Christmas is just around the corner and here's an extra special early gift: singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, who performed at yesterday’s White House tree lighting ceremony (as seen at www.thenationaltree.org), sent me her super cool personal Top Ten picks for the holidays.
Download them now to at least get the music part of your festivities all ready to go For more on Michaelson and her latest disc, Parachute, visit the aptly-titled ingridmichaelson.com.
1. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" – I fell in love with this song as a child watching Judy Garland sing it in the movie "Meet Me In St Louis."
2. "That Was The Worst Christmas Ever" by Sufjan Stevens — Sufjan's voice mixed with the melancholy lyrics makes Christmas seem so sad. It is such a sweet, moving song.
3. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" sung by Mariah Carey. This song is so infectious and well-written. I don't know anyone who dislikes it.
4. "The Friendly Beasts" – As a kid growing up, this was my favorite song because the song was from the perspective of all the different animals in the manger, and I found that to be so interesting.
5. "There's Something Stuck Up In The Chimney" — It makes me smile when this comes on the radio.
6. "Melekalikimaka" by Bing Crosby - The movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" introduced me to the version of this amazingly catchy song. I sing it now every holiday season with my ukulele.
7. "Silent Night" – This is one of the most famous Christmas carols and rightly so. It is beautiful and sincere.
8. "Charlie Brown Christmas Time Is Here" by Vince Guaraldi – The Charlie Brown Christmas special was a favorite of mine growing up. We used to watch the video over and over. My father taped it in the early 80's so watching it so many times you memorize old 80's commercials without knowing it. There is something really amazing about watching 20 year old commercials…
9. "Baby It's Cold Outside" – I love the back and forth of this song.
10. "Rockin Around The Christmas Tree" sung by Brenda Lee — Her voice is so unmistakably hers, so unique and clear. You can't help but dance when you hear it.
By Ian Drew for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian's blog, click here, and don't forget to follow him on Twitter.
