Christmas discs (CDs)

The great thing about traveling at Christmas is it gives me a chance to listen to my Christmas CD collection. When I travelled to my mom’s, I’d drive about seven hours each way and have plenty of time to listen to: Julie Andrews, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, and a few compilations, one made for me by a friend. Derry isn’t far enough away for me to have gotten through the whole collection, so I’ll probably be singing my favourites for a few more days.
Julie Andrews’s voice gives me goosebumps. I can sing along with the guys but I can’t sing along with her flawless soprano voice, so I just listen. Her voice is so enchanting, I forget to breathe.

While I’m on the topic, the Pogue’s Fairytale of New York is 30 years old. An Irish Times writer did a piece on Christmas songs that are both despondent and hopeful at the same time--it’s strange how many there are. I’m not really sure where the hope is in “Fairytale”--I think the point he was making was that the combination of the music (lilting Irish tunes), the lyrics, and the time of year create a strange emotional cocktail. Really just a distillation of life--ups and downs.
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