My Christmas Playlist
Job stress is trying to strip all joy out of the upcoming holiday season. I’m not ready for Christmas. It’s coming too fast, and I’m not in the mood. Normally, I love this time of year. I love decorating. I love the lights. I even enjoy the shopping. Yet this year I find myself preoccupied with the challenges I’m facing at work, and it stinks.
I decided to fight back this weekend by forgetting about work and leaving the stress behind for a couple of days. I even dusted off my iTunes holiday playlist in an attempt to get me in the mood for Christmas. It’s amazing how powerful music can be. It can soothe, uplift and inspire. Those familiar Christmas tunes ringing in your head can help usher in a sense of excitement and anticipation for the holiday season.
If you’re like me and you’re looking for some Christmas inspiration, here are a few of the favorites from my holiday playlist. Check ’em out:
- Relient K (Let it Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer): Apart from the catchy title, this Christmas CD is one that I highly recommend. Relient K, an alternative Christian band, offers a good collection of songs — some that you will recognize, others that will make you laugh, and a few new ones that convey the true reason for the season. If you don’t have it yet, get it.
- Mannheim Steamroller (A Fresh Aire Christmas): Can you have Christmas without Mannheim Steamroller? I think not.
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra (The Lost Christmas Eve, The Sampler): The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is like Mannheim Steamroller on guitar steroids. I enjoy all of their Christmas songs, but a few of my favorites that never get old are Wizards in Winter, A Mad Russian’s Christmas, and Christmas Canon Rock.
- Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Joy to the World): One of my favorite Christmas songs is the Carol of the Bells. I have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir version and Mannheim Steamroller version. They’re both great.
Music may not be a miracle cure, but it does help. I am starting to feel less like a grinch already!
