#2 – #3 and #2 of my absolute favorite Christmas songs.

#3. What Child Is This?

Jennifer Knapp just made this version available free download on her website. It’s a brand new version, just recently recorded.

 

#2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

#4 – #7 and #6 of my absolute favorite Christmas songs.

#7. An Angel Came Down & An Angel Returned

#6. Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel

#5 – #9 and #8 of my absolute favorite Christmas songs (in no particular order)

Okay, that’s a lie. The post on Christmas Eve will contain my number one favorite Christmas song, here-to-fore unmentioned in these blogs. I’ve kept it a carefully guarded secret! *maniacal laugh* *maniacal laugh*…sorry, if you haven’t seen the new Muppets movie that joke will make no sense whatsoever.

Hey look! I’m exhausted while writing this. Won’t this be fun?

 

#9. Carol of the Bells

 

#8. Angels We Have Heard On High

While I love several of the modern interpretations of this song, nothing beats, in my opinion, a really good choir singing the song. It was made for multiple singers.

#8 Religious Christmas Songs

I’m not Christian, but there are definitely some beautiful religious Christmas songs out there that I really love to listen to at this time of year.

#1. O Holy Night

#2. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem

#3. Got Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

#4. The First Noel

#5. Silent Night

and in German, the language it was composed in and that I have also sang it in.

#6. Angels We Have Heard On High

#7. Come All Ye Faithful

#8. What Child Is This

You know, I used to know how to play this song on the Psaltry…

#9. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

 

And these last two are precisely Christmas, but they are religious and related to Christmas and I do love them both.

#10. Mary Did You Know

#11. Sing Mary Sing – Jennifer Knapp

A song by one of my favorite musicians, top ten for sure.

 

#11 Sixpence Christmas

Got home late last night from work and I have a final in about an hour. So here you go, one more day of one of my favorite Christmas albums.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Once again, my favorite songs from the album are in bold.

#1. Angels We Have Heard On High

 

#2. The Last Christmas Without You

 

#3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

 

#4. Silent Night

 

#5. Riu Riu Chiu

 

#6. Carol of the Bells

 

#7. Christmas Island

 

#8. River

 

#9. Christmas For Two

 

#10. Some Children See Him

 

#11. You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch

 

#16 Jingle Jingle

There are a remarkable number of songs at this time of year about bells. I don’t know why bells are a Christmas theme, but I fully support this. I even wear jingle bell earrings to work this time of year.

Of course not every shares that love and sometimes the songs can get a little…annoying. I remember one Christmas season when my family was traveling to see my grandmother and when we were getting dinner at restaurant my brother said something along the lines of “If I hear the word ‘jingle’ in one more song, I’m going to *insert violent expression here*, I’m serious.”

So, Dylan, if you are reading this…just skip this post okay?

Because these songs are so well known and common I’ve tried to choose less traditional versions of them by modern groups.

 

#1. Carol of the Bells

This one is one of my favorites…even if I hate being part of a choir singing it. I’m a Mezzo Soprano, guess which part of this song they traditional get? Yeah…”ding dong ding dong ding dong”. Sopranos always get the better parts…. *grumble grumble*.

 

#2. Silver Bells

 

#3. Jingle Bells

 

#4. Jingle Bell Rock

Newsboys version -

Kylie Minogue -

>Redefining life

>
One of the hardest parts of leaving Christianity when I was younger was the need I had to redefine myself and my interests when it happened. I had been having doubts for a long while, but I was still very much a “good-little Christian girl” as much as I could be in the months leading up to my de-conversion.

I had an extensive collection of books, movies and musicians that I no longer felt comfortable listening to. Christian musicians whose lyrics and ideals just made me sick to my stomach. Granted, this probably had less to do with their beliefs and more to do with a severe backlash that came with my depression and suicidal problems at the time, but still I found myself pulling away from the things that I had used to define my interests for years.

When I came out as bi-sexual to my friends and myself less than a year later, I was less angry at religion, but I felt as if listening to some of the music I used to listen to would be hypocritical. Also, I had thrown out my CDs, t-shirts and posters. I kept right on collecting an extremely eclectic and controversial new set of favorite secular bands, which I will never regret doing. Ani Difranco, Bright Eyes, Counting Crows, Collective Soul and My Chemical Romance were very much outlets for my teen angst and creativity.

I always felt it was a little unfair though. I had been forced to leave musicians, that I had otherwise enjoyed, behind because I had to redefine myself around a whole new set of ideals that had been set out for me.

After as many years as I’ve been de-converted and out I’ve finally realized that I’m not required to live by anyone else’s set of rules, but I guess I’m still uncomfortable with the majority of the media I consumed as a Christian. At least now I can pick up my Bible for research without crying, raging and becoming depressed.

The real point of this post is to applaud the brave actions of one of my former idols of Christian music. Jennifer Knapp was one of my favorite female singers, talented voice and amazing guitar skills. I always adored her music and years after throwing out her CDs I came to regret that action.
In 2003 she dropped off the map of Christian music and went on an hiatus that lasted for 7 years. She came back to the states last September and announced her new album “Letting Go” would be coming out on May 11th. Not only that, she also announced that she was a Lesbian and had been in a relationship with a woman for the past 8 years.

Christian Forum members have some good things to say about her, while others snipe at her for “ forsak[ing] the truth of God’s Word for her perversion” as one forum member writes.

I know that she will lose some listeners, some Christian radio stations will boycott her music, but I feel sure that music will soldier on and she will gain new fans.

I know for a fact that she has already regained 1 old fan. I’m returning to the flock of Knapp fans with the release of this new album. I’ve already fallen in love with the tracks she has posted on her website and I can’t wait to hear the rest.