Friday Fave: The Carpenters at Christmas

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The Carpenters may have been before my time, but I have fully embraced their music thanks to my dad, a big fan himself. As I mentioned last week, one of my holiday traditions is listening to the album A Christmas Portrait, which the Carpenters released in 1978. I first heard the album as a freshman in high school, and I remember borrowing my dad’s copy of the CD and practically wearing it out that year. Now I have my own copy, and it remains my very favorite Christmas music ever.

This is one of the few CDs I can listen to over and over and never get bored…in fact, it’s been in my car CD player for the past three weeks. Richard’s arrangements are lush and beautiful, and Karen’s voice is stunning, really. Though I enjoy every song on the album, my favorite is “Sleigh Ride”.

Close runners-up are “Christmas Waltz”, “It’s Christmas Time” and “Merry Christmas, Darling”. You can listen to snippets of all the songs here, courtesy of Amazon. And the next time you hear one of these songs while you’re shopping at the mall or in your car listening to Christmas radio, think of me :)

That does it for this week’s Friday Fave. I have a busy but fun weekend to look forward to, which includes leading music activities at my church’s Breakfast with Santa and singing at the birthday party of one of my favorite three-year-olds, Samantha. Have a great weekend!

The Colors of the Season

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I love this time of year. Everyone is in a good mood, and there’s a sense of excitement and anticipation in the air, which makes even the extremely cold temperatures tolerable. When I was younger, my family used to drive around different neighborhoods and admire the Christmas lights and decorations, and I still enjoy doing so to this day.

There’s no doubt an abundance of red and green in your home, at the mall, in your workplace, and all around your city, and that is what today’s song is about.

Red and green are the colors of the season,
Red and green are the colors all around,
Red and green are the colors of the things we see,
All over the town.

We’ll start with red, R-E-D,
Red is the color of the things we see.
Like candy canes and berries and Santa’s clothes,
Poinsettias and drums and big red bows.

Red and green are the colors of the season,
Red and green are the colors all around,
Red and green are the colors of the things we see,
All over the town.

Next is green, G-R-E-E-N,
We see this color again and again.
Like Christmas trees and wreaths and mistletoe,
Wrapping paper, ornaments, and lights aglow.

Red and green are the colors of the season,
Red and green are the colors all around,
Red and green are the colors of the things we see,
All over the town.

You can make this song interactive by asking your students to identify objects in the classroom that are red and green, which – I can tell you from experience – kids love. Another idea: make pictures of each item in the song and have the children name them during the verses. Or insert your own red and green items to make the song unique.

The Last Month of the Year is December

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There was no question when I woke up this morning that it was December. All I had to do was see the thin layer of snow on the ground, and my suspicions were later confirmed when I ventured outside and was covered in the white stuff myself. December is here, ladies and gentlemen, and winter is not far behind!

So to kick off this twelfth month, here is a song all about these festive thirty-one days. Enjoy!

The last month of the year is December
It is number twelve, this we know
There are thirty one days and then the year is new
In December there’s so much for us to do.

The last month of the year is December
The air is cold and it may even snow
We’ll start to see all sorts of decorations
In all the different places that we go.

CHORUS

The last month of the year is December
There are many holidays to celebrate.
Some of my friends have Hannukah and Kwanzaa
Learning about traditions is so great.

CHORUS

The last month of the year is December
And our friends and family will soon arrive.
There’ll be trees and lights and cookies and some presents
‘Cause Christmas comes on day twenty-five.

CHORUS

The last month of the year is December
New Year’s Eve is on day thirty-one
We’ll stay up late and count down to midnight
Oh, isn’t December lots of fun!

Today begins a brand new batch of seasonal songs at school and in my students’ homes. I can’t wait to share them all with you over the next few weeks. But for now, enjoy the first day of December and if your weather is anything like mine, be careful out there!

It’s Holiday Time

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The holiday season is officially here! I skipped the crowds at the mall on Black Friday and instead spent the morning dragging the decorations out of the basement and putting up the Christmas tree with the help of my wonderful husband. Now that my house is full of holiday cheer, I decided that it’s time to spread a little bit of it here at Listen & Learn. After all, December begins tomorrow!

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

It’s time for giving,
Helping others and being kind.
It’s time for sharing,
Which will make you feel good inside.

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

It’s time for music,
Come on and ring your bell.
It’s time for carols,
Silent Night and The First Noel.

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

It’s time for parties,
Spending time with your family and friends.
It’s time for celebration,
Hope the laughter never ends.

It’s holiday time, so here is a rhyme,
For us all to sing together.
Spreading joy and good cheer,
This time of the year,
No matter how cold the weather.

I have lots of traditions to uphold in the coming weeks. Some of these include watching “White Christmas” about six dozen times, making homemade chex mix with my dad, singing along to the Carpenters’ “Christmas Portrait” album, and much more. What are your holiday traditions?

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Before Thanksgiving Day officially begins in my house, I wanted to take a second to share a few of the things that I am thankful for this year.

1. My Family
I am so lucky to have such a loving family on both my husband’s side and mine; they never stop supporting me in everything I do, and they truly are my biggest fans.

2. Music
I feel so blessed to have music in my life, and to be able to share it with others. The fact that I get to be musical all day long and get paid for it is just icing on the cake.

3. My Home
Zach and have lived in our house for nearly three years now, and sometimes I just look around and think, “wow, we’ve got it pretty good.” I never take that for granted.

4. You
No, really! I started this blog on a whim, never thinking that people would actually read it. Now I get emails from you, letting me know how you are able to adapt and use my songs in your classroom or with your students, and I truly appreciate each and every one of them. The fact that this has become an educational resource thrills me to no end, and I owe that to each and every reader. So thank you!

I hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving Day just as much as I know I will. See you back here soon!