It's Christmas: Part Two

Well, festive greetings once again! Just to point your attention to above where I have updated my list of films I'm looking forward to seeing in 2008 with a few juicy hyperlinks to trailers. Sorry I can't find all of them, but that's life!

Anyhoo, today is Music Wednesday so where better to continue our Christmas journey through Christmas entertainment than with my personal favourite Christmas music?

• "All I Want For Christmas Is You", Mariah Carey - this is a top tune to start any party to, and perhaps the last great Christmas song that has ever been written. At the time of writing this here in Blighty thanks to downloads this song is at number 4 in our music charts! Now that's popularity! Download it more, people, make it Christmas number one again!
• "The Christmas Song", various artists - another cosy fire blazing song to snuggle up to someone to, made immortal by Nat King Cole but later justified in a very smooth version by none other than Barry Manilow...seriously!
• "O Come All Ye Faithful" - lets not forget the true reason for Christmas. I love singing this at Midnight Mass as the last hymn; we get to sing all seven (or is it eight?) verses for one day a year and it is one of those triumphant carols of complete and utter rejoicing. As is...
• ..."Hark The Herald Angels Sing" - as a tenor this is a high-pitched joy to sing, with a brilliant descant for any soprano brave enough to try.
• "The Bells Of Christmas", Barry Manilow - not a very well known song, taken from his first Christmas album, Because It's Christmas. Growing up in a house with my mother who is a huge Manilow fan, this album is put on every year at Christmas and is simply the best single artist Christmas album ever. This song, however, reminds us that sometimes Christmas can be a rather disappointing, perhaps depressing time for a lot of people, something that all of us who are happier during this time should remember that we need to watch out for those less fortunate.
• "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Judy Garland - this is a dark song, full of hope, but performed in a way which chills your bones. Again it's trying to look on the bright side of life against an uncertain future, something which I'm sure a lot of people are going through right now.
• "The Power Of Love", Frankie Goes To Hollywood - not technically a Christmas song, as there's not a mention of the time in it. This is still, however, my absolute favourite of the bunch - a gorgeous and, lets face it, surprising number from FGTH, about love, perhaps the greatest gift that we humans can give each other at this time of year

Well, again, I am only stopped by bad memory, 'cos I could go on for pages if I could. Tomorrow will be the last day I look at my Christmas entertainment and there's only television left! Looking forward to that!

Laters!