Christmas Music Countdown 2025: Day 16

The return of the December weekend brings a veritable grab bag of seasonal music delights:

#70 - African Noel (Marionettes Chorale): The vocal contrasts, rhythmic intensity, and soulful enthusiasm lift the passive listener from the seat to sway with delight.

#69 - On This Still and Silent Night (Lieto Voices): Another from the pleasant church choir memory banks - “Salvation’s joy has come, God’s glory our delight….”

#68 - Home for the Holidays (Perry Como): A postwar paean to the broad expansion of Americans’ interstate mobility - with a shift on the list to Como’s 1954 version.

#67 - Deck the Halls (Maeve Lander): Pay no attention to the number, middle school crowd, just enjoy the creative brass-playing versatility of a Yuletide cliche.

#66 - Throw the Yule Log on Uncle John (Emerald City Voices): Comma or no comma? It makes all the difference in this humorous, pseudo-historical jaunt.

#65 - Go Tell It on the Mountain (Mahalia Jackson): You can go many directions with this well-traveled, evangelistic folk song, but give me the American gospel legend.

#64 - Sweetest Music, Softly Stealing (Lexington Co. Choral Society): Via Elaine Hagenberg, one of the best bits of majestic Christmas harmony you may have missed.

#63 - I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Michael Buble): I’ve tried multiple versions of this tear-jerking World War 2 ditty, but the Canadian crooner seems like a safe bet here.

#62 - What Child is This? (Nathan Drake): Not just the earnest simplicity but also the use of the full, rich theological text gives Reawaken Hymns the Greensleeves nod.

#61 - The People That Walked in Darkness - Messiah (Philippe Sly): From our favorite oratorio, a booming bass interpretation of Isaiah 9:2. More Messiah to come….

For those who want to see the full Countdown, check it out on YouTube or Spotify. Come back tomorrow for 10 more selections…