything from Michael Buble or Adele I love.
I love the ones from childhood! Silent Night is my favorite.
Jingle Bells!! It takes me back and reminds me of my kids’ rosy cheeks, pine-scented fresh air, a draft horses’ steamy breath, and sitting on pokey hay bales, singing carols in a 2-horse open sleigh.
I don’t know the name of my favorite Christmas carol, but it’s sung by Jonah Lewie and it’s British.
Little drummer boy has been my favorite since I was a very little girl
I love Carol of the Bells and Sing we now of Christmas. I can’t decide which is my favorite. Thanks for the chance on this wonderful giveaway!
Johnny Manthis singing A Christmas Song. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire….
I love ‘O Holy Night’–when done right it can give me chills.
My favorite Christmas tune? Silent Night
Rudolph the red nose reindeer
I love all Christmas music but a couple of favorites are Silver Bells, O Holy Night and, just for fun, It’s a Marshmallow World!
Another great article featuring some must have books ! My favourite Christmas song woudl be by Chris Rea – Driving home for Chrsitmas
I play The Lost Christmas Eve all month by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. My all time favorite
My favorite Christmas song is “What Child Is This”
My favorite tune is White Christmas, not the newer versions but the one by Bing Crosby.
Carol of the bells is my all time favorite.
My favourite Just For Fun song is “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” – especially the a capella cover by Pentatonix. Although “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” always leaving me giggling in delight as its silliness and sheer good spirits. 🙂
My favourite secular song is “Waiting For Christmas To Come” by Johnny Reid.
My favourite traditional carol is “Joy to the World”.
My favourite Christmas music?
O Holy Night. Without a doubt – especially when sung by Pavarotti.
Thank you for these wonderful Christmas giveaways, Mary – they are excellent!
Oh I love jingle bell rock , and the traditional silent night
My passion is needlework, but my love is horses. There is no way to not smile every time I hear Jingle Bells!
I absolutely love needlework books! I lose so many hours diving into them (not that I’m complaining!)
Choosing a favourite Christmas song is so hard for me as well! There’s so many good ones, but I think I have to stick with one that’s near and dear to my heart (from my rock phase admittedly ) and that’s Saltatio Mortis cover of Last Christmas!
I hope the Christmas period is treating you well
My favourite Christmas music?
O Holy Night. Without a doubt – especially when sung by Pavarotti.
Thank you for these wonderful Christmas giveaways, Mary – they are excellent! (Sorry, I put this entry on the regular comments page as well. Oops)
I have 2 favorites – Silent Night and O Holy Night.. but my grandson’s rendition of Jingle Bells is precious – he’s 3!
Christmas in New Orleans by Louis Armstrong! I love jazzy, up beat Christmas tunes during the week but really love Christmas hymns on Sunday at church. The First Noel is my favorite hymn
Currently it’s ‘Sleighride’. It’s a piece my dance group is using this holiday season and i love the moves and energy it creates.
That’s easy. “O Holy Night”. It usually brings tears to my eyes according to who is singing it. I do love most Christmas music though, whether it is sung by individuals or choral groups or played by orchestras. There is just something that is so peaceful and calming.
Its hard to say if there is a favorite Christmas song, but when I heard, Mary Did You Know, I loved it. I’d play it over and over again. Did Mary really know who her baby would grow up to be.
Thanks Mary, for these fun give aways, its fun to check in with you and see who got them and what is next.
My favorite song is Silent Night.
Bing Crosby’s White Christmas has been a favorite since I was a child!
So many to choose from. From the time I was a child , I’ve always loved Silent Night. I also love Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas.
My favorite songnis White Christmas.
Bing Crosby..” I’m dreaming of a White Christmas “.
What’s your favorite holiday tune? Religious: Joy to the World; Secular: Hark Hear the Bells
In The Morning by Jack Johnson
So many good one to choose from! Ever since time I can remember, I’ve loved Silent Night. I also love Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas.
Just something nice and instrumental.
My favorite Christmas tune is impossible to name, there are so many! I do love Mary Did You Know, along with so many more!
Oooh those books look lovely. My favourite Christmas tune is without doubt ‘White Christmas’
I’m still very new to embroidery again. Mom taught me at a young age. But put it away with life running by so fast. I would really like to have the beginnings of some great reference books. Thank you for the generous time you take to keep us informed.
My most favorite song is White Christmas sung by Bing Crosby with a great orchestra.
My favorite Christmas music is Silent Night, especially if it’s sung in a church by candlelight.
To me it is a toss up between What Child is This and O holy Night. With both of them I love listening to them sung by someone (either male or female) with a big beautiful voice and accompanied by a choir. Especially in the darkened quiet large church where they sound can just reverberate. That is Christmas
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas…
My favorite song is “What Child is This” . Brings tears to my eyes. I have always loved it but even more so when my girl, at the age of 11, took classical guitar lessons and learned the song in one day for a concert she was in. Someone became ill and they needed to fill the few minutes on the concert playbill. No one wanted to do anything extra because they had not practiced anything except their own recital piece. She practiced all day long and did a beautiful job at the performance.
I am a musician, and I love choral music, too! I was in a community choir for many years, and one piece I absolutely loved was Rutter’s arrangement of “What Sweeter Music.” In fact, I want to make a sampler out of the poem!
Thanks!
Elaine Thatcher
My mother, gone many years now, use to get the biggest kick out of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” I can’t hear it and not think of her and smile!
O Holy Night!! Love this song! Has always been my favorite.
Hmmmm….Christmas music. I like it when I hear the songs that were played when I was a kid growing up. Music by Bing Crosby and anything acapella such as Glad, Straight No Chaser, and Pentatonix.
The books look delightful…..hoping to add to my collection! 😉
Great – and very difficult question. I love all Christmas music too but if I had to pick my very favorite it would be the singing “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World” in candlelight on Christmas Eve.
I have several favorite Christmas tunes. My all time favorite is the classic “Silent Night.” But I also have several guilty pleasure favorite tunes, “Must Be Santa” by Bob Dylan and “Mele Kalikimaka” by Bette Midler or The Puppini Sisters. Either version will do nicely!
Bethlehem Down is lovely to sing with my choir
I like the traditional Christmas songs. I don’t like the newer versions of songs that add words to them. For instance Rudolph the red nose reindeer were they add “like a light bulb”. I guess I’m old fashioned when it comes to Christmas.
O Holy Night….my Dad always sang this every Christmas. Miss him so much and his beautiful tenor voice.
Hmm. Kind of hard to pick just one. I guess I’d have to settle on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” for sentimental reasons. But hot in pursuit are “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Winter Wonderland” – ’cause they’re fun to sing; all of the Vince Guaraldi pieces; and “O Tannebaum/Christmas Tree.”
So the closest thing I have to a favorite holiday song may be Carol of the Bells, in full choral. But really, most of the choral music this time of year hits all the right notes (hur hur).
So many favourites. So hard to pick just one. White Christmas is at the top of the list. Plus the beautiful carols at Christmas church services.
Mary, you are an amazing talented artist who inspires so many of us to try new things. Thank you too for profiling new embroidery patterns, threads and the tools you use! I so enjoy reading your emails. Happy Holidays.
HOLY NIGHT just says it all for me!!!
Oh, Holy Night. It is perfect and beautiful.
Oops forgot the tune. My favourite Christmas tune is ‘Away in a Manger’!
FionaA
Silent Night – beautiful carol.
Too many favorites to pick just one, but on near the top of the list are “O Holy Night” and “I ‘m Dreaming of a White Christmas”
I enjoy reading and trying out embroidery techniques offered by great instructional publications.
I know it isn’t very traditional- But I love Mariah Carey’s song “All I want for Christmas is you”!
My favourite Christmas Carol is Silent Night. My youngest daughter sang in her elementary school choir, and I will always remember the year when the choir sang Silent Night, with my 8-year-old Marian singing a beautiful solo part. It’s been my favourite ever since!
Pretty Paper by Willie Nelson
No matter how skilled you get with needle work there is always more to learn and books allow us to explore new possibilities.
I absolutely love songs like “Joy to the World” that actually bring joy to everyone who sings along. It doesn’t matter how dark the room is, but once this song begins with the opening notes played, everything seems to brighten. Let heaven and nature sing!
Kim C
Love to hear your daily messages! And enjoying my stitching journey.
My favorite is “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus”. So cute!
My favorite holiday song is O Holly Night.
My favourite Christmas music is “white Christmas” by Bing Crosby and I do love the CE “A Piping Hot Christmas” too!
We have been listening to classic carols recorded in the 19 teens and 1920’s! Replete with scratches and all. So interesting, so festive!
Thanks, again, for the mmmmarvelous give-aways.
A Merry Christmas to all- Sunnie
Great question today! So much wonderful Christmas music that I like to play 🙂 I particularly love the Carol of the Bells, though. It is based on a traditional Ukrainian New Year’s song (at least the melody is) and so I enjoy listening to it every year!
On Christmas Day – by Dido.
Spotify is great – we all share playlists and add our favourites!
I have Three favorite Christmas Songs.
Classic – O Holy Night (almost every version) and Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth Bing and Bowie.
Contemporary – Winter Snow Audrey Assad
There’s a favorite Christmas song?
Oh, impossible question!!! Silent Night (ofcourse), Mary Did You Know, The Friendly Beasts, O Holy Night… so many, sort of like Lay’s potato chips, can’t leave it at just one! And oh, those books, especially the second set… I want, I want! LOL, greedy girl here. Thanks once again!
I love Christmas Carols! The first one to pop into my head was Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.
I’m a fan of humorous songs so I will get a lot of blowback for this one: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. It’s a fun song. For a traditional song I like O Holy Night. The most fun I’ve ever had is playing a game with the family where you guess the song based on the first line clue of the first letter of each word. Here’s one for you: OTWOIF
My favorite Christmas album is the one with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters!
I enjoy lots of Christmas music, but I think my favourite is Carol of the Bells.
Thank you, Mary, for all the giveaways and, especially, all the wonderful information through the year.
My favorite tune – hmmm, “O Holy Night” or “White Christmas”. My favorite movies are Holiday Inn and White Christmas, but as a family we usually end up watching the Die Hard Series too.
Amahl and the Night Visitors for me! I grew up listening to it while decorating the tree, and it’s so linked to those beautiful memories for me.
My favourite Christmas CD: John Denver and the Muppets, a Christmas together. I still have the LP from the 70’s 🙂
I guess I would have to say Silent Night is my favorite.
I’m with you on the books, I love them and have so many. Some people ask if I need all of them.
My favourite holiday tune is a Spanish Christmas carol, “Los peces en el rio” . Takes me back to when i was a child and we would dress up and had traditional Spanish musical instruments and went round singing for the neighbours in our comparsas. We would be given sweet treats. Whenever i hear that tune i am transported back to home, Gibraltar.
My favorite Christmas song is “Mary Did You Know?”
Merry Christmas, Mary Corbet.
You made me think of my past and it came to me! The Beach Boys, “Merry Christmas Baby” keeps playing in my head. I had their “records” rather than CDs.
What wonderful collections of books. Either one would enhance my library of stitching books.
One of my favorite Christmas albums is Danny Wright’s piano performance on his Just Wright for Christmas album.
My favorite Christmas music is the same as yours, choral music, but my favorite song, the one that runs through my head all season long, is from the Messiah: For unto Us a Child is Given.
Jane
I like all Christmas music but prefer the traditional instrumental rather than the has been singers putting out a CD just to make some money!!
Love the traditional Christmas carol.
Well…it just wouldn’t be Christmas without the Vince Guaraldi Trio and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
German Christmas songs mostly, it’s the ones I grew up with that get me to the holiday spirit 🙂
Such a wealth of stitches!
Thank very much, those Needlework books galore would be a good acquisition for our guild library(Lakeshore Creative Stitchery Guild) . All member could have access to those beautiful books. Nicole
My favourite is a classic – White Christmas. It just adds to the spirit of the season.
My favorite is “Christmas to Me” from the CD “Christmas Card” by the Statler Brothers.
But I listen to a ton of music at Christmas across a wide variety of genres. Music is an essential part of Christmas!
My favorite holiday tune is “Happy Holidays!”
My favorite Christmas music: carols from old songs: Holly and the Ivy, Wexford Carol, O Come…Emmanuel, sung by UK college choirs or the vocal group Anuna. I listen to these even in July if my family is out of the house.
The book sets would be happy on my shelf!
Hi Mary,
My favorite Christmas song? That’s a tough question as I love most of them. Our local radio station starts playing Christmas music the week before Thanksgiving and I always look forward to when Santa is in the studio and he pushes the big red button to start the Christmas music!
I would say my favorite song would have to be Its the Most Wonderful Time if the Year. A local favorite for those of us in the Maryland area and one I always smile when I hear it is Crabs for Christmas. 🙂
I’m also a huge collector of needlework books. You can never have to many! Love the RSN collection of books!
Cynthia M.
I love all the Christmas songs done by Mannheim Steamroller. My all time favorite carol is Silent Night.
White Christmas
For Christmas music I like The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (formally the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). It puts me in the right frame of mind.
My favorite Christmas song is Silent Night. I also love traditional Christmas songs. I also love the song, Mary did you know.
I love Do You Hear What I Hear.
Thank you Mary and Search Press for this drawing. I can’t pick only one song. Some of my favorites are Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby and David Bowie, Merry Xmas by John Lennon, Snoopy’s Christmas by The Royal Guardsmen, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Bare Naked Ladies, Los Peces en el Río by Shaila Dúrcal, Oh Holy Night by Nat King Cole, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Jane Monheit, and Christmas Canon by Trans Siberian Orchestra. A bit eclectic I suppose.
I also love Christmas with the Cambridge Singers, Mary! My CD is still in use each December despite its age.
My grandson singing in his first Nativity play. I have no idea what he was singing, but it was lovely!
I enjoy all kinds of Christmas music, but a favorite is The Messiah and the Morman Tabernacle Choir.
Let It Snow. — even though we live in a non-snowy climate, by a ‘miracle’ one year we had beautiful snow fall in the evening you could see outside the windows during the playing of this song at a concert. It was special.
Gotta ask it, cuz it’s a Big Part of Christmas for my family. Music! What’s your favorite holiday tune? – ‘O Holy Night’
I’m a church organist, so I have to secretly admit that “Santa Baby” is a favorite
My favorite Christmas song is Star of the East. You rarely hear it any more. My grandmother use to sing it and play it on her Hawaiian guitar. She’s been gone many years now but it’s still my favorite song.
I love the traditional tune of Al HaNisim (For the Miracles), which we sing after lighting Chanukah candles.
Hi, Mary!
I like Hozier’s “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, Willy Nelson’s ‘Pretty Paper’, Madonna’s ‘Santa Baby’, and just about any rendition of ‘Hallelujah’ and sooooo many.
Thank you
Franz Beibers Ave Maria. It takes me to a holy place as I prepare for Christmas.
My favourite Christmas carol is ‘In the bleak mid-winter’
The classics.. silent night, oh little town of Bethlehem, good king W and the rest. The rule is no Christmas music until after thanksgiving. So after thanksgiving dinner we go for a walk in the woods and sing carols to the trees (and a few unfortunate neighbors).
My favourite Christmas tune is I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas. Hearing it each year brings back many fond memories from my childhood and gives me that cozy Christmas feeling during the holiday season.
My favourite Christmas music are the Gregorian chants (any and all of them). The music is so hauntingly beautiful.
I have two favorites. The first is Sleigh Ride this must be the Leroy Anderson version. My band in high school played it at a concert and it was such an emotional experience for me. The other is O Holy Night. The joy is in the stitching.
Wow! What a great collection. So many techniques and patterns. Will have to make note of these titles.
I also love all needlework books. I started out in the 70s with crewel kits made by Sunset, or at least I think it was Sunset. It’s been awhile . I’m in my sixties and finally retired although I’m raising two young granddaughters. I’m teaching them to cross stitch and hopefully they will move on to embroidery. All needlework is relaxing and the only thing more relaxing is reading about needlework!
I really can’t bring it down to one! I think it comes down to a tie between In The Bleak Midwinter and O Holy Night.
My favourite Christmas song is White Christmas.
I love Yvette Stanton’s books, and appreciate the left handed directions she includes. My old Christmas favorite is “Silver Bells”. My newer favorite is Pentonix’s “Mary Did you Know?”
Favorite songs: Mary, Did You Know?, and Joy to the World!
My favourite Christmas song is “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. I used to sing it (badly) with my Grandma. Happy days!
Mariah Carey: All I want for Christmas is you. The music always lifts my sprits as the tune is simple and happy, as are the sentiments
Favorite song for Christmas is Little Drummer Boy but Pavarotti singing Ave Maria is fabulous
Because it’s fun, my favorite holiday tune is “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” .
Music at Christmas great question I love Big Bad Vodoo Daddy they are a wonderful swing big band. They have two Christmas albums Rockabilly’s Christmas and Christmas is starting now.
Happy Christmas
Jamie
My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night.
My favorite changes all the time! My current favorite Christmas music is Little Drummer Boy, the version by Pentatonix.
Do you hear what I hear?
The reference collection looks amazing! My favorite Christmas song is Silver and Gold, sung by Burl Ives. When I was little, we had a an 8-track player and always played Burl Ives at Christmas. I’ve never found some of the songs from that cassette anywhere else…
My favorite holiday music is White Christmas or anything by Bing Crosby.
So this is sort of a “pick your favorite child” question! I would have to say that my favorite is whatever I’m in the mood to play at the time. I do like “Christmas at Kings” – the voices of those little boys must surely be what the angels sound like. I’m also partial to Celtic Christmas music – that includes the spectrum running from the merrier carols to the mystic unaccompanied Celtic harp. For a real bit of merriment , there is nothing to compare with “The Muppet’s Christmas”. But the album that always makes me smile and takes me back to childhood is an album by the Oberkirchen Children’s Choir. My mother bought it when my sibs and I were little as a nod to my Father’s Austrian heritage. While I do not speak German, I can still sing along with many of those lovely German carols as I’m lucky enough to have the album.
My favorite holiday tune is Greensleeves with the words What Child is This?
I love listening to Mannheim Steamroller during the holidays! Such a talented group
Choosing a favorite Christmas tune is almost like choosing a favorite child – just can’t be done by me! I like many of them for different reasons. My favorite recordings are those done by Mannheim Steamroller.
I have alot of tips from here. My Granddaughter is becoming interested in needlework so this is helping me to help here care it on.
Congratulations once again to the lucky winners – and thank you, once again, for the chance at my favourite thing (books!).
As for my favourite Christmas music – it’s ‘A Baby Changes Everything’ by Faith Hill. I cry, every single time I hear it (good tears!)
Hi Mary,
Christmas music — where to begin!! It’s all about choral music for me too. My husband and I are in church choir and Christmas Eve service is a good as it gets!
My favorite Christmas song is not an oldie, however. It is “Little Tree,” an ee cummings poem set to music by Steven Heitzeg. The text is a little child comforting the tree that was cut down to be their Christmas tree.
Go to youtube and look for the Dale Warland Singers version. Have a copy of the poem/lyrics handy as you listen. Have a hankie handy as you listen! It is so very sweet and touching.
June
My favorite holiday tune would definitely be “White Christmas” reminds me of the wonderful Christmas we had as
children getting together with family and relatives.
Teri Sanfilippo
Holiday music has not been a big thing for me, but if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s version of Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy, mostly because I like the bit where their voices intertwine.
I love Carol of the Bells, but years ago I loved Canon D sung by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra so much that I bought three of their CD’s of it. I was so happy when I
plugged it into my car CD player. I still love it, but it doesn’t give me that same thrill that it did that first time in my car. It’s on their album, The Christmas Attic,
if you would like to hear it.
Angels We Have Heard On High
O Holy Night
Favourite CD is Michael W Smith – Christmas
Loving the look of the Reference Sets. I love The Christmas Song, ideal to cosy up and stitch to. Merry Christmas
Lovely and informative book collections! Christmas music? Meh. Though I did really enjoy my Cathedral’s organ performances for the holidays. A single Christmasy song, my memory returns to the old movie Less Than Zero’s theme A Hazy Shade of Winter…
We do gingerbread houses from scratch every year — each kid gets his own. And we play various versions of The Nutcracker — it evokes such wonderful feelings, I guess this would have to be my favorite!!
Happy Holidays to ALL!
My favorite holiday song (right now anyway) is “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses.
The 12 Yats of Christmas. It’s a parody of The 12 Days of Christmas referencing local New Orleans stuff. It’s very silly but I listen to it at least once each Christmas season.
Favorite is “What Child is This” to the tune of Greensleeves followed by the contemporary “Mary did you Know”.
Merry Christmas Mary, thanks for arranging this, it is great fun even if just to see what is out there and the excitement of entry. If per chance I do actually win I already own the large RSN book so would prefer the ‘specially embroidery collection’ if possible.
My favourite Christmas music the the annual 9 lessons and carols service from Kings College – I always listen and sing along as I am stuffing the turkey!
My favorite Christmas song would be I’m dreaming of a White Christmas. Love that movie!
I really enjoy the Winter Wonderland song. It’s more of a “winter”song than a Christmas song but it puts me in the mood. Thank you, Mary, for another great give-away offer. Happy Holidays to you.
I just love looking at your work, it’s always so perfect. I have learned so much from your videos. Thank you for all the inspiration.
I love “I heard the Bells on Christmas Morn”.
Patricia Foster
Love all the older Christmas songs but “Last Month of the Year” by the Kingston Trio is possibly favorite (actually any of the songs on that album could be the favorite)
Silent Night is my favorite music anytime. Though I must admit the choice is hard as I love so many songs played now.
Thank you for putting this together
I like Christmas music orchestrations in the background.
It was always Christmas Eve service. I sang in the choir for years. It had to be “Angels we Have Heard on High” with the wonderful Gloria run. After church out in the cold air maybe snow – home to hot chocolate, snacks and opening presents.
The Christmas song that I love is “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” as it brings back many memories of family gatherings.
Those books look amazing! Picking a favourite Christmas song is hard. The Christmas Song is one of my favourites.
Our Xmas song would have to be Snoop’s Christmas
I have to admit that I really dislike Christmas songs mostly because they keep playing and playing the same songs over and over again . When I was little (that’s almost 70 yrs ago), I loved Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or Silent Night and Minuit Chrétien which is a french song (I am from Québec). But I have heard two songs for so many times, that now I tend to play CD’s. lol
Merry Christmas to all the other stitchers who follow you and a special thanks to you for sharing your skills with us!
Oh, I love Christmas music! It is so hard to choose only one song. Two weeks ago our church sermon focused on the word “Advent” and the “looking forward” that happened many years ago and also today. The song “Come, Thou Long Awaited Jesus” was sung and I keep singing it every day. Such a good message for us today in these rough times.
Thank You for the hope you give in these drawings. Merry Christmas!
Hi! I like the old tunes best, both the carols and the more secular
Ones, but must admit that I also really like the tunes which have
Been written about Christmas here in Bermuda, with my favorite being
The 12 days of Christmas, Bermuda style, with toads a leaping, longtail birds flying, etc.
The books look lovely. Hope stitching is a part of everyones holiday,, it
Helps keep you calm! Happy Stitchmas everyone!! Sue in Bermuda
Oddly enough, my absolutely favorite Christmas album is Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Album. Not super traditional, but so much fun to listen to.
This isn’t a particular tune, but the carol service broadcast from King’s, Cambridge on Christmas Eve. If I have to specify something specific (since the carols could, theoretically, completely change from year to year), the music from The Snowman which always brings back memories of Christmas as a child and that sense of almost, but never quite, having the magic of Santa in reach.
My favorite Christmas music is anything from Charlie Brown Christmas. The Vince Guaraldi Trio, especially, Linus and Lucy, always cheers me up.
I really love Little Drummer Boy sung by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. My Mom’s favorite was Little Drummer Boy, too.
I still enjoy the traditional Christmas carols. My first solo in church was as a 5 year old singing “Away in a Manger”. I thought I was really something!
I love your site! You are so gifted and generous sharing your knowledge. The specialty embroidery collection would be a wonderful addition to my library or to anyone’s library!
Silent Night brings thoughts of beauty, peace, blessings so that would be answer. But this year we need a Holly Jolly
Christmas with all that has taken place in 2021
My favorite holiday music is Celtic Christmas music always puts me in good mood.
“Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” – and I, too, love to read needlework books.
Seasons greetings Mary. for the past couple of years my favorite song has been “ I’ve Heard the Bells” especially sung by Richard Marx. A close second and third is “ Mary Did You Know” and “Breath of Heaven”. They are beautifully sung by Mat & Savannah the Father/ Daughter Duo. Take a listen if you haven’t heard them. Their voices harmonize beautifully.
I love the song “O Holy Night.” Always been my favorite. Also love the Barbara Streisand Christmas album. Old, but great!
I love “away in a manger” in French and English. I can’t sing a note, but love to listen
Mary,
Thank you as always.
My favorite Christmas music is old Sinatra, Dean Martin and of course Rosemary Clooney.
White Christmas because I was born in the coldest and snowiest month of the year, and I can never get enough of snow. It’s the only time when the colour white looks great 🙂
My favorite song is What Child is This.
It’s so hard to pick one favorite, but I would say O Holy Night.
For singing, I much prefer the traditional Christmas Carols as everyone knows the tune and words and even small children can sing along. But for listening, I really enjoy both traditional tunes in a jazz format, or more modern upbeat tunes like “White Christmas” by the Drifters, “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry, or “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee.
My favourite holiday tune would have to be any Harry Connick Jnr Christmas carol!
I love all Christmas music but my favorite song is silver bells.
I love to listen to traditional hymns of Christmas Music. Robert Shaw Chorale is one of the regulars that we have playing. That, along with a contemporary arranger Rob Mathes, make our Christmas complete.
I always put on David Bromberg’s, “How Late will you play til”, when I finally start my baking. It’s holiday to me.
I have two favorite Christmas songs–“Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful” because it reminds me of the choir entering the church at the Midnight Service on Christmas Eve, and “White Christmas” because I grew up in an area that rarely gets snow, and never at Christmas. I always thought it would be magical to actually have a White Christmas!
We Three Kings!
My favorites are all the older hymns we sing at church this time of year. Silent Night, Away in the manger, O Little town of Bethlehem, and so on. I also love my books. A good time is one spent looking through needlework books.
There are lots of choices of Christmas music, but I prefer the traditional music. That said, my favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night”. It can be sung with such deep passion and praise that I can be moved to tears of joy. Oh my! I just teared up thinking about it. 🙂
Again, thank you Mary for the wonderful opportunity to add to our stitching experiences with your gifts each year.
The books look wonderful. I love all kinds of Christmas music and listen to it exclusively starting the Friday after Thanksgiving, but my favorite all time song is Silent Night.
“ do you hear what I hear”
Little drummer boy
My favorite Christmas song is Oh Holy Night. It brings me back to some of my earliest childhood memories at midnight mass.
Choral music for me too. By the Northwest Boy Choir.
The one that’s running through my head right now is “In the Bleak Midwinter…”
Just the thing for stitching while the grey outside is unrelieved.
Love to learn new techniques!
I rather like the jazzy versions of old standbys like Winter Wonderland and Chestnuts Roasting . . .
The Little Drummer Boy is my favorite Christmas Carol. Must be the pah rum pah pah pum’s. I would so love to learn more about needle painting.
Anything by the Trans Siberian Orchestra tops my Christmas music list.
Love embroidery and learning new kinds or different methods.
My Dad played boogie-woogie and blues piano, so I was exposed to a different set of music than a lot of people. I’d have to say that Ertha Kitt’s |”Santa Baby” is one of my all-time favorites.
I also love to listen to Christmas Blues. When I was growing up in Columbus Ohio, we always played the Time-Life collection of Christmas Carols (outside) to go with our blinking Christmas lights. That included everything from Tony Bennet to Nat King Cole.
I have to agree with you about books, Mary! You can learn so much and be so inspired!
What fabulous books! My family loves music also, so hard to choose – I do love all the classics. Winter Wonderland is a favorite and is Silent Night. Thank you
The little drummer Boy!!! Song by Joan Baez. xox
My favorite holiday music is the Carol of the Bells, but my favorite version of it was done on an instrument that I don’t remember the name of – it is made out of crystal glasses filled with various levels of water and each class is a different note. The musician rubs the rim of the glass to get the tone. It’s very eerie and enchanting.
My favorite Christmas music is my CD from an A cappella Renaissance troupe called Madrigali. The CD is Twelfth Night. It’s lovely and fun to sing with.
“I believe in father Christmas” sung by Keith Emerson. It’s rich, bells ringing and fills the room with joy and happy feelings. I feel like going on a sleigh ride with a big fur rug, hand warmers and ear muffs. Must have snow falling. It will never happen in the southern hemisphere, so a good book on the beach will be an excellent alternative.
I would cherish these books. It is hard to decide on a favorite Christmas Carol, I love them all. Among my favorites is Twelve Days of Christmas.
Without a doubt -O Holy Night! I love this carol and it doesn’t really matter who sings it, but I stop what I’m doing to listen. A particularly favourite version comes from Alex Jones where his boy soprano voice is interspersed with his adult tenor- beautiful!
I really don’t have a favorite holiday songs. I listen to a lot of Christian contemporary music. Anything that’s upbeat that reminds us Christ is the reason for the season. Thank you very much for
Michael Buble Christmas songs are my favourite at this time of year.
Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas from The Pretenders
so many to chose from for Christmas Eve service at church Silent Night sung by candlelight and Mary did you Know and I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas always makes me smile
Once in royal David’s city
My favorite song around Christmas is Song for a Winter’s Night, written by Gordon Lightfoot but sung by Sarah McLachlan.
I love the old traditional tunes. My favorite album is the Julie Andrews Christmas album my family got at a firestone gas station in the 60’s. We have the CD version now but it always sounds like Christmas to me.
My favorite holiday tune is O Holy Night. Any arrangement will do!
The pogues, fairy tale of New York ❤❤
I love Christmas music! And, as a former music teacher who had to plan programs many months in advance, I can enjoy listening to Christmas music all year long. If I have to pick just one, however, it would have to be ‘O Holy Night’ in any of its arrangements – with or without vocals.
I really would like these sets as I want to expand my skills in needle work.
I especially would like the Gold Work books
I like all the traditional Christmas music, but (don’t laugh) my favorite is “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer”. What can I say!
I just love ‘The Little Drummer Boy’, the gentle rhythm of the melody, the sentiment of wanting to give, the fellowship of a gathering. But, so much of Christmas music is beautiful, IF you don’t hear it blaring out ‘ad nauseam ‘ through shopping centres and the like!!
My favourite Christmas tune is Silent Night with I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas a close second
Thanks for all the draws
I’m very old school. I love Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)!
Hi Mary,
Thank you for organizing this wonderful event again. My favourite piece of Christmas music is “O Holy Night”.
Oh, what a wonderful selection of books! Thanks for the giveaway, Mary!
My favorite Christmas song is- The Holly and the Ivy. I know that it is very old and not played that much anymore, but I still love it!
My favorite holiday song is “Sleigh Ride.” Thank you for offering this great giveaway!
Boney M’s Christmas songs
My favorite Holiday tunes are White Christmas and I’ll be home for Christmas by Bing Crosby.
I love Christmas hymns so very much. I have to say if I had to pick one, it would be Silent Night. I cuts to the heart of the birth of Christ. Solemn, simple, holy and beautiful. It has brought me to tears many times and I love the story of how the hymn was written in Austria on a cold winters night at a little village church.
My all time favourite Christmas song is an oldie but a goody, ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas’ by Bing Crosby. Just love it!
I think I would have to go with Rudolph the Red Nose Raindeer. It brings back such wonderful memories. Silent night would be next.
My favorite Christmas song is The Christmas Song. I start listening to Christmas music on November 1. It’s my birthday gift to myself. And I usually get a new CD. This year my granddaughter bought me one because she knows how much I enjoy Christmas music. What a sweetie.
This is a hard one. I love Oh Holy Night.
My favourite Christmas tune is Little Drummer Boy by ABBA. I had it on cassette tape for many years and played it to death. Not sure what happened to it but I no longer have a cassette player and haven’t heard that version of the tune in ages.
I have an extensive stitching library, but curiously none of the books you are giving away. Thank you for doing what you do!
A friend did a program of the Silly, Sentimental, and Sacred Songs of Christmas, so here are one of my favorites from each category:
Silly – All I Want for Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth
Sentimental: Silver Bells
Sacred: Gesu Bambino
Silent Night
Aussie Jingle Bells
Marilyn Frances from down under in Oz
I love Silent Night, sung by candlelight in a church on Christmas Eve. I know that’s a bit specific!
And for a more Pop-music genre, the new Norah Jones Christmas record is right up there with Christmas albums by Canadians Michael Buble, Sarah McLaughlin and Diana Krall!
Hi Mary, right now I’m liking The Holly and the Ivy.
Thank you,
Lynn Stiglich
There are so many great holiday songs for whatever your mood is. But I think my favorite holiday tunes are actually two: That Holiday Feeling and Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow as performed by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. They were on a 33 record compilation of Christmas songs my mom had, and she put them away until December. As a kid, I only knew traditional versions of carols, but Steve and Eydie sounded so radically different. I loved the romance of the duets, and Steve’s seductive baritone. Finding out that they were a real-life love story made them all the better!
Hi Mary,
Thanks for this opportunity to win some wonderful books! I am pretty new to embroidery, having just started learning when the pandemic began – one of the few good things to come out of this trying time! My embroidery bookshelf is still rather empty. With luck, I’ll get some new additions soon!
As for my favorite holiday tune, that’s a tough one. Rather like choosing your favorite stitch! Like you, I adore choral music and eagerly look forward to December each year when I crack out my favorite CDs. I guess I’d have to say my MOST favorite is “Once in Royal David’s City.” But really, I’m a sucker for anything sung by a chorus.
Anyway, thanks for all you do for us stitchers! Best wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy 2022!
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas “
Our favorite Xmas movie is “Holiday Inn” with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.
Very sentimental, great dancing !
I can’t single one out. When I was growing up we’d buy record albums from the Firestone tire store, with big names singing Christmas songs. My brother made a CD of the three of them. They are all my favorites.
Peace and serenity of Christmas carols
I get tired of all the usual Christmas stuff so I often like to listen to humorous Christmas songs, whether the well-known (“Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”, which my own grandmother absolutely hated!) to the more obscure (e.g., Weird Al’s holiday songs “Christmas at Ground Zero” and “The Night Santa Went Crazy”)
Christmas Carols–Joy to the World
Mariah Carey
I like french Christmas Carols we use to listen and sing at church during Midnight Christmas mass when I was young. Christmas needs choir music for me!
Any traditional carol, especially if Josh Groban is singing! No rock carols, no new movie themes, etc. Just the carols of old.
I recently found a group called Home Free and love their song O Holy Night.
The music I prefer doesn’t have words – don’t love those earworms after being in a supermarket at this time of year……
I like all Christmas music, so no real preference.
Always surrounded by music…but for Christmas I always want to hear Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, everything Bach and baroque, The Messiah, and for the best spoken music Dylan Thomas reading A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
Not keen on Christmas carols tbh, but “All I Want for Christmas Is You” I kind of like.
My fave Christmas music is Silent Night
Silent Night is my favorite, but I love Choral renditions of all the classic Christmas Carols. I’m not much for contemporary Christmas music.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The Judy Garland edition.
Silent Night
Mary — a wonderful assortment of books. My favorite holiday music? Handel’s Messiah, for a large work (and there have been many other cantatas I’ve sung in over the years). For a short piece — there are so many. Our church service has usually ended with Silent Night.
These books look exciting. I can’t wait to get my hands on some of them. As to Christmas music, it’s hard to pick. I love so many. Maybe O Little Town of Bethlehem.
This is Christmas is my favourite song.
I enjoy your information on your website every week and all the referrals are good info.
Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year to all at Needlework
I love all the traditional carols, but especially Silent Night, or in German as we sing it at home, Stille Nacht.
I love Christmas music! Every time I think I’ve found my favorite, I hear another one, that takes over as favorite! I love most of the Christmas hymns — oh, I just love nearly all the music! My (overall) group to sing them is the country a capella group Home Free.
I love to hear Bing Crosby sing I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. No matter what age we are, our thoughts always turn to home during the holiday.
My favorite Christmas hymn is “O, Holy Night”. I also like “The Holly and the Ivy”.
My favourite Christmas (and Easter) is Handel’s Messiah. It is so soothing and makes me stop everything and listen. I know all the words now, but still like to listen.
Our family favorite was a CD featuring the Deller Consort. I saw them live one year and the experience was thrilling. Any carol sung by the Deller Consort is my fav.
I’ve always loved Away In a Manger.
I love all the Christmas songs especially the religious ones my favorite would be “Mary did you know?”
I get teary every year listening to Bing sing “White Christmas”. It reminds me when I was first married and living far from home!
This give away makes me want to start the needlework again as I haven’t done it since after I moved. Hope I win.
My favourite tunes for the season are from The Nutcracker Suite.
I have two favorite Christmas songs – O Holy Night, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
I’m a total traditionalist. It has to be carols. I love the King’s college choir’s nine lessons and carols but it doesn’t hit quite like a bunch of kids doing the primary school nativity
Your question made me realise I don’t have any favourite Christmas music!
But for some reason the soundtrack to the Harry Potter movies (which I think sounds lovely) always makes me think of Christmas, so perhaps that can be considered my favourite? 🙂
Wow what a great giveaway! Thank you Mary & Search Press!
I think my favorite Christmas music would be Annie Lennox’s album “A Christmas Cornucopia” and Loreena McKennitt’s album “To Drive the Cold Winter Away” — they’re both so good I play them year round!
I was a music major and did some teaching. Now retired, I play guitar at church every Sunday so music is a big part of my waking moments so many favorites abound. That said, at Christmas one of my most favorite melodies is “In the bleak midwinter”: words by C. Rossetti, music by G. Holst.
I have to pick Feliz Navidad as my favorite. My father and I would wait to see who would here it first on the radio and call the other to hold the phone up to the speaker. It was a joke between us because his pronunciation came out more like Fleece Snobby Knob. He died 13 years ago this week and his funeral service was two days before Christmas. As we pulled away from the funeral home to go to the gravesite the radio came on as the car started and Feliz Navidad began to play.
I like most of the traditional Christmas music by the oldies like Perry Como, Nat King Cole, and their ilk. I also like the piano music of George Winston on his CD “December”. But the one song that’s always on rotation in our CD player is “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band-Aid. Yeah, yeah it’s syrupy and perhaps a little self-serving, but there you go. As always, thank you for your outstanding newsletter.
Eileen
My most memorable Christmas tune is Twila Paris’ “It’s the Thought.” Some of the lyrics are:
And a loving thought sends us out to find
Something special for someone on our mind
And we think of friends and family
As we hang our gifts on the Christmas tree
It’s the thought that counts when the thought is love
It’s the thought that counts when you’re thinking of
How the money flows in vast amounts
When the thought is love it’s the thought that counts
And a loving thought sent a snow white lamb
To a little town known as Bethlehem
And the little lamb thought of you and me
As He hung His gift on the Christmas tree …
White Christmas and Silver Bells
I hope I won’t be disqualified for choosing more than one, but I can’t decide between In Dulci Jubilo and the Coventry Carol.
My favorite Christmas tune is “Silent Night”. It has been translated into many languages but I love in the original German.
Would love the stumpwork one it looks beauitful
I like anything of the Renaissance harp, regardless of the season. I also like the song “Early One Morning,” an English folk song, written in the 1700’s, which speaks of the victimization of people of the feminine gender.
Bing’s ‘I’m dreaming of a white Christmas’ – just love the song!
My favourite Christmas tune is Jingle Bell Rock 🙂
Our favourite music at this time of year is often our Australian bush christmas songs with a sprinkling of the popular oldie christmas tunes and songs. cheers and have a lovely christmas.
Country music of some type.
My favorite Christmas Carol is Oh Holy Night. I also prefer the older traditional hymns. Even the older Christmas tunes are better, I think than most of the newer ones. I also really like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
O Holy Night (Cantique de Noel) is my favorite Christmas song. I first heard it when, I was 10 years old. I thought it was the most beautiful song I ever heard.
I love the instrumental arrangements that fall under the heading of Celtic music, the collections of winter and Christmas music..haunting and beautiful and oh so serene.
My favorite is an oldie you rarely hear anymore. It is We Three Kings of Orient Are.
Hallelujah chorus!
My favorite holiday tune is the Hawiian Christmas song from the movie Christmas Vacation.
Fave Christmas song?? O Holy Nigth with Pavarotti. I’m not that big an opera lover, but this version is trandscendental.
Any ONE of the lovely books would be a haul! Search Press North American should garner allegiance from all your readers.
It’s awfully hard to narrow down a plethora of wonderful Christmas songs, but I think I’d have to say my favoritest is “Angels We Have Heard On High.”
I don’t celebrate Christmas,but I love Handel’s Judas Maccabeus – the story of Chanukah. We used to have a Judas Maccabeus sing every year pre covid. I also love to sing The Messiah. Again, pre covid, there were many chances to sing it every year.
Traditional choral Christmas carols have been playing in our house for weeks now! My all-time love is The Coventry Carol, but We Three Kings runs a close second. Anything in a minor key, really
O Holy Night. I was in anesthesia school and after long day went to hear a surgical resident sing that song in a Christmas program,
I have a CD by Medieval Babes of old carols, one of my favorites being “The Coventry Carol” – not sure how old it is, but it is lovely.
Silent Night, It’s such a lovely tune, so peaceful. Simon and Garfunekl’s rendition certainly makes you think.
What an amazing treasury of books!! Good luck to all!
Hands down, my absolute favourite Christmas music is The Nutcracker. I was so fortunate to see it preformed several times as a child, by the National Ballet of Canada in winter perfect Ottawa, Ontario.
“Oh Holy Night” just makes shivers run up and down my spine. Second place is “We Three Kings” but only if performed at the Tuba Concert, hundreds of all sizes of tubas playing in concert – our newest Christmas Tradition.
While there are a ton of carols that I love, my most favorite is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. It always touches my heart.
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
One tune – I don’t think I can do it. My favorites are the old Christmas Carols. No Santa got run over by a reindeer. Silent Night, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Oh Holy Night, etc. Then there are the classical like Beethoven’s Ninth. And a little more modern like Bing Crosby singing White Christmas.
See why I can’t choose one?
My favourite song is “O Holy Night”
O Holy Night is one of my favorites. “Bring a torch Jeanette Isabella”, “Riu Rui Chiu”, so many more!
That’s a hard question! Not sure I have one particular favourite but up there would be Sleigh Ride, March of the Wooden Soldiers (not sure if it counts but it was on a vinyl record of Christmas songs that we had when I was a kid), So This Is Christmas, Silent Night and The First Noel. So many memories with these songs.
Fave holiday song …hmmm. . Gotta say, I’m not really a fan of holiday music. I get a serious case of “ear worm” when I hear Christmas carols! I do love attending our 2 daughters’ respective seasonal band/choir concerts though!
I lean toward traditional carols, but certain modern productions are wonderful — like Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (1984)! I have an old vinyl record that is a favorite from childhood — Andre Kostelanetz with the St Kilian Boychoir (1965).
Traditional carols.
Any Christmas tunes! If it’s Christmas, holly jolly and jingly belly, I’m into it. It goes with the lights, the more, the merrier. I love Christmas! I’ll have Jingle Bells in my head in July. You ladies understand, I know you do!
My favourite Christmas song is
Silent Night.
Evocative, with memories of the past, and with beauty for the future
I love traditional Christmas carols and also Handel’s Messiah. In particular Silent Night and Jingle Bells are two favourites. Thank you for this offer.
I love traditional Christmas carols. My favourite one is O Holy Night.
My favourite Christmas music would have to be the traditional carols, sung in the original, not jazzed up, way. Especially done in choral performances, but also in simple ways. Our family used to always sit around and sing them, and that was the best.
I just heard ….Dominic the Christmas Donkey….that will have to be my favorite right now…a new one never heard it before…it’s just so much fun!
If you haven’t heard it find it and listen to it!
I love listening to Handel’s Messiah at Christmas. Very rousing.
My favorite Christmas music is White Christmas with all the imagery of the most beautiful Christmas.
I always enjoy the traditional carols which remind me of happy school days singing along to them… my favourite is “Ding dong merrily on high!”
there is nothing better than music at Christmas. it was always a large part of Christmas for my family. one of my favourite songs is Tiny Angels. it always reminds me of the children when they were small and excited for Christmas.
thanks again.
My favorite holiday tune is Miracle Hymn sung by Susan Boyle.
My favorite Christmas music is Nat King Cole’s “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire”
Some may hate me….”Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”.
Rusty Holden Ute to Jingle Bells Carol, by Colin Buchanan and Greg Champion
Hallelujah Chorus!
Favorite tune is Silent Night
Oooh. That’s a toughie. The top 2 are O Holy Night and TSOs Sarajevo/ Christmas Eve (aka Carol of the Bells)). Steve Green has a fabulous O Holy Night/ The Holy City ihat is out of this world!!
G’day Mary, and thank you gift suppliers,
Silver Bells Christmas carol is my favourite.
Cheers, Kath.
My favorite carol as a child was “What Child is This” but after hearing Steeleye Span sing Gaudete (Rejoice), it has become my ultimate favorite. I particularly like the version sung by Anuna.
I enjoy listening to “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” and all the Christmas Carols.
Only 1??!! Angels We Have Heard on High.
My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night
My favourite Christmas song is by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve / Sarajevo. The video that it is part of, Christmas Eve and Other Stories’ (1996),is wonderful.
Merry Christmas all!
Favorite Christmas song is Silent Night. Sooo many great versions
Hard to choose just one, but I’d say my very favorite holiday tune is Joy to the World!
My favorite holiday tune is “Mince Meat Tart” by Roy Forbes, one of Canada’s best known and best loved songwriters and performing artists … check it out on You Tube .
Soundtrack from a Charlie Brown Christmas. It never ceases to provide an entertaining, relaxing, and memory-inducing background to my holiday season!
My favourite Christmas tune is Silent Night, such a lovely, sweet song that can be sung or hummed by anybody.
With our summertime Christmas, none of the popular songs about snow or winter resonated, especially with children who had never seen snow.
Thank you Mary & Search Press for this wonderful opportunity
Lovely looking books.
Seasonal music…my Noel Sing We Clear record, yes old fashioned vinyl, by John Roberts and Tony Barron.
And a couple of seasonal medieval CDs recorded by Anonymous 4.
My favourite Christmas tune is “Silver Bells”
I don’t want to hear any Xmas music til December 15 at the earliest! Lol. My first Xmas cd I listen to is Nana Mouskouri and my favourite song is Little Toy Trains.
My favorite Christmas song is “Mary, Did You Know?” And my favorite secular Christmas song is “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.”
Burl Ives singing Silver Bells
My absolute favorite is “December” by George Winston
I prefer instrumental music, always.
This one is also okay, even though there is singing:
Carols at Christmas
by the Choir of Guildford Cathedral
Yep, it’s on YouTube
Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ since my father always played this tune on his gramophone before, during and after lunch on Christmas Day, even though my mother had prepared an elegant feast despite the hot weather in Melbourne.
My favorite Christmas song has varied throughout the years, growing up it was “Singing With Mitch Miller” to”The Twelve Days Of Christmas”! Then as I got older I moved on to Glen Campbell singing “The Little Drummer Boy”. But the last few years it has been “Mary Did You Know” and I especially love to hear the Pentatonix singing this very special song.
I also love choral groups but my favorite single is The Little Drummer.
My favourite Christmas music is Handel’s Messiah and carol is O Holy Night
Handel’s Messiah by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir! I also get emotional when I hear Mary Did You Know! Merry Christmas to you and your family! Thank you for sharing all your creativity!
Any Bing Crosby Christmas song…nostalgia
My father’s voice was a lot like Bing Crosby’s, and he used to sing and whistle all the time. Whenever I hear Bing Crosby singing I miss him so much!
Dear Mary,
There are many hot contenders…..O Come, All Ye Faithful, Silent Night sung in German….. But my absolute favourite Christmas tune/song/choral is Hark the Herald Angels sing!
Oh, what a prize you have on offer, I absolutely adore good books.
Thank you.
Best regards
Louisa
Mitch Miller 12 days of Christmas
I love Veni, Veni, Immanuel! Second choice, Lully, Lulla, Lullay. I think their sobriety anchors the joy of Christmas.
Muhteşem! Ben de bu kaynaklara sahip olmak isterdim. Sevgiler ♀️⭐❤️
The “Hallelujah” chorus from Händel’s Messiah.
But I love John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas” too. And a lot of others.
Christmas music – I could listen to it all year but I don’t (too much of a good thing?). I refrain from listening until after Remembrance Day on November 11 (in Canada). After that it’s Christmas tunes 24/7. I don’t have one favourite tune but the CD that I wore out is Noel by Les Violins du Roi (baroque/classical Christmas instrumental). Wonderful to stitch too actually. This is another lovely giveaway – thanks to you and Search. It’s exciting just to think about new books. Imagine winning them?!
Wow, what a wonderful collection of books. Would love any of the books to add to my embroidery collection. 🙂
Christmas music is one of my favorite things about the holidays and I start listening as soon as Halloween is over. I’ll still wait to decorate once Thanksgiving is over, but music can definitely start earlier. I have so many favorite CD’s, but it is a very hard question to answer. The one song that I keep coming back to is Carol of the Bells. It is such a fun and energetic Christmas Carol. I would have to say it is a favorite.
Thanks again for the chance to win some wonderful prizes this year. Fingers crossed.
What a difficult question to answer! I love tradition Christmas carols but particularly like Angels We Have Heard on High.
I love listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and my dad instilled Pavarotti in me but one of my more recent tunes is White Christmas by Bing Crosby. For some reason that song just appeals to me. Of course there are just so, so many…..
Hmm. Probably Once in Royal David’s City…not entirely sure why but it’s been growing on me lately.
I love all the traditional Christmas carols! and all the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas!
I am a huge fan of Christmas music! I am particularly fond of the traditional songs I heard as a child growing up in the Catholic Church. I also can learn to love new songs if they are from favorite musicians and choirs. I am not happy when someone takes my favorites and changes them…
What’s your favorite holiday tune?
Hard to pick one. Sleigh Ride
My current favorite is “The 12 Days of Christmas” by Straight No Chaser. I cracked up laughing the first time I heard it. It still makes me smile.
My favorite Christmas tune is Snoopy’s Christmas
Silent Night is my favorite. Singing with others at a candle light service is magical.
Merry Christmas
So many wonderful Christmas songs! If I have to pick just one, it must be “The Snow Lay on the Ground”. Peaceful, yet joyous. Lovely!
You can’t goby without anything Christmas songs by Ertha Kitt or Etta James – big strong beautiful woman that have their own spin on Christmas songs.
What a wonderful give away!
As for Christmas Tunes… I am not particularly big on Christmas music but do have soft spot for Polish religious carols… As well as rude Christmas songs.
All time favourite would be either Stop the Cavalry or the Fairytale of New York.
My favorite Christmas song is Christmas in the Northwest. I love to look through needlework books and learn different techniques.
Carol of the Bells!
Favorite renditions include:
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir on Silent Night: The Greatest Hits of Christmas
Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24) on Christmas Eve and Other Stories
Boston Pops on Holiday Pops
Pentatonix on PTXmas
Straight No Chase on Holiday Spirits
Vienna Boys Choir on Merry Christmas from Vienna
Honorable mention to Angels We Have Heard on High, particularly the version by Sufjan Stevens on Silver & Gold and the version by for King and Country on Into the Silent Night.
What a great collection, hours of creativity!
It always feel like Christmas when I hear ‘Deck the Halls’, especially if it’s sung by a choir – I love it… though I have discovered Penatonix this year and we’re all enjoying their Christmas Album.
Carol of the Bells by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
I love them all!!! Except for “The 12 Days of Christmas” which is a bit ironic as that is what this give-away is based on. I do enjoy the Bob and Doug MacKenzie version of the 12 days.
My favorite Holiday song is “What Child is This?” Enjoying all of the classic tunes this seasons.
Oh my gosh my face is red with embarrassment! My husband keeps trying to play really beautiful classical Christmas music, but eventually the Chipmunks Christmas Album finds it’ way out and the sing along begins…………me included……….lol
One of my favorites is Oh, come all ye faithful. I also like Mary did you know? There are so many wonderful Christmas songs. I sing them all year long.
My favorite song is the carol of bells. It’s just beautiful and my favorite song to sing is Last Christmas by Wham.
Seems that my go to changes from year to year. This year it mostly instrumental hymns at work. I get distracted by the words.
I like traditional Christmas carols. Silent Night, Joy to the World and What Child is This are three of my favorites. I also like Handel’s Messiah.
I love the soundtrack to Charlie Brown’s Christmas… Vince Guaraldi Trio.
I love all sorts of Christmas music but Pentatonix does hit the top. I like the traditional but really like it when someone puts a spin on the traditional carols and songs like Jingle bell pop and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. I also love TobyMac’s version of O Come All Ye Faithful.
Favorite Holiday music? Anything from the Nutcracker and all the old carols.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You!” and many other songs…
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 🙂
I love Silent Night.
My favorite Christmas tune is “Little Drummer Boy” sung by a chorus. To me it is light and charming leaving me with a warm and joyous feeling
I have a few. Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt, Good King Wenceslaus (I’ve seen his crypt!), the Nutcracker Suite.
Oh Mary, your generosity is amazing! I have learned so much from your posts, and like you I LOVE to collect books about the crafts I enjoy, and follow the YouTube posts of those who teach the techniques I’m trying to master.
It’s hard to choose just one Christmas song. For me it’s a toss-up between Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song”, and Andrea Bocelli’s “O Holy Night”. Together they express all the most meaningful parts Christmas for me, how we celebrate and why we celebrate.
Happy Holidays to you & yours!
These books look amazing! So many beautiful things to learn.
My favourite CD is carols from Westminster Abbey it reminds me of when I was home. It’s beautiful and reminds me of what Christmas is all about.
Your questions are getting harder! There are so many fabulous memories tied to individual carols and each in its own way is my favorite when it’s playing but if I only had one last carol it would be Joy to the World.
This is a lovely event you are hosting, the prizes are swell, your questions insightful and the comments made by your audience are wonderful. Merry Christmas Mary and thank you!
I enjoy all the music with the exception of one song, which is “I’ll be home for Christmas.” Soldiers don’t come home for Christmas. I know that commanding officers work hard to keep spirits up, but families at home, like the soldiers, can only dream they are home with loved ones.
There are so many good Christmas songs. I play them while I work on Christmas projects. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Luther Vandross is one I enjoyed earlier tonight.
Mt favorite song is It’s Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas. It immediately puts me in the Christmas mood.
And so this is Christmas by John Lennon
My favorite Christmas music was an album, much like yours. It was classic holy songs of that First night without words with orchestra and bells. I vaguely remember the cover and wish I could hear it again. So now my favorites are musical—no words.
My favorite Christmas carol is “Silent Night” in Spanish. It’s part of La Posada, an acting of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. (This is from my childhood, mid-1950s/60s in far south Texas on the Mexican border.) They go from house in a neighborhood, Mary on a burrito, being repeatedly turned away, until they come to an animal shed on the grounds of the neighborhood church, where they find shelter, and baby Jesus is born. All the while viewers/participants with candles sing Christmas carols and follow Mary and Joseph to the church. It’s a very moving ritual.
Mary, you might as well ask which of my children or grandchildren I like best! There are so many wonderful Christmas songs from through the ages I can’t pick just one. I tend to prefer the traditional old carols over more recent efforts. I think my favorite carol is always the one I’m currently humming or my husband is whistling! That would be Joy to the World at this moment, although Adeste Fidelis is right behind.
Favourite carol at the moment is Carol of the Bells. Love both acoustic and sung versions.
My favorite Christmas song is definitely Silent Night. Peace and Joy to you this Christmas!
Sooooo easy! My Favorite Things!
Favorite Christmas carol is White Christmas. Love the book selection.
My favourite Christmas song is “The Little Drummer Boy”…. so many versions out there and I haven’t heard one I didn’t like 🙂
Santa Baby is always a big hit and people make up their lines!
My favourite Christmas song is Silent Night.
Well it has to be Last Christmas by Wham! It’s my era and I just loved George Michael and his fabulous voice. Plus, here in the U.K. there is now something called Whamageddon where you try to avoid hearing the song for as long as you can in the run up to Christmas – once you hear it you are out of the game. It’s fun to find out how long people last without getting Whammed! given that it gets played all the time and everywhere.
Beautiful books! My favorite to sing is maybe Hark the Herald Angels Sing because it is exactly in my range. To listen to, the ancient hymn Of the Father’s Love Begotten, or maybe Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent. Our house is full of Medieval and Renaissance Christmas music!
My favourite Christmas song of all time is “Snoopy’s Christmas “. However, lately, I have been singing very quietly (I’m tone deaf) the traditional Christmas Carols like “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “The First Noel”.
I love love love “River” by Joni Mitchell!! My absolute favorite holiday tune!
These books all look great! My favorite Christmas carol is “Oh, Holy Night.” One of my fondest childhood memories is attending the candlelight service on Christmas Eve in our small Methodist church, where for many years Mrs. Hayden, from the church choir, would sing “Oh, Holy Night” as a solo. Her voice was beautiful & I remember thinking she sounded like a Christmas angel. It always made me tear up, and it still does!
Mannheim Steamroller is my preferred group to listen to during the holidays! Their music is uplifting during these crazy times! May you have a very happy Christmas, and all the best wishes for the new year! Thank you for writing such an excellent blog!
That is a hard choice, but it would have to be Mary Did You Know followed by Mary’s Boy Child
Have a great Christmas Mary
Sjilver Bells. My Mom loved to sing that song during Christmas. I now look back with fondness when I hear the song.
I love traditional Christmas songs. My favourites being ‘Oh Holy Night’ and ‘The First Noel’. I went with my family to carol singing the other night and we all sang our hearts out – the atmosphere was absolutely amazing and really brought us into the spirit of Christmas.
Silent Night in German!
“What Child is This?” is my favorite Christmas song. O Holy Night is my second favorite. I sing Christmas songs year-round I love them so much!
One can never have too many embroidery books. I have 163 embroidery books in my personal library. There is not one book that hasn’t been read through more than twice.
My favourite Christmas music….Rock. eg Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms. I also like a good choir singing Good King Wenceslas.
My favorite holiday tunes are the Advent carols leading up to Christmas such as O Come, O Come Emmanuel and Creator Alme Siderum. The Cambridge Singers are great. Thanks for this festive “Stitcher’s Christmas”.
In the Netherlands we have the top 2000 alltimes starting at christmasday with number 1 at 23.50 newyearseve, and it’s the best music for the hollidays.
The Little Drummer Boy. We sang it in choir when I was 12 and it’s been my favorite ever since. It has a beautiful melody that stays with you.
I love listening to Josh Groban’s Noel album. I also like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
I have the RSN Goldwork book and the Needle Painted Plants and Pollinators book on my wish list. My favourite Christmas song would be ‘The Fairytale of New York’ by The Pogues.
Definitely carols and choral music for me too. I decorate the Christmas tree to a CD of the Cambridge University choir singing all sorts of carols, including some in Old French! And the Christmas Eve Service of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College is a must.
My favorite Christmas music is all the old Bing Crosby Christmas songs. My parents had one of his records we listened to when decorating the tree when I was small and so those are the sentimental holiday tunes to me.
I love books too. It is fun to see what others are doing through their books and the projects they can do. Lovely.
Living in the southern hemisphere, where Christmas is hot and we never see snow, I have to vote for an Australian tune – Carol of the Birds.
Hi Mary,
My favorite Christmas carol is O Come All Ye Faithful. Can’t wait to belt it out at Christmas Eve mass. Heaven help those who have to sit near me and hear my lack of musical ability.
Hi Mary.
My favourite holiday tune bar none, is “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. It just makes me smile every time I hear it.
Thanks for the chance to win. And Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Easy question – “Joy to the World”. No matter what’s going on, hearing that song makes me smile.
Oh Holy Night.
Christmas music in general is my favorite music. Traditional Christmas music is always what I gravitate to when I turn on the tunes. There is nothing like sweet Christmas tunes drifting through the air as we enjoy sharing holiday traditions with our families. Merry Christmas, Mary!
I have to say that my fav Christmas music is the 1995’s 4x platinum certified CHRISTMAS IN THE AIRE and 2001’s 3x platinum certified CHRISTMAS EXTRAORDINAIRE by the “Mannheim Steamroller”
Last Christmas by Wham. It’s like a cozy sweater and makes my happy every time i hear it!
my favourite Carol is “O holy Night” . My 2 Sisters used to sing it every year as a duet at Christmas Midnight Mass.Now I also like “What Child is this?”
So many great holiday tunes, it’s difficult to choose…How about “Jingle Bell Rock”. It’s upbeat, and brings back memories of teenage years, especially when my husband sings it now 😉
My favorite song fir Xmas is chestnuts roasting in an open fire.
Gotta ask it, cuz it’s a Big Part of Christmas for my family. Music! What’s your favorite holiday tune?
“Merry Christmas Darling” by the Carpenters
Oooh it’s got to be Have a Holly Jolly Xmas by Burl Ives. It conjures up so many memories from Frosty the Snowman to cookies! And in close 2nd… Little Drummer Boy sung by Bob Seger. It reminds me of the “why” in the most beautiful way. Merry Christmas Mary and to all stitchers!!
I’m actually one of those who enjoy Christmas / Holiday music even in the malls (lol). When choosing a favorite one, it has to be the classics carols both in English and Spanish.
I have two favorite songs. The first is O Holy Night sung by any Italian tenor (however, my professionally trained soprano daughter-in-law does a close second!). The second is the Hallelujah Chorus for Handel’s Messiah. The Messiah was a favorite of my father and he would sing along in his with tone-deaf ear and monotone voice. Wonderful, bittersweet memories come back whenever I hear the HC.
Handel’s Messiah!
Favourite holiday tune would have to be The Holly and the Ivy. One of the first Christmas songs I learned as a child, and one that immediately puts me in a festive mood as soon as I hear it!
I am very partial to old fashioned Christmas music. Christmas carols are a favourite along with Handel’s Messiah. Of course who can leave out Jingle Bells, Santas coming to town and many others.
My Christmas Wish
My favorite Christmas song is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. I remember singing that at church as a child. Unfortunately it is not played much nowadays.
Well I have a favorite collection of Christmas music, with these as the top three: The First Noël (so I can try to harmonize as I sing along), The Christmas Star (from CeCe Winans, The Gift) so filled with hope and peace and you rarely hear it played on any radio station. and The Gift (Jim Brickman) is just Chrismas in love.
O Little Town of Bethlehem as carol and White Christmas (because that’s something we can never aspire to in the tropics) as “contemporary”!
My favorite Christmas hymns (I have two) are “O come, O come, Emmanuel” and “Joy to the world”. My favorite secular Christmas song is “White Christmas”. But how can you narrow down Christmas favorites to just one – or even a few? This season inspires so much great music!
My favorite holiday song is O Holy Night. It gives me the calm serene feeling of the entire season. As far as a secular song goes, it’s Silver Bells, depicting the joy of the season.
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
My favorite(s) because there are two are: O Holy Night (because I remember my uncle singing this solo on Christmas Eve; and the Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah which I learned and sang every Christmas in high school to close our concert. After 50+ years, I still know my part (alto) and every word.
I love the song “I will be home for Christmas” as it always reminds me of coming home from college. I lived in a small town so it was great to ride the train for eight hours knowing when I got home I would get some home cooked meals and see my family.
My favorite Christmas song has always been We Three Kings. I just love it, and I’ve yet to hear someone else say its their favorite and I’m always amazed. It just means Christmas to me. -April Ronnau
Tough one, I love so many carols sung by various artists. But I always get goosebumps what I hear Christmas music by Manheim Steamroller – traditional carols done instrumentally but with a burst of power. The horns, bells, and powerful drums – it really gets the spirit of Christmas going for me. In particular, I love their rendition of Deck the Halls.
White Christmas
Oh Holy Night has to be my absolute favourite Christmas song!
I like Advent and Christmas carols….so, The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came is great
That’s Christmas to Me.
I have too many needlework books already … said no needleworker, ever!!
Bonnie by K’ville
Hi Mary. I enjoy listening to all Xmas tunes (puts me in the festive mood) but I favour the oldie Silent Night. Keep well.
My all-time favorite piece of holiday music is Kenny Loggin’s “Celebrate Me Home”. It is so full of joy over the simple things that I am most grateful for. My second favorite has got to be Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride”. We played it in our high school orchestra and it was so much fun, especially the horse’s neigh at the end. I wanted to be a trumpet player at that moment, even though I was a reed player!
Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night) which I tend to sing aloud in what French I remember from school in Los Angeles, is a song I can’t seem to resist when overheard on tv or the radio any winter. Needlework publications from Search Press are equally motivational. Just last night I began assembly of my stitched stumpwork holly & Ivy from issue 88 of Inspirations magazine. Holiday comfort & joy!
Michael Buble coming home for Christmas
Hi Mary,
That’s a question which brings back childhood memories. We used to have a CD with Christmas carols and a contemporary story about the holiday’s spirit interspersed.
My favorite song now would be “Driving home for Christmas”.
Cheers, Lucia
Thanks for running this fun competition again, Mary.
The Snowman with Aled Jones singing – goose-bump time
Darcy the Dragon by Roger Miller, however not just one song, but the Bing Crosby Christmas album with Mele Kalekemaka on it.
You can never have too many books on a hobby you love. I would love to win one of these collections!
So hard to pick a favorite holiday tune. For Advent, definitely O Come O Come Emmanuel. For Christmas, a very traditional version of The Little Drummer Boy always stirs my heart.
Just one favorite? Oh golly. I think I pick the Holly and the Ivy. I love old carols with weird legends and so on attached, so all those kind of odd ones like ‘Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day’ or ‘I Saw Three Ships,’ that kind of thing.
What a lovely bundle!
My favorite Advent/Christmas hymn is Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. But I also love choral music; there are some beautiful arrangements of the Magnificat!
I love Judy Garland singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
My favourite Christmas song is I will be home for Christmas.
Carol of the Bells
My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night, and I love it more when it is sung by an incredible operatic voice, like Brian Cheney.
My favorite Christmas tune is Burl Ives’ Holy Jolly Christmas. I was 10 years old when Rudolph was first broadcast on TV & have watched it almost every year since. Brings back so many memories! I would love to receive either group of books. I love to read & learn from any needlework reference!
Little Drummer boy my favorite Christmas song.
Oooo! My favorite song/carol is the somewhat obscure “Riu, riu, chiu” but my favorite piece of holiday music is definitely the Mannheim Seamroller version of “Deck the Halls” which I imprinted on like a baby duckling somewhere around 10 years old, and is the archetype by which all other holiday songs are judged.
The books you are giving away look very interesting. I am mostly a hand quilter, however I’ve been wanting to add embroidery to my quilt blocks and have had very little embroidery experience. I’ve read your Needles and Thread blog and learned a great deal from you…you are a very good teacher and your work is amazing. I hope someday I can embroider a fraction as good as you do.
What a wonderful give avatar!! I’d love to have these books in my shelf
My favorite Christmas music is White Christmas by Bing Crosby. Nobody does it better than Bing. I also like The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting…) by Nat King Cole. As for new(er) singers, I like the 12 Days of Christmas by Straight, No Chaser. [It has nothing to do that I am also from Bloomington, Indiana, and graduated from IU. 🙂 ]
We love ‘Silent Night‘ for Christmas and kids always ask for ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’
Lullaby of New York
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.
I am going to try tell you how important your emails are. I look forward to your messages they enhance what I like to call my artistic journey. I feel challenged right now with not
meeting with friends and family. Your emails blast right through and bring new ideas, new projects and even Christmas puzzles.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart Mary.
Hugs for all you are doing
Yvonne
Like so many others, it’s a tough call but I think I’ll have to go with Little Drummer Boy, something about how the message spreads to everyone really gets to me
Oh, I love chorale music. I guess my favorite Christmas song would be O Holy Night.
Favorite holiday tune; I’ll be Home
for Christmas
You have a lovely selection of needlecraft books!
What’s your favorite holiday tune? Traditional Christmas songs: “O Come O Come Emmanuel” or “Lo! How A Rose” – both of them are old and a little weird, and very pleasant to sing. I also really like Apocalyptica’s Christmas covers. They normally cover Metallica, and their Christmas album is in the same style – strings, but metal.
We also love traditional coral music at Christmas, have a couple CD’s of the Cambridge Singers- a favorite is Ritter’s Angel’s Carol. Also a fan of St Olaf’s choirs- Stay With Us.
Hard to pick just one but I think it would be Carol of the Bells.
My mom used to put on the Nana Mouskouri Christmas album whenever she decorated our tree so anything on that album will bring back nostalgic memories of my childhood but ‘Minuit Chretiens’ was my favourite.
Favorite song is O Holy Night, preferably a capella.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -it’s quaint and cozy.
My favourite Christmas son is Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen!
My favourite Christmas carol is Silent Night especially when sung in a choral arrangement by a good classical choir
Favorite tune? Just one? Little Drummer Boy (I even embroidered a bell pull on that theme), and because there are way too many “favorites” I have to include Greensleeves and Santa Baby and……..
Deck the Halls….It just has the energy and excitement I love about Christmas 🙂
My favorite Christmas song is “What Child is This”. Thanks for the chance to win some beautiful books.
Love dancing along to … Rudolf the red nosed reindeer…
What a fun question! My favorite holiday tune, by far, is Little Drummer Boy. The song, no matter who sings it, brings me to tears (a little embarrassing in public places).
The raw honesty of this little boy saying he can only offer his own ability to drum as a gift is beautiful and should not be apologized for. The beat of this song is mesmerizing and reaches my bones every time I hear it.
The best gifts, to me, are those that are hand made. Yes, I am guilty of having a few Amazon gifts delivered to my home during the holidays, but those who I hold close to my heart always receive a hand made gift by me of some sort every year. Like the little drummer boy, I prefer giving gifts that come from the heart.
We have an old John Fahey album that we listen to every year. Also I love George Winston’s Winter.
I have two favorites at opposite ends of the music world. The Messiah and the Trans Siberian Orchestra album Christmas Eve and other stories. Thanks so much for all the wonderful gifts you giveaway.
I love all Christmas music.
My favorite Christmas music are old children style songs. They can be sung out of tune or by 4 year olds confused about the right words. Frosty the Snowman is my very favorite cold weather tune.
My favorite Christmas song is silent night. When I was small we had a little plastic church that had stained glass windows and lit up. It played silent night and I was fascinated by the little church.
I’ve almost totally avoided listening to Christmas music the last few years.
My favorite holiday song is The 12 Days of Christmas as sung by The Muppets.
Such a hard question – there are so many special Christmas songs. Although it’s technically associated with Corpus Christi, I first heard Panis Angelicus at Christmas and it’ll always be a Christmas song in my heart. It speaks to me each time I hear it so it’s my favourite.
Thanks for organizing these giveaways!
Old, old music played on ancient European instruments is my favorite Christmas music. It’s a time of year to enjoy deep tradition.
I think my favourite Christmas song is Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. (And please I don’t want to hear Last Christmas by George Michael ever again, thank you!)
My favorite holiday tune is O Holy Night. The words and the tune. Just beautiful!
Today would be a great day to win, it’s my birthday!
Thank you for the giveaway!
What a marvelous offering! Thank you so much for the opportunity to have some of these books for inspiration and instruction.
As a musician, music is crucial for worship and celebration. So many Christmas music traditions, all beloved! Sorry, picking one isn’t possible…
>It Can Upon A Midnight Clear
>O, Holy Night
>The Nutcracker
>The Messiah (Christmas portion)
>I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day
The more I think the more comes to mind!
Laura
Silent Night is my favorite Christmas carol. I especially like the guitar version. Did you know it was composed for the guitar? For a funny one I like Robert Earl Keen’s Merry Christmas from the Family.
Here We Come A-wassailing!
Little drummer boy. Love the pa rampa pa…….
Favourite Christmas Music = Mary’s Boy Child
Winter wonder land. Have heard lots of versions and they all enhance Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Peace to all.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas