So one thing I miss about my job this time of year is Christmas songs. During the Christmas season, when there were several students home from college and several local college students who hadn't gone home yet, the FBC college group would have a Christmas party. And every year as party favors, I would make everyone who came to the party a Christmas CD.
I wouldn't want to brag or anything, but these CDs were kinda famous. Every year Lauren Greaves would text or email me... "What's going on the CD this year? I can't wait to find out!" and I'd write her back... "Oh girl, I found a Kristen Chenoweth song you're gonna love!"
The staff would always get a copy of the FBC Water's Edge College Christmas Mix CD too, and while I'm not sure how much they appreciated the ecclectic music, I know at the very least that Marshall Smith, FBC's business manager and resident mystic, loved them. He mentioned to me a few days ago that he was going to really miss not getting the Christmas CD this year.
So as I was driving 13 hours to get home to Missouri from Texas this weekend, I decided to make a "What I Would Have Put On the Christmas Mixed Tape If I Still Had That Job CD" in honor of MSmith and the FBC college crew...
In no particular order, here's some songs would have made it on the compilation...
Love Again by The Animal Beat
Baby It's Cold Outside by "Kurt" and "Blaine" from Glee
Follow the Shepherd Home by Mindy Smith
Jingle Bell Rock by Darrell Shepherd
Christmas Is All Around by "Billy Mack" from Love Actually
Christmas In the Sun by April Maybe May
Silent Night secret track by Damien Rice
O Holy Night by the David Crowder Band
River by Angus Stone
A Child Is Born by Rihanna
The Peasant King by John Perkins
Cherry Tree Carol by Emmylou Harris
On that list are a couple of songs that you can find already all together on an album whose ENTIRE proceeds go to charity. Check out Christmas Gift, a new album produced in the UK by the label Rainboot which even has a song on it by Austin artist, the Whiskey Priest. The money you spend on one song or buying the whole album goes to Save the Children an organization that provides food, medical care and education to disaster struck regions.
And if that really gets you in the Spirit, then here's another Christmas CD whose proceeds go to charity: Christmas for Kenya. This is an organization that one of the former pastors (Ben Dudley) at my old church (UBC Waco) helped start. The money raised from this CD (it's the third CD - so if you're feeling really generous or Christmassy buy the previous two CDs too!) goes to the Kianga Project, an organization dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS in Kenya.
P.S. If you wanna know what songs made it on the previous five FBC College Christmas CDs... here's the latter three! (I'll have to find the others... when I get back to Austin).
College Xmas 2009
My Dear Acouaintance (A Happy New Year) by Regina Spektor, Deck the Halls by R.E.M., Jingle Bells by Lisa Loeb, Christmas Baby by G. Love, White Christmas by Katy Perry, The First Noel by Weezer, I Believe In You by Sinéad O'Connor, Cool Yule by Bette Midler, Lullay My Liking by The King's Singers, Come Darkness, Come Light by Mary Chapin Carpenter, Silent Night by Johnny Cash, The Christmas Can-Can by Straight With No Chaser, I Believe by Andrew Bocelli with Katherine Jenkins, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Death Cab For Cutie, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Colbie Caillat
College Xmas 2008
Baby, It's Cold Outside, I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day by Sarah McLachlan, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Jessica Simpson, I'll Be Home For Christmas, You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch, Ave Maria, Get Behind Me Santa by Sufjan Stevens, Carol of the Bells by the bird and the bee, Chesnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, Do You Hear What I Hear
College Xmas 2007
Little Drummer Boy by Sufjan Stevens, Sing We Now of Christmas, Grinch Dialogue by Jim Carrey, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Hem, O Holy Night by Sufjan Stevens, Sleigh Ride by Ella Fitzgerald, Track 05 by Sufjan Stevens, All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, River, Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Jack Johnson, The Friendly Beasts by Sufjan Stevens, Let It Snow by A Fine Frenzy, Holy, Holy, Holy by Sufjan Stevens, White Christmas by Aimee Mann
College Xmas 2005
All the Angels by John Perkins, I Wish You a Merry Christmas by Bing Crosby, Christmas Celebration by B.B. King, Christmas Time Is Here by Melissa Manchester, The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole, The Hallelujah Chorus by The Philharmonic Orchestra, Winter Wonderland by Aretha Franklin, White Christmas by Lena Horne, Let It Snow! by Ella Fitzgerald, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Lee Greenwood, O Come O Come Emmanuel by The Canadian Brass, 2000 Decembers Ago by Joy WIlliams, What Child Is This by Chris Rice, One Solitary Life by Hal Hotbrook, To Zion by Lauren Hill
11 comments:
I still have the CD you made me in 2003 :)
ANN! I can't believe I didn't know about this tradition, I who am the biggest lover of christmas music ever!!!!!!! i am now even MORE upset that the xmas parties were never early enough for me to attend since i would've gotten even more xmas music out of it :(
Jen, you do?! Holy cow. and Naomi, I'll make you copies of them :)
thank you!! i will make you one too because i have 17 hours of xmas music on my playlist so i'm sure i have some stuff you don't!
yep. the only song i remember on it is your rendition of 'dimming of the day'.
How about "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" by Tom Waits?
JenA, was it a recording of ME singing it? Where the hell did that come from I wonder?...
What? you gave Marshall these CD mixes and not the rests of us? I don't have any of these!!
Wrong Roger, I gave you a copy of every one of these every year... it should be a CD with a generic picture on it from the CD printing machine at FBC. Before that, I just hand-wrote on there, FBC College Christmas CD.
The other MSMITH here, Miss Ann. We were just listening to one of these CDs decorating the tree and wrapping presents this week. My Mystic really does enjoy them. ;)
With the topic of Christmas music,
I recently discovered one that my bro-in-law pointed out at Thanksgiving. His wife has been listening to music station and kept hearing, "Need a Little Christmas." We figured out that the song is from MAME. I guess it has always been in the mix, but it seems I hear that song five times a day this year. Also, as you know, my Mystic's favorite Christmas movie is A Christmas Carol. I have once again enjoyed A Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooge the Movie. Maybe some of these songs will make an Ann CD some day. Probably not until there are little Anns running around . . . ;)
Belatedly.... from a gig at Common Grounds, I believe.
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