Friday, December 17, 2010

Favorite Christmas Music



I love Christmas Music, the hymns, the carols maybe the fact that it is only played once a year,
when the nights are indeed silent, crisp, cold, stars twinkling, and the wonder and excitement of Christmas Day to come.
For me it was sitting in Church listening to the music and sometimes singing, all our voices filling the church made it so special.
I have many favorite carols, the ones we all know and sang in school and hear in every shop and TV special.
But I also love the ones we don't hear as much, II Est Ne Le Divin Enfant, The Holly and the Ivy, Lullay Lullay.

I decided one Christmas ( after the x walked out ) the children and I should do something different so I took us all to Tokyo, Japan for Christmas. Japan = Christmas ? ? ? Go figure
They celebrate Christmas, kind of, more for all the foreign visitors I think. Their big Holiday is New Year. But was quite fun being there, everyone was wonderful to us and we all had a fabulous time !

Back home looking up Tatsuro Yamashita's theme music for Japan's World Cup Yacht Race Team, I find his Christmas Song that was used for the JR X' mas Express.
A series of commercials starting in 1988, they show people trying to get home to their love ones using the Express Train. In Japan you hear this song everywhere at Christmas like we hear Jingle Bells.
He has a Japanese and English version and it makes me wish I had someone waiting at the train station for me and yes I liked all the old Kodak commercials too !

The whole song can be found on his album Christmas Eve, Moon Records. I had a hard time finding this album but for me it was worth it !

Have fun listening to Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas to you all my special blogging friends !
Cheers!

singing. . . parsnip
music. . . anything by Tatsuro Yamashita

7 comments:

  1. Oh Parsnip, that is such an interesting clip. It's just so Japanese. Without blogging I would never have heard or seen this.

    Music is a special part of Christmas for me too. And regarding your comment on my bells post, we also always had an orange in the toe of our stocking.

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  2. Joanna...
    I love this song but I also think the circumstance that surrounded or trip, never being to Japan before
    it all made it so magical.
    I love that you too had a orange in the toe of your stocking. Special memories.

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  3. I've been listening to Christmas music all day on the classical music station. It really lifts my spirits, brings back a lot of memories.

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  4. "I decided one Christmas ( after the x walked out ) the children and I should do something different so I took us all to Tokyo, Japan for Christmas."
    What a wonderful, brave thing to do. Is that how your little grand-daughter came about?

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  5. Kass...
    I rally think Christmas music or for me "A winter Solstice V" or "December", George Winston are just the thing to make your spirits.

    Pat...
    I wish I could say the children had no clue, but David in University, Molly in School and Adam on his own, had studied Japanese, but we had "never" been to Japan before this would be our first time. David worked planning the trip and we had a super time.
    David met his wife to be when he was in Japan studying at University there to finish up his degrees.

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  6. It really depends on what song it is, and who's singing.

    Twelve Days of Christmas can be an ordeal to get through.

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  7. Eryl...
    Thanks,
    I don't feel very cool just trying to do my best It just seemed the perfect thing to do. And it was we... We spent Christmas Eve at the Hayao Miyazaki Museum and had the best time.

    William...
    I just listen to the songs I love and tune out the rest !
    I design cards for the Twelve Days of Christmas but the song drives me batty !
    Last year I started the Twelve Days again but with an Arizona take on them. Quite fun !

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