Let Go, My Soul

It’s no secret that I LOVE Christmas.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am slightly obsessed with this time of year and everything that comes with it, from the 1 billion ridiculous Hallmark/Lifetime movies, to the decorations, to the silly little traditions like trees or stockings or mistletoe.

However, I feel like I’d be remiss if I let you think that those things are what I care about the most.  Because what sometimes gets lost in the craziness is the real reason that I love this time of year so much.  Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.  His birth was God’s answer to his people after over 400 years of complete silence (my sister wrote a really great blog back in 2009 that goes into this a little more).  Even more than that, it was the start of God’s perfect redemption plan that eventually poured out the fullness of his wrath on that tiny baby so that we could be forgiven and redeemed.  I don’t even understand how the story of Christmas does not inspire outrageous joy in the heart of every believer in Christ.  Guys, this is the GOOD NEWS that our entire faith is grounded upon.

I think a lot about the promises of God, and to be honest, a lot of times it’s because I (falsely) believe that God has forgotten his promises to me, or forgotten me entirely.  The nativity story blows that lie out of the water.  He is the ultimate promise keeper, and Christmas is the pinnacle of that.

So while I do love every single cheesy thing that comes along with the holiday season, my greatest joy is in the celebration of that baby Jesus who ultimately became the bloody and bruised man on the cross so that I may live.  Tying everything back to Jesus actually makes me enjoy all of the secular holiday stuff even more.

With that said, and with just a couple of days until Christmas, I thought I’d throw out some of my favorite movies and music that you shouldn’t miss.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, because, well, none of y’all have time for my full list before Christmas (hit me up next October and I’ll get you squared away though).  But here are a few of my top picks that you could easily binge over the next 48 hours:

MOVIES

Home Alone 1 & 2 (and absolutely nothing beyond that)

These are hands down my favorite Christmas movies.  This is also the one and only movie series where I prefer the sequel (Lost in New York) to the original.  This is probably just because I wanted to visit New York so badly as a kid (foreshadowing?), but I think it is a solid follow-up to the first movie.  I don’t speak of any of the trash movies made after #2.

Favorite quote: “This is it, no turning back, another Christmas in the trenches…”

The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

I love all 3 of these! I also think it’s kind of cool that the whole series took place over 12 years, so we got to watch the characters grow up as we did.

Favorite moment: Martin Short singing “North Pole, North Pole” (to the tune of “New York, New York”) in the third movie.

White Christmas

As far as the classics go, I don’t think you can beat this one.  I have recently discovered that many of my friends have never seen this gem of a movie, so if you are one of them, I need you to make that right ASAP.

Favorite musical number: “Sisters,” for obvious reasons.  I still sing this to my sisters when I want to get under their skin.

MUSIC

I have over 5,000 Christmas songs in my library, so I consider myself a bit of a connoisseur.  Again, there’s no time for a complete rundown of my favorites, but I’ll give you my 2 favorite tracks and an old and new album that are heavy in the rotation this year.

O Come, All Ye Faithful – Luther Vandross

It is a well-known fact among those who know me best that my favorite Christmas song for all eternity will be Luther Vandross’s rendition of “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”  In fact, this question (“What is Janell’s favorite Christmas song?”) was regularly used as a tie-breaker for my famous Christmas trivia game when I worked at the children’s home.  It’s one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded.  Do not argue with me on this, YOU WILL LOSE.

Joy to the World – Whitney Houston featuring The Georgia Mass Choir

This is on the soundtrack of a wildly underappreciated Christmas movie starring two of the greatest talents of our lifetime (Whitney and Denzel) – “The Preacher’s Wife.”  Great movie, great soundtrack, great song.

Merry Christmas – Mariah Carey

If you told me I could only listen to one Christmas album for the rest of my life, it would be this one.  Every track is amazing, but my favorite is “Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child.”

Christmas Songs – Penny & Sparrow

This album just came out this year and it is hauntingly beautiful.  These guys (from Texas, duh) have a bit of a folky vibe and their harmonies are incredible.  I will be listening to it for years to come, no doubt.

**As a bonus, here are two songs you should avoid at all costs this and every holiday season. Trust me, if I’m telling you to steer clear of something Christmas-related, it’s bad.

Christmas Shoes – Seriously, did someone just take one of those dumb email chain letters from the 90s and write a whole song out of it? AND THEN TURN IT INTO A FEATURE LENGTH MOVIE? Good grief. It’s not a real story, guys, relax. Mommy didn’t meet Jesus with her shiny new Christmas shoes.

Mary, Did You Know? – Yeah, she knew. That was kind of the point of the angel.

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Well, I hope you are feeling inspired, not only to watch/listen to my recommendations, but to reflect on the wonder of this season and to love like Jesus in the days ahead, and every day.

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6