These are a few of my favorite things, Christmas music edition.

I'm not a colossal, over the top gaga fan of Christmas.

I like it just fine.

I put up a real tree, and love decorating it. (Taking it down: not so much.) 

I decorate my home. (Just not crazily.)

I send out Christmas cards. (So old school!)

I bake. (Come July, there's nothing like finding a Frosty Fruit Bar in the freezer.)

I like the wreath on the door. (And I am one of the sensible folks who takes the wreath down before it turns orange and/or fully sheds.)

I like the lights on the Boston Common and the Public Garden. (And I'm more than happy that they leave them up until February, when there's a bit more daylight in the day.)

I like hosting my family on Christmas Eve. (Growing up, in my family, Christmas Eve was the main event; Christmas was just fine, but more or less an afterthought.)

And I really like doing absolutely nothing on Christmas Day. (Other than working my volunteer shift at St. Francis House.)

But what I truly LOVE about Christmas is the music.

At least count, I have 35 CD's. (Told you I was old school.)

More than a dozen are Celtic/Irish or Celtic adjacent. A couple are Gregorian chantish. 

I have a bunch of mutts.

A giveaway from Starbucks. Another from HMV, which no longer operates any stores in the US. 

Manhattan Transfer. Glenn Miller. The Weavers. Leon Redbone. (Huh to this last one?)

I bought Bob Dylan's (predictably terrible) compilation, Christmas in the Heart as a joke. Someone gave me (the predictably terrible) Bonanza: Christmas on the Ponderosa as a joke. 

I've got a couple of Dolly Parton's which are quite good. And a Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits, which includes some great tunes: "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Brenda Lee), "White Christmas" (The Drifters), "Blue Christmas" (Elvis), and the classic "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" (Elmo 'n Patsy). 

My top five Christmas CD's are:

• The Bells of Dublin (The Chieftains)
  
• The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole: that voice!)
• Merry Christmas (Bing Crosby: where would we be without Der Bingl's "Christmas in the Killarney?")
• A Merry Little Christmas (Linda Rondstadt)
• Come Rejoice! (Judy Collins: my absolute fave, and I am a long-time fan. The only thing I asked for for Christmas in 1964 was her latest album at that time.)

I don't know if I have any one favorite Christmas song.

I like both the sacred and the profane. 

• O, Holy Night
• White Christmas
• Joy to the World
• Fairytale of New York (can't get much more profane than the Pogues)
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• The River (Joni Mitchell, covered by Linda Ronstadt: have yourself a depressing little Christmas with this one)
• Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons (ditto on the depressing)
• The Christmas Song
• Winter Wonderland
• Lo, How a Rose E're Blooming
• Adeste Fidelis
• Angels We Have Heard on High
• Good King Wenceslas
• The Cherry Tree Carol 
• Run Run Reindeer (surf's up!)
• The Rebel Jesus (never heard of it? Jackson Browne)
• I Saw Three Ships A-sailing
• As Dew in Aprille
• O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
• All I Want for Christmas Is You (wouldn't be the season without it)
• The Holly & The Ivy
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• I'll Be Home for Christmas (other than that weird lyric "presents ON the tree;" doesn't make much sense, given that 99.9999% of presents are 'NEATH or BY the tree, not ON...)

Speaking of on, I could go on.

But I won't.

Go have yourself some merry little Christmas music, why don't you?