Holiday soundtrack

♪♫♪ Text me merry Christmas, let me know you care / Just a word or two of text from you will remind me you’re still there ♥

Every year, the moment that Thanksgiving ends, it seems that Christmas cheer bombards the entire world of consumerism. Now that I’m older and have things like exams and other obligations to worry about, it’s not as easy to get into the holiday mood as it was before, when I was younger and had all the time to window shop and watch holiday movie marathons on television. But one thing that I actually really love — that I know a good number of my friends really loathe — is holiday music.

And I completely understand why anyone could be averse to holiday music — it’s repetitive, plagues the radio for about a month and a half straight, and you have to deal with other people griping about it too — but I can’t help but sing along and just love the uplifting mood it puts me in, even if those around me don’t feel the same way.

I love the old classics (and all the creative, lovely covers of them by popular artists on radio and YouTube) like Silent Night, Auld Lang Syne, Greensleeves, Silver Bells, Angels We Have Heard On High…the list goes on and on.

The song O Holy Night holds a special place in my heart forevermore. Whenever I hear the song, I always think of the time when I was playing holiday music on piano at Rush University Hospital. When I took HON 201: Music Therapy and Music Medicine as a sophomore, I spent some time volunteering there by playing music. When the holidays came around, I started looping through classic Christmas music because the patients really love it, and I enjoy playing it as well. I’ll always remember one elderly woman’s soft yet strong voice ring out from the corner of the room — “Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices!” — something new and unexpected. With each following song, she sang a little bit louder and with more cheer, and I think that’s the greatest motivation any musician could get. Later on, the nurses told me that they were awestruck at the sound of her voice, since she spent most of her time in melancholy silence. It brightened my entire day thinking what a little bit of music did for her.

So yes, when it comes to classic Christmas music, I probably have more favorite songs than songs I don’t like. But if anyone needs some suggestions for songs “outside” of the typical classics…here are just a couple! Take a listen…some of them are just very soothing and lovely, even disregarding all holiday-related lyrics. And probably the most recent one of the list, Text Me Merry Christmas by Straight No Chaser featuring Kristen Bell, is simply hilarious.

• In Like a Lion (Always Winter) – Reliant K
• Winter Moon – Mindy Gledhill
• December – Norah Jones
• Pretty Paper – Emmy Rossum
• Baby It’s Cold Outside – Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé

Happy holidays! I hope wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you’re surrounded by people who love you.

♥ Text me merry Christmas, make my holiday complete / Though you’re far from me, say you’ll brb, that’s a text I’ll never delete ♪♫♪

(Text Me Merry Christmas – Straight No Chaser feat. Kristen Bell)

Sarah Lee is a junior studying neuroscience and Russian in the GPPA Medicine program at UIC. She’s still trying to figure out exactly what she wants to do, but some of  life goals include running a marathon, exploring Eastern Europe and becoming fluent in Russian. In her free time, she loves running, playing piano and guitar, and reading. A Naperville native, Sarah is a peer mentor in the Courtyard residence hall.