The Twelve Posts of Christmas: The Music

Probably my worst-kept secret is that Christmas is my very favorite holiday. I love everything about it — the music, the lights and decorations, the parties and get-togethers, the silly gift exchanges, and all the traditions wrapped around the day itself.

So this year I’m starting a little series on the things I love most about Christmas and why they matter to me. And naturally, I’ve got to begin where the season really begins for me:

1) The Music

Christmas quietly slips onto my Spotify sometime right after Halloween each year. Not a full three-month deluge — more like a gentle drip that sneaks in between the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Levon Helm, and Aretha Franklin.

To be fair, my love for the crooners doesn’t have an off-season. Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Sammy Davis Jr. — they’re on my playlists year-round. But once the weather starts to turn, the leaves begin to brown, and that Louisiana humidity finally backs off a bit… well, if Bing Crosby isn’t singing White Christmas, something just feels off.

My love for Christmas music goes all the way back to high school choir. Years after I graduated, I’d go back just to hear the Christmas concert. The annual performance of Carol of the Bells absolutely blew my mind — and it still ranks among my all-time favorites. And Mary, Did You Know? still gets me tearing up every single time.

These days, I’m not just replaying the classics. I’m always on the lookout for new Christmas music — fresh takes, different genres, unexpected arrangements. Lately I’ve been leaning more into instrumental and jazzy versions of old songs, and it’s been a fun shift.

So tell me — what are some of your favorite Christmas traditions and songs?