The Best (and the worst) Christmas Songs

Now that it's almost Christmas, the radios are aliiiiive with carols.
Here are ones to watch for and either turn up or tune out!
My favorite carol:
O Holy Night - Luckily, there are so many great versions of this song. I love a powerful version and Celine Dion and Mariah Carey have great versions. There's an a capella version by Martina McBride and an instrumental version by some musicians from New Orleans.
Updating an oldie but goodie: Check out Seabird's new arrangement of Silent Night. Love it!
House of Heroes has a few awesome songs:
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
and a new take on Ms. Carey's
All I Want for Christmas Is You
(does anyone else remember back when her Christmas album first came out back in '94 and she did a whole special on MTV with Carson Daly?)
Another awesome new version of one of my holiday favorites: Sent by Ravens' Happy Christmas (War is Over).
I have always enjoyed this song, and the new version really does it justice.
Song I miss the most:
Dominic the Italian Christmas Donkey
Back in NJ, the radio station z100 (which was like, the coolest station back in seventh grade) used to play this all the time. Haven't heard it since I moved south.
There are some other songs that are favorites: I've always loved the Bing Crosby and David Bowie duet of Peace on Earth & The Little Drummer Boy, and of course, anything holiday by Dean Martin and Nat King Cole.

Here are the worst holiday songs. The WORST. Do not listen to them. Don't!
That Christmas Shoes song where (spoiler!) the mother is dead. It's like a Nicholas Sparks novel. At first when you're listening, you're like, "This is mediocre," and then WHAM! the mother is dead. or dying. or something.
I'm not linking to that song. That's how angry it makes me.
Mary Did You Know? This is the most somber and depressing thing ever. (I really dislike songs that celebrate the joy of our salvation in a terribly mournful way). And also: what's the point? Here's a trick: start at the lowest register possible with your voice and slowly and painfully sing each word a note higher than the last "Mary, Did You Know...". You just sang the first 4 words of that song.
And the answer is: Yes, she knew. Remember? The angel appeared, told her she was preggers and told her what to name the baby. She knew.
I'm of the opinion that anything sung by the Chipmunks is pretty awful, but this is probably the worst: All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth.
This might be a bit of a person choice, because long ago I did, in fact, have a gap where my front two teeth should have been one Christmas, and my family just had a ball saying/singing this to me.

12 days of Christmas: Day 1

So the 12 days of Christmas "Bake-Fest" begins. I plan to bake something every night for the 12 days prior to Christmas.

Day 1: PoppySeed Torte

This is my Grandma's recipe, and when I asked my dad what he wanted me to bake for the Holidays he said, "POPPYSEED TORTE!"
So for his birthday I baked him Poppyseed Torte. I have never made this before so I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

CRUST:
1 cup Graham Crackers
1 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Instructions: Mix well and pat into a 9X13 pan. Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes (until brown)

FILLING:
1 1/2 cup milk (use 1/2 cup to mix with cornstarch)
5 eggs (separated)
1/4 cup poppyseeds
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions: Combine milk,beaten egg yolks and sugar. Cook in double oiler until dissolved. Add poppyseeds and salt.
Mix Cornstarch with 1/2 cup milk and combine with the rest. Cook until thick, stirring constantly.

ADDITIONAL FOLD IN:
2 Tbsp knox gelatin (unflavored)
1/4 cup cold water
5 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions: Melt gelatin into 1/4 cup cold water. Add to cooked mixture; cool filling and add vanilla--DO NOT LET SET.
Beat egg whites--add sugar and cream of tartar
Fold into cooled mixture. Pour into crust and refrigerate.
Frost with 8 oz. Cool whip

I after cutting the torte--we realized the poppyseeds had floated to the top. I had never eaten Poppyseed Torte before--but I was consoled by my Father and Grandmother that it tasted the same. We tried to figure out what could have made them float. It still tasted delicious!



Dad enjoying his Poppyseed Torte!