And so it begins!

Somehow, over the years, I’ve gotten this reputation that I hate Christmas music…I don’t know where I got that reputation (I’m looking at you Crystal and Erika!), but I do have to say that it’s entirely untrue!  Well, I’ll admit this: I used to work retail at Rosedale mall, and their Christmas muzak was so bad, that I was completely sick of Christmas music by Thanksgiving.  (The mall has decorated for Christmas the overnight between Halloween and Nov 1.).

Now that we’ve officially entered the Christmas season, it was time in our home to break out the Christmas CDs, and we’ve had the local stations that play Christmas music 24-7 on pretty much the same amount of time they’ve been on the air.

My kids totally betrayed me though!  We have this unwritten rule in our home that Christmas stuff stays in the boxes until the day after Thanksgiving.  But with all the planning that goes into our services, I’ve actually been secretly listening to Christmas music since early October.  Not all the time, mind you, but I’d throw a few songs onto my iPod to get a sense of what I wanted to do for specials and for the family sing-along for the Family Christmas Celebration (Dec 13 @ RLC!).

I’ve found a TON of newer music that I really like, and I always manage to dig out the old favorites.  I’m really looking forward to Christmas music this year at church—I think we’ve got a great mix of classic songs and hymns that you’ll enjoy and be able to sing along with us, and we’ve also got some really interesting new arrangements for you to enjoy.

To get you started, here’s a pair of albums I’d like to recommend to you.  The first here is "a new release from Chris Tomlin called Glory In The Highest.  This album is a (mostly) live recording—lot of congregational songs.

The second CD is one that we played a couple of songs off of last year, and we’ll do so again this year.  This is Third Day’s Christmas Offerings album, and it’s far and away one of my favorites.

Thanks as always for being a fabulous church to be a part of!  I’m so excited that we’re in the season to celebrate the birth of our Lord.  We’re going to make it one to remember!

P. Jim