December is finally here...

Hello Charlie,
Since friday I started playing my christmas playlist to get in the christmas mood. December is finally here, and for me december = christmas...
That's why december is my favorite month (not because it's my birthday month [it's King's, Judith's, Céline's and Eléa's too] ) but because it's christmas month/season, it's winter, the streets are decorated, we get to give and receive gifts and all the christmas love...

Last year we did the musical advent calendar, I don't know if we will do it again this year (but I hope we will) because trough that I discovered new songs or different versions of songs I already knew so it was great :)

Yes I shared this song last year, and I'm sharing it again this year because it's my favorite christmas songs..

Beverly.

The 18 best sounds of Christmas

"My Song For You" - Bridgit Mendler ft Shane Harper; Demi Lovato ft Joe Jonas

Hello everybody! I just wanted to share a Christmas song, it's not famous at all, but it's worth listening to it :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYDaTCQKuP0

I'm usually not very fond of Disney Channel's series but when I came accross this station, there was the serie "Good Luck Charlie", a special christmas episode and there was this song, which in my opinion is quite good.

There is also another version (the original one) sung by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas when they were in the Disney company, it's as good as Bridgit Mendler's version in my opinion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MViGCtpDrc4

And to mix both songs, a mashup was created:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRcVZZ9VlSM

Merry Christmas!

Moinamkou B.

Christmas songs

Hey Charlie, I wanted to share with you this great playlist of Christmas music. I usually listen to it while doing my homework ! It is a good way to get the Christmas mood!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWKsDemzH58

My first contribution to the musical advent calendar

Hey guys! And hey Charlie too!

I'm here to share my first music for the Musical advent calendar (yayyyyyy)
This song came out really recently (actually it was out on youtube only yesterday!) and I chose that one because I'm a bit tired of all the old songs, we are modern after all ;)
Anyways, here's a music by Owl City, I just love it and I can't stop listening to it since I first heard it about a week ago.

Enjoy :D

Alicia

Crazy Christmas

Everybody knows this song and maybe you cannot stand it anymore (which I understand) but this is a totally weird version by Minions...^^ Enjoy !

Tara

the Majesty of Christmas

Dream Theater is not the name of some stadium somewhere in the North. It's arguably the best progressive metal band ever. They've released brilliant concept albums, such as Metropolis, part 2 or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

Sadly, they once fell for the Christmas song fad and recorded this in 1996. Probably not the best way to discover their true talent, but right on topic...

Regeneration meets Santa

Dear Charlie,
Here's a wink at the Premières for our musical Advent calendar.
2 extracts  representing Christmas celebration during World War 1
White Christmas is a famous carol but a also a great Christmas movie classic which is definitely on my top ten list

White Christmas

Joyeux Noël

Enjoy these extracts and if you get the chance, do watch the whole films.
Best,
Mrs. C.

Get Behind Me, Santa!

Dear Charlie,

Here's my latest contribution to the musical Advent Calendar, featuring one of my favourite singers, Sufjan Stevens. When Sufjan gets an idea in his head, it can go a long way. He once intended to make an album for every state of the United States (although he ended up only doing Michigan and Illinois, including a great song, "Chicago", that you may have heard on the "Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack). Well, he also records every year a selection of Christmas tunes, both traditional carols, and self-composed songs, and there are boxsets available of all these tunes, which I warmly recommend. I love this song, not least for the pun in the title, and I hope you do too!
There's plenty more where this came from!
All the best,
Mr Leah

12 days left before Christmas...

 Here is a song for the Advent Calendar. I really like it because we sang it in choir when I was in 4eme! Hope you will enjoy it! 

  

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3wt4r_destiny-s-child-rudolph-the-red-nos_music

      

    Tara

Rocking Christmas

Dear Charlie
Christmas is the perfect season to spend some lovely time with your loved ones or is it?
Here's a feisty song to rock Christmas around the clock.
I love the  video clip too.
To me, the clothes from the 80's and the New York/ Jersey accent are just  precious and the situation is hilarious.
Enjoy!
Mrs. C
PS: Just in case we were wondering about Mineola
http://www.mineola-ny.gov/Pages/index
PS2. Santa, please forgive the last image. But then being a guy and having a great sense of humor (all those jolly ho-hos) you might find it funny ;p

What does Christmas sound like on the West Coast ?

If you’re getting tired of jolly red-nosed reindeers, fat red-suited geezers, and snowy red-roofed cabins… head for California! There you’ll find funky-sweatered, bleached-haired and bell-swinging musicians/surfers celebrating Christmas in a way cooler fashion.

Here's Little Saint Nick by the Beach Boys, in 1964.

Merry Christmas, baby!

Dear Charlie,

Here's another contribution to our  musical Advent calendar.

Once again, am I unable to make up my mind or am I again not really playing but the rule, or am I?

We said, one song per day. Well, this is only one song. But we were also considering using the date Today is December 11, so I thought I'd be fun to offer 11 versions of the same song. 

As you'll see, the scope starting with the original one ranges wide.

Which version do you prefer? I'll tell you mine soon but I don't want to influence you. Enjoy! 

Mrs. C

not really smashing, but...

Billy Corgan has written some of the most iconic and powerful alternative rock songs from the 90s, such as Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979 or The Everlasting Gaze. Yet, this shaven-headed giant, who's been wearing black only for decades, is also a poet and a sensitive guy. 

You can have this 1997 Christmastime song with Mellon, and a Collie, too.

And he has big fans in Arizona, apparently: http://vimeo.com/80871413

The most wonderful time...

It's December and for me December = Christmas.

From the 1st of December, I started playing my Christmas playlist, and my Christmas playlist wouldn't be complete without at least one of Andy Williams or Dean Martin's Christmas songs. ( If you don't know Andy Williams he was an American popular  singer. He hosted The Andy Williams Show , a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, )

One of the reasons why I like this song it's because it sums up all what I feel about Christmas, the cold weather ( why don't we have snow in Marseille ) , spending time with our family, eating ( of course) , watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate and there is nothing as wonderful as this time of the year . 

"The Hardest Working Man in Snow Business"

Dear Charlie,
I'm sorry I couldn't post anything this weekend, as my Internet was down. I realise how much this must have perturbed some of you. Some of you will even have been hoping for 6 songs from me that day. Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles! Here's the one I was hoping to post, with "The Godfather of Soul" asking for Father Christmas to think of all the poor children in the ghetto first. I'm not sure my daughters would agree with "Soul Brother Number One" on that, but there you are! I'll be posting another Christmas song this evening, unless one of you can get in first!
All the best,

Mr Leah
PS "The King of Funk" is so Christmassy he even died on Christmas Day, leading Libération to headline their newspaper with "Ex-Machine" in memory of his most famous song!

progressive rock, neo-prog, alternative rock, art rock… call it whatever you want.

They’re British, they’ve been around for more than 30 years, they’ve been said to be "once dodgy and now completely rubbish" by some guy in the Guardian… and even referred to by Alan Partridge. What a career!

Here’s Marillion’s The Carol of the Bells, released in December 2013. 

Not sure about the Santa Claus beanie, though.

My Christmas classics

Hi Charlie,
I guess, it's my turn to contribute to this year's musical advent calendar and - possibly- fuel the heated debate a little more.

Here are a few I selected:

I'm more a Muppet and Sesame Street than a Chipmunk type.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MX43ynMvm0&list=PLC70011F47EF7C8E8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojtGHXsTXmU

And the good ol' crooners... Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJSUT8Inl14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ6yQgBvuoI


I personally LOVE Christmas carols.
I cannot even think of decorating the Christmas tree and baking Christmas cookies without full-blast Christmas songs in the background.
And even worse, I sing along and so do my children (the disease's spreading!)
 I love them all,  the cheesier, the better.

But isn't it what Christmas is about? Love it and celebrate it!

I'm well aware that I'm clearly biased, but it's the time of the year to be sentimental and irrational.
Embrace and bask in the Christmas spirit and pooh on the grouchy Scrooges!

Best,
Mrs. C

How does Christmas feel in Sydney?

This might not be the classiest song of the lot. However, doesn't it remind us of the spirit of Christmas, made of hope and expectation? Even for older, shorts-wearing, hard-rocking Australians!
Here's Mistress for Christmas (1990).

Not the Chipmunks

Dear Charlie,

Maybe I'll be alternating with Mr Lévêque - there's a challenge! While I thoroughly agree with Marie (see comments below) I still fall for the odd Christmas song (even by Elton John). This one's much older (originally written in 1934), and is sung by the inimitable Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis's comedy partner, great film actor ("Some Came Running"), and Frank Sinatra's friend in the "Rat Pack". Here, though, he's trying to sell records to your grandparents. And it works!
Mr Leah