What don't I like about this song?
To be honest, this song was not initially at #1 when I started these countdowns. But in the end, it had every component of a great song and I couldn't find anything I didn't like about it. There are very few voices that could rival Josh Groban's, for starters. The instrumentals in this song are excellent too and nothing less than what I would expect from Josh Groban. This song is off his 2007 Christmas album, Noel, the highest selling Christmas album that year.
Then there are the lyrics...including the title itself. There has been nothing more special about December 25 these past 5 Christmases, than coming home for Christmas. This song would have meant much less to me just 5 years ago. But the reality of "There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays" (Day #5) did not resonate with me until we moved away from our families. Since then, I've personally experienced 5 times now that "...no matter how far away you roam...for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!". A song and lyrics like these speak to exactly what Christmas Day has meant to me these past 5 years.
Finally, and something that only Josh Groban's rendition offers, is the tribute to and story of Christmas in the lives of this great country's service members and their families. As much as it is difficult to be away from our families, it pales in comparison to the sacrifices and distance many of our troops have endured over Christmas.
Every year we fly home, the airports are flooded with service men and women in their uniforms, on their way home for the holidays. They are an unavoidable reminder of the current condition or our world and a direct link to those sacrificing their lives for our freedom and liberty. It is humbling to travel each December and walk in the presence of those who may be returning home after months of service overseas, away from their families - not to mention those still serving over the holidays, away from their families, unsure if they will ever see them again or see their children grow up. This song is an excellent tribute to their sacrifices and a reality check for those of us who are fortunate enough to spend the holidays with our family and friends.
I am very cognizant of the blessing it is that Stacie and I will, yet again, be home for Christmas. We are thankful for that opportunity that God has given us each year. We are even more thankful for the greatest Gift and greatest Sacrifice we could ever ask for, Jesus Christ - the reason for the season. Born that we may have life!
Because He lives, Merry Christmas!
Josh Groban - I'll Be Home For Christmas
To be honest, this song was not initially at #1 when I started these countdowns. But in the end, it had every component of a great song and I couldn't find anything I didn't like about it. There are very few voices that could rival Josh Groban's, for starters. The instrumentals in this song are excellent too and nothing less than what I would expect from Josh Groban. This song is off his 2007 Christmas album, Noel, the highest selling Christmas album that year.
Then there are the lyrics...including the title itself. There has been nothing more special about December 25 these past 5 Christmases, than coming home for Christmas. This song would have meant much less to me just 5 years ago. But the reality of "There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays" (Day #5) did not resonate with me until we moved away from our families. Since then, I've personally experienced 5 times now that "...no matter how far away you roam...for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home!". A song and lyrics like these speak to exactly what Christmas Day has meant to me these past 5 years.
Finally, and something that only Josh Groban's rendition offers, is the tribute to and story of Christmas in the lives of this great country's service members and their families. As much as it is difficult to be away from our families, it pales in comparison to the sacrifices and distance many of our troops have endured over Christmas.
Every year we fly home, the airports are flooded with service men and women in their uniforms, on their way home for the holidays. They are an unavoidable reminder of the current condition or our world and a direct link to those sacrificing their lives for our freedom and liberty. It is humbling to travel each December and walk in the presence of those who may be returning home after months of service overseas, away from their families - not to mention those still serving over the holidays, away from their families, unsure if they will ever see them again or see their children grow up. This song is an excellent tribute to their sacrifices and a reality check for those of us who are fortunate enough to spend the holidays with our family and friends.
I am very cognizant of the blessing it is that Stacie and I will, yet again, be home for Christmas. We are thankful for that opportunity that God has given us each year. We are even more thankful for the greatest Gift and greatest Sacrifice we could ever ask for, Jesus Christ - the reason for the season. Born that we may have life!
Because He lives, Merry Christmas!
Josh Groban - I'll Be Home For Christmas
Jesse's top 12 favorite Christmas songs (vocal)
1- Josh Groban - I'll Be Home For Christmas
2- Darlene Love - All Alone On Christmas
3- Mavis Staples - Christmas Vacation
4- Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
5- Johnny Mathis - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
6- Jimmy Eat World - Last Christmas
7- Brandon Heath - The Night Before Christmas
8- Perry Como - Home For The Holidays (There's No Place Like)
9- Matthew West - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10- Bing Crosby - White Christmas
11- Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
12- Celine Dion - Don't Save It All For Christmas Day
My favorite instrumental Christmas song is also the main title of my favorite Christmas movie, Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009). Surprise, surprise!
Even though this movie is only two years old, it became my favorite Christmas movie the first time I saw it. It is my favorite movie for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first movie Stacie and I ever saw in 3D. And it's actually a movie meant for 3D, if that makes sense. The scenes in that movie are full of acrobatic fly-overs of quaint English villages, whisking the viewer through time and space, literally! (See official trailer below.) Avatar is often credited as re-igniting the 3D craze in movie theaters over the past couple of years. However, Disney's A Christmas Carol was released in theaters in 3D in November 2009, a month before Avatar.
Second, I love that time period in the U.S. (~1830s), before the Civil War and the "modern age" (pre- planes, trains, and automobiles), yet a period removed from the infancy of America and the Revolutionary War. It may be the period Americans are most unfamiliar with in their country's history. It seems like the perfect period for a Christmas setting. The history of Christmas, such as this time period, is really interesting to me, and something we rarely learn about.
Charles Dicken's classic story, A Christmas Carol (published December 19, 1843), piggybacked a series of literature pieces from authors of the same period (1820s-1830s), which helped spark a re-interest in Christmas in England. Dicken's Christmas story, which introduced some secular aspects to Christmas, was the most influential in this Christmas revival which spread through England, and shortly thereafter to the US.
And finally, it is my favorite movie thanks in part to the excellent film score, composed by Alan Silvestri. In addition, Alan Silvestri has also composed music for Father Of The Bride, Back To The Future, and Forrest Gump. His work is bested by other contemporary composer greats, but it was his work on A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express that has earned him the top two spots on my instrumental countdown.
Happy first day of winter!
Alan Silvestri - A Christmas Carol (Main Title)
Disney's A Christmas Carol (official trailer, in HD)
Even though this movie is only two years old, it became my favorite Christmas movie the first time I saw it. It is my favorite movie for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first movie Stacie and I ever saw in 3D. And it's actually a movie meant for 3D, if that makes sense. The scenes in that movie are full of acrobatic fly-overs of quaint English villages, whisking the viewer through time and space, literally! (See official trailer below.) Avatar is often credited as re-igniting the 3D craze in movie theaters over the past couple of years. However, Disney's A Christmas Carol was released in theaters in 3D in November 2009, a month before Avatar.
Second, I love that time period in the U.S. (~1830s), before the Civil War and the "modern age" (pre- planes, trains, and automobiles), yet a period removed from the infancy of America and the Revolutionary War. It may be the period Americans are most unfamiliar with in their country's history. It seems like the perfect period for a Christmas setting. The history of Christmas, such as this time period, is really interesting to me, and something we rarely learn about.
Charles Dicken's classic story, A Christmas Carol (published December 19, 1843), piggybacked a series of literature pieces from authors of the same period (1820s-1830s), which helped spark a re-interest in Christmas in England. Dicken's Christmas story, which introduced some secular aspects to Christmas, was the most influential in this Christmas revival which spread through England, and shortly thereafter to the US.
And finally, it is my favorite movie thanks in part to the excellent film score, composed by Alan Silvestri. In addition, Alan Silvestri has also composed music for Father Of The Bride, Back To The Future, and Forrest Gump. His work is bested by other contemporary composer greats, but it was his work on A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express that has earned him the top two spots on my instrumental countdown.
Happy first day of winter!
Alan Silvestri - A Christmas Carol (Main Title)
Disney's A Christmas Carol (official trailer, in HD)
Jesse's top 12 favorite Christmas songs (instrumental)
1- Alan Silvestri - A Christmas Carol (Main Title)
2- Alan Silvestri - Suite From The Polar Express
3- John Williams - Home Alone (Main Title)
4- John Debney - Elf (Main Title)
5- Mannheim Steamroller - Carol Of The Bells
6- Michael W. Smith - It's A Wonderful Christmas
7- James Horner - A Change Of Heart
8- Celtic Woman - Carol Of The Bells
9- David Foster - Carol Of The Bells
10- Vince Guaraldi - Christmastime Is Here (Instrumental)
11- Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve
12- Boston Pops Orchestra - Sleigh Ride
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