The 12 Days of [Christmas songs before] Christmas is a semester break special borrowing from the traditional 12 Days of Christmas (that occur after December 25th). The point is to get you into the spirit of the season by recommending one song per day leading up to Christmas. Members of Camp Realist couldn’t decide whether to go iconic, popular, memorable, or classic. So we narrowed the list down to a bit of each.
Comments are always welcomed. If you have a better version of the song, let me know. Do enjoy and sing along if you’d like! Or if any special memory is associated with the song, feel free to leave a reply.
8 Days before Christmas:
A rather quick tune you might say, but an appropriate one by a prolific artist from the past. Sure I coulda gone with another tune he sang, like Holly Jolly Christmas, but Camp Realist decided on this one. Hope your tree of life is decorated with of silver and gold this holiday season.
Burl Ives, or ‘Big Daddy‘, was all about folk songs. To learn more about him, go here and pick from any of the listed categories.
Bit o’ clarification on the tunes, per PhiloDave’s post:
– No need to apologize for the interruption, ’tis I who am interrupting your regular Lounge posts and ’tis I who am humbly thankful for the opportunity. Lookin’ forward to your posts, phD.
– This time around, it ain’t a top 12 list. These songs are in no particular order of least to most favorite. Perhaps, in order of most appropriate, in terms of lyrics, for Christmas as we get closer to the date, but that’s all.
Don’t worry, you’ll see no Pat Boone, but can I ask why not? Could it be for similar reasons that Karen Carpenter will not be seen?
Not sayin’ I don’t like your recommendations, PhiloDave’s; or your request, hellokitty’s . Diggin’ em! Keep them coming.
The Harold Lounge 
One word: “Raycess”
f the holiday season is about the spirit of generosity and wonder and all that jazz, Pat Boone (and the rest of the black music thieves and co-opters) seem out of place.
And then there’s this, wherein he likens President Obama (and his appointees) to vermin and advocates for extermination. Uncool. Definitely un-christmassy.
Got it, PhiloDave.
I’ll keep my ears and eyes open. If an inappropriate artist makes it through, feel free to let me know.
I recognize this list is limited in scope and to be honest, I’ve been revising the list prior to every post to be a bit more eclectic and hopefully diverse.
The primary goal is to focus on the spirit of Christmas, (as you state, generosity, wonder, and all that jazz) that 12 songs can encompass. Yes, it’s the equivalent of going to the lakefront, filling a glass with a sample of lake water and calling it Lake Michigan in a cup. I recognized that from the start. However, a cup of Lake Michigan water is still more than nothing, and that’s my premise for these Christmas posts. I’ll make mistakes along the way and I’ll be the first to acknowledge my ignorance if any peep wants to be the Ghost of Christmas Future to my Ebenezer Scrooge.
Thanks for sharing. It fulfills the mission of The Lounge and gives me an opportunity to learn and enjoy these days even more.
(BTW, I may continue to make changes to all of the remaining tunes. All but the final selection. Not because of your words, although it may appear so, and not because I’m out to be politically correct, but because a bit of what we discussed in the past, formally and informally, has shaped what I do now. The final song on the 24th will be what it will be and was my choice from the start. Call it coincidence when it posts.)
Sorry if the list isn’t more diverse. I welcome your recommendations and anyone else who wants to match each day’s choice with an equally good selection for Christmas.
Giving and receiving is part of all that Christmas jazz, right?
As always, you have free reign, Realist–may a thousand flowers bloom, and all that.
If you’d posted Pat Boone, you’d have gotten nothing but a raspberry/bronx cheer from me since, as you know, there are many things I like that were the works of (otherwise) horrifically racist and sexist and all manner of bad-ist people.
As for the rest–your list, your choices; de gustibus non est disputandum. Certainly don’t change anything for me. I’m enjoying the show!
This one is not on the list, but after reading your reply and doing some surfing, one link led to another and I am glad to say that I’m aware of one more Christmas tune:
Horns!!
Love this one.