Christmas and Sufjan Stevens' Christmas Songs

You know it's Christmas when, it's cold and grey and rainy outside, but inside, on account of someone's early morning spritz of DKNY's "Be Delicious" and someone else's grande Starbucks itsredagain! toffee nut latte, the office lift smells deliciously of toffee apple; and in the fridge, all manner of ribbon-wrapped packages from The Patissier and Cedele and Canele and Hot Fuschia (yay, Lish!) and Harrods and Fauchon; and spilling off tables and onto shelves and all about the floor, wicker-basket hampers of wine and fruit cake and chocolate and gingerbread and jars of cookies; and amongst clusters of friends, turkey and stuffing recipes are bantered about; and over many a deli counter, where legs of honey-glazed ham are reserved, there is the promise of rousing good parties to come; and everywhere, baubles, garlands, bottles of bubbly tucked under arms, good cheer and carolling. And best of all, you know it's Christmas when, pottering down supermarket aisles, you can sing praises to God (said carols do not include the words "Santa", "winter", "yuletide", "snow" or "reindeer") and complete strangers smile and hum along in tune; and whilst swotting Luke 24, the post-gym chaps having a coffee at the next table earnestly debate the Resurrection.

(You know it's Christmas in Singapore when you almost run over a gaggle of jaywalkers who've suddenly halted in their dangerous trek across the crowded slippery dark Orchard Road to stand in the middle of the street and capture, on their mobile phone cameras, the fire at Tangs.)

So.

Hot, like mulled wine, on the heels of the end of a painful yet joyfully encouraging youth camp, the season's partying starts tomorrow night (even if it is with a bunch of outrageous intrepid journalists (ed: even if said journalists have a predilection for liquid diets - notably Pan Pacific's Keyaki Bar saketinis, thoroughly confusing pubescent waiters, Scottish accents, suicide-inducing Doris Lessing, and, at the same time, kitschy blinking LED Christmas tree brooches)) and ends past the New Year.

But first.

Hold on to your stockings (Christmas, not fishnet). For the indie kid out there (the all of one of you); for you who won't hurl your eggnog on the carpet, here're banjos, oboes, Casiotones, glockenspiels, ukeleles, crappy guitars, hand claps, sleigh bells, Hammond organs, a frail tottery voice, a throw of tinsel and a sprinkling of exclamations, here's Sufjan I'm-not-CCM-I-just-happen-to-be-Christian ("God'll Never Let You Down", "Woman At The Well") (as opposed to Cat) Stevens:

Yes, the look is parmesan, cheddar and gruyere.

Noel: Songs for Christmas, Vol. I (recorded December 2001)
1. Silent Night
2. O Come O Come Emmanuel
3. We're Goin' To the Country!*
4. Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming
5. It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad!*
6. Holy Holy, etc.
7. Amazing Grace

Hark!: Songs for Christmas, Vol. II (recorded December 2002)
1. Angels We Have Heard on High
2. Put the Lights on the Tree*
3. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
4. I Saw Three Ships
5. Only at Christmas Time*
6. Once in Royal David’s City
7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
8. What Child Is This Anyway?
9. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella

Ding! Dong!: Songs for Christmas, Vol. III (recorded December 2003)
1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
2. Come on! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!*
3. We Three Kings
4. O Holy Night
5. That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!*
6. Ding! Dong!*
7. All the King’s Horns*
8. The Friendly Beasts
(thanks to drop7)

Joy: Songs for Christmas, Vol. IV (recorded December 2005)
1. The Little Drummer Boy
2. Away In A Manger
3. Hey Guys! It’s Christmas Time!*
4. The First Noel
5. Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)*
6. The Incarnation*
7. Joy To The World

Peace: Songs for Christmas, Vol. V (recorded June 2006)
1. Once in Royal David’s City
2. Get Behind Me, Santa!*
3. Jingle Bells
4. Christmas in July*
5. Lo! How A Rose E’er Blooming
6. Jupiter Winter*
7. Sister Winter*
8. O Come O Come Emmanuel
9. Star of Wonder*
10. Holy, Holy, Holy
11. The Winter Solstice*

* denotes original songs by Sufjan Stevens © 2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

(Blue Collar's collection here. Asthmatic Kitty's stream here)

...and also Majesty, Snowbird from his next album.

(Songs slapped together by the good man and sent round to his friends over the last 5 years. Said friends subsequently shared the joy on the net. Messy copyright-royalties situation, really. Some are up for a limited period. Buy the CDs if you like 'em.)

It's great, innit, to be able to celebrate Christ's birth?