Did you ever go Christmas caroling? It was one of my most favorite Christmas activities as a child. The Cernera’s, the Golden’s, the Grace’s, the Nichol’s (the Nordness’es? The Surat’s? The Padula’s?)….would gather on Ellicott Place, and we wandered Ellicott and Prospect and sometimes Clinton Avenue. Joseph and I were the youngest of the kids on the block, and it was to me the most magical of times. We even would use the front door to the Grace’s house (a TREAT!), where we were greeted with hot cocoa, and warm cookies and drinks would be found at Mrs. Beveridge’s home too… (She was my kindergarten teacher. I remember sometimes walking to school with her.)

Last year, I asked everyone to send me their favorite Christmas carols—I received a wide variety of songs!

These are the categories, if you want to play this year! (The song listed is MY favorite of each category)

1. Favorite RELIGIOUS song/Hymn—O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Enya
2. Favorite STANDARD–  Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy Bing Crosby and David Bowie
3. Favorite Novelty/Child Song– Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Perry Como
4. Favorite Instrumental– Christmas Eve, (Sarajevo 12/24) Trans-Siberian Orchestra
5. Favorite Romantic Song– Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) U2
6. Favorite Pop Song–  Father Christmas, The Kinks
7. Favorite Christmas song that no one knows– Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses
8. The Song that puts you into the Christmas mood! Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Bruce Springsteen (They sound like they are having the most fun on stage!!!!)
9. The song that is farthest back in your mind, the one that SAYS Christmas to you, evokes the best of your holiday memories– Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
10. A song that you couldn’t make fit in the above! — Old City Bar, Trans-Siberian Orchestra

And these are some of the songs people suggested last year.

• Silent Night
• Frank Sinatra, White Christmas
• Christmas Don’t Be Late by Alvin and the Chipmunks
• Winter Dreams by Gary Lamb
• Baby It’s Cold Outside by Lady Antebellum
• All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey
• My Christmas List by A Simple Plan
• The 12 Pains of Christmas by Bob Rivers
• anything by Harry Connick Jr, I heard that -alot-
• I Want An Alien For Christmas by  Fountains of Wayne
• Hark the Herald Angels Sing- Vince Guaraldi Trio & Childrens Choir
• The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
• Lil Saint Nick – Beach Boys
• Any slow saxophone, Kenny G or the like
• Merry Christmas Darling – Carpenters / Let it Snow,Let it Snow,Let it Snow – Michael Buble’
• Merry Christmas,Happy Holidays – N’Sync
• A New York City Christmas – Rob Thomas
• Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
• Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
• Santa Claus is Comin to Town – Bruce Springsteen
• Linus & Lucy – Vince Guaraldi Trio
• Last Christmas – Wham!
• Silver & Gold- Burl Ives
• O Holy Night- Josh Groban
• All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth
• Grandma got ran over by 8 reindeer
• Dashing thru the snow
• Far Far Away on Judeahs Plain
• Josh Groban: Oh, Holy Night
• Johnny Mathis: Sleigh Ride
• Straight, No Chaser: Christmas Can-Can
• George Winston: Variations on the Canon
• Dean Martin: I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, or A Marshmallow World
• Alan Jackson: Let it Be Christmas
• John Denver: Aspen glow
• Bobby Helms: Jingle Bell Rock
• Bing Crosby: I’ll be home for Christmas
• Peter, Paul, and Mary: Children Go Where I Send Thee
• Handel’s Messiah & O, Holy Night
• I’ll be Home for Christmas -Perry Como & The Carpenters & Luther Vandross
• All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, Dominic and the Donkey
• Kenny G – All his Christmas albums! & Trans-Siberian Orchestra
• Let It Snow! -Michael Buble’
• Rocking Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee, The Mistletoe Jam – Luther Vandross
• With a Christmas Heart – Luther Vandross
• I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas. Jingle Bells!
• The Christmas Song(Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… Mary Did You Know-Wynonna Judd & Kenny Rogers
• Ave Maria or Silent Night
• White Christmas
• Frosty the Snowman,
• Songs from the Nutcracker
• Baby its Cold Outside, 2000 Miles
• Rocking around the Christmas Tree or Jingle Bell Rock
•    Silver Bells
• O Holy Night
• I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
• I Believe in Father Christmas Emerson, Lake and Palmer

(And just as an aside….Step into Christmas, by Elton John…do you think someday, we will be having to explain to the kids what a turntable was, like the spinet  and the figgy pudding of more traditional carols??)