Christmas Carols!

In honor of Gaudete Sunday, I decided to post some of my favorite Christmas carols.  I know you may be groaning right now, thinking, "For heaven's sake, I've had all the Christmas music I can bear from the stores!"  Well, I promise you that my kind of Christmas music is NOT like the kind in the stores.  I have a strong dislike for department-store Christmas music, actually.

Of course, the first carol absolutely must be Gaudete.  I'm afraid I couldn't find a YouTube version that I liked as well as I like the CD version that I have, but I did my best.  This one seems to be sung by all girls.  If you'd like to try a mostly male version, try Anuna.  Theirs is pretty good too, but I don't like the solo parts much.

Next is Chanticleer's Riu, Riu Chiu.  This is one of my mom's favorites, and I think she was going to post it on her blog as well.  Whatever, I know all of you don't look at her blog.  Anyway, this is a Spanish medieval hymn.  I believe the lyrics are about the Immaculate Conception, but don't quote me on that - I'm not quite sure.

Now, for a bit of a change of pace, here is Orla Fallon's enchanting version of God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings, both of which have long been among my favorite carols.  (I'm sorry about how it cuts off at the end...)

While we're on the subject of Orla Fallon, I have to post another song from that CD which I really like.  I don't consider it exactly a Christmas carol, but it's about Christmas-y things, and it's called The Bells of Christmas, so I think it's all right.  And hey, this is supposed to be about unique Christmas songs, anyway.

This next song is an instrumental - Circle of Joy from the CD Celtic Christmas III by...Wyndham Hill, I think.  The artist is Lisa Lynne.  I have a soft spot for this song because to me it does sound full of a quiet, peaceful joy, which is the feeling that Christmas ought to have.

Okay, are you going to come and murder me if I finish off with yet another Orla Fallon song?  I'm sorry if it bores you, my dear, but I can't help it.  It's my favorite Christmas CD.  *makes puppydog eyes*
I don't see how one could not like Orla Fallon, anyway.  Especially if she's singing What Child is This.

Ooh, here's some trivia about the song.  We all know that What Child is This shares a tune with Greensleeves, but did you know that Greensleeves actually came first?  I don't know who turned it into a Christmas carol, actually.  It's popularly believed that King Henry VIII of England wrote Greensleeves, but that is not proved, and I don't want to believe that one of my lovely Christmas carols is based on something written by that horrible monarch.

Well, happy Gaudete Sunday, and be good until Christmas!

PS - I'm labeling this Song Saturday.  Just pretend today was yesterday.
PPS - If you're confused about the whole "Gaudete" thing, or if you want to hear Anuna's version of the song by that name, visit my mom's post for today.