Christmas Music 2020: Sandra McCracken With a New Classic

One of the special pleasures of December is discovering new Christmas music. This year I found several gems:

Christmas, Hopefully by Bear's Den - This is a melancholy take on Christmas during the time of Covid, with a beautiful melody and a vocal style that perfectly captures this challenging moment. 

I love the idea of confiding in the quiet winter.

Morning breaks

It's a sobering take

But I'm here, you are not again

This time of year, I usually lean on

My closest friends, secretly hoping

That you'll be coming back here ...

I am strong

And I belong

To this world

And if I cannot belong to anyone

Then I'll confide

In the quiet winter, light a gathering

And I hope you find some peace of mind

This Christmas, hopefully

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman by Sara Groves - I discovered this song on a Spotify playlist called Christmas hymns. Groves reworks the melody in a distinctive, beautiful way, and there is a great interlude of strings to mix things up. She is a Christian musician who does not appear to be currently recording, but I intend to listen to some of her other music.

Sandra McCracken

Hark the Herald Angels Sing by Sandra McCracken - Speaking of listening to more music: Sandra McCracken is definitely my favorite musical find of all. Her voice is just wonderful -- she reminds me of someone from the 1990s whose name eludes me just now, but it's almost otherworldly in the tone and phrasings. It's hard to imagine finding a rendition of Hark that I like as much as this one (though I'll certainly keep looking, in Decembers to come!).

Bonus song: O Come All Ye Faithful by Weezer - T has absolutely loved the guitars, the drums, and Weezer's unique vocal style. Big brother is not nearly as enamored, but the family is certain to return to this one in the future!