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Sometimes, a song moves you so much that words seem to get in the way of its powerful meaning. O Holy Night, which has been sung beautifully by countless artists and choirs, is one of those songs. In fact, when I first created the Christmas Countdown during Thanksgiving weekend, I had it listed as my…
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Everything — every note, every word, every second of this song fills me with strength, reflection, and a certain faith in the intangible. This is what I believe in. This is what I need in my life, every day, to keep my focus of what my existence on this earth is all about. I’ve already…
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And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. I was raised on Snoopy, Linus, Woodstock, and all the others in the Peanuts gang, and this comic strip had more of an impact on my childhood than any other cartoon or cartoon character that has…
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Oh, the words of hope for peace, if you want it. John & Yoko, with the Harlem Community Choir, released this single in December 1971 in protest of the Vietnam War. Two years earlier, they rented billboards around the war stating “WAR IS OVER (if you want it),” which is sung by the Harlem choir…
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The snowfall we are receiving is quite timely, as George Winston’s Peace captures the beauty and absolute solitude of a newfallen snow. Whenever I try to explain George Winston’s music to friends who have never heard him play, I begin by describing the basic idea that a quarter note is made up of many smaller…
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There aren’t too many versions of this song that I do not like. I didn’t even know it existed until a few years ago when a run of musicians started covering it — James Taylor, Sarah McLachlan, among others. Then, a good friend shared a Christmas playlist with me called Santa’s Boots, and it had…
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For many reasons, this should have been number 10, as it would have served as a good bookend to number 1. You’ll see soon enough what that means; this countdown is heading to the finish line a little too fast for me now… This song, in my life, marries the old and the new, and…
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Well, here we are at the Top Ten songs on my Christmas Countdown 2009. While the first 20 songs were all significant in my life, these 10 hold an even greater significance, as they define my life and my connection with the Christmas season in a profound and meaningful way. I encourage you to countdown…
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I know, I know. You’re probably in one of two camps: either you are wondering why this didn’t make the top ten, or you are wondering why this song is in the countdown at all… As I’ve mentioned before, I am drawn to stories, especially in songs. This song is on a Country Sounds of…
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This one goes out to all of my yearbook alums who bring this song to life every year in our beloved room 701. A few years ago, during a particularly stressful deadline rush with yearbook, a few of my editors made a playlist with just this song in it — about 15 copies, to be…
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