The 12 CDs of Christmas

Our Advent boxes don't only contain our beloved books. On the 12th Day of Christmas, everything gets packed away - book basket; Nativity; decorations, tree, movies - and music.

When the much anticipated "Opening of the Advent Boxes" arrives on the weekend prior to Advent, we ooh and ah over the wreath and decorations, we breathe in the smell of the Crabtree and Evelyn Noël candles - yes, our home is 'redolent with the warm, spicy blend of freshly cut balsam, cranberry and orange', filling our Australian home with the joyous scent of a European Christmas... and argue over which of our favourite CDs will grace the player first.

Mostly I win...I'm not proud of that...

I've been inspired by The Headmistress' post to put together our family's 12 favourite Christmas CDs. The Advent box contains more that 12, of course - this is just teaching me restraint...

Hmmm, I think our collection is as inconsistently eclectic as the Headmistress' collection. Nevertheless, here goes:

1. Brightest Morning - Christmas Music of Peace and Tranquillity- A compilation of Christmas music from the popular Breakfast programme on ABC Classic FM, presented by Guy Noble.



2. Perfect Day - More Christmas Music of Peace and Tranquillity - the sequel to 2000's Christmas hit Brightest Morning, once again from ABC Classics and in particular the ABC Classic FM's Breakfast programme.



3. Glorious Night - More Christmas Music of Peace and Tranquillity - A Brightest Morning followed by a Perfect Day must be followed by a Glorious Night - the third and final in the trilogy.



4. Essential Carols - The Very Best of King's College Choir, Cambridge - A double CD packed with Christmas carols and ending with Vaughan Williams' wonderful Fantasia on Christmas Carols.



5. Silent Night - A Treasury of Christmas Carols and Hymns - a treasury of traditional and most loved Christmas Carols, including Silent Night, Away in a Manger and In the Bleak Midwinter by Cantillation, the wonderful Sydney-based Chamber music group. Christmas choral music at its most sublime.



6. Classic Carols for Christmas - This superb collection includes all our favourites, from Silent Night and Away in a Manger to O Come, All Ye Faithful and Once in Royal David’s City, and features some of the finest voices in the world, including Bryn Terfel, Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa, Teddy Tahu Rhodes and Renée Fleming. It also includes 4 of John Wheeler's Australian classics: Carol of the Birds; The Silver Stars are in the Sky; Christmas Day and The Three Drovers.



7. And Winter Came - the new one by Celtic singer, Enya - a recent and much enjoyed addition to the family basket.



8. A Celtic Season - Various artists - A beautiful album but I can't find it on the web to link to...



9. An Australian Christmas - I've just blogged about this one! Featuring the Sydney Philharmonia Motet Choir, one of Australia’s favourite choirs, this album is bound to inspire any carol lover to sing along.



10. A French Christmas - The Metropolitan Museum of Art - available from the Metropolitan Mueum of Art shop in Melbourne Central. Featuring legendary vocalists like Edith Piaf and Metropolitan Museum performers the Vienna Choir Boys, A French Christmas includes a range of styles, from carols and café songs to French renditions of popular tunes. We really like this CD...



11. An Australian Christmas - not to be confused with number 8, this is one for the kids with Aussie classics like Six White Boomers, Aussie Jingle Bells and The Three Drovers. Fun and not too terrible for the adults...



12. A Midwinter Night's Dream by the ethereal Loreena McKennitt - a new expansion, by eight tracks, of her five-track 1995 EP A Winter Garden.

The Headmistress has also introduced me to Reuge music boxes...maybe a very bad thing...

Have a listen here

Thou shalt not covet; thou shalt not covet; thou shalt not covet...