Friday Fave: James Taylor at Christmas

Today is Friday! For many of you who work or teach in a school, this is probably your last day before the holiday break. If that's you, hooray! My school has one more day in session (Monday) before a two-week break, and as much as I love it here, I have to say that the vacation will be nice.

I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: I love Christmas music. And when it comes to the sounds of the season, I'm not biased at all - I will listen to anything the all-Christmas radio stations play. But of course I do have my favorites...the aforementioned Carpenters' Christmas Portrait, Bette Midler's Cool Yule, Christmas With the Rat Pack, and today's featured Friday Fave, James Taylor at Christmas.

James Taylor is a music legend, and one of my very favorites any day of the year. "Your Smiling Face" makes my heart happy every time I hear it, as do most of his songs (except "Fire and Rain", which makes me a little teary). So when I discovered his Christmas CD a couple years ago, I just had to add it to my collection. It's soulful, jazzy, and just plain good...the kind of music that makes you want to curl up in a cozy chair in front of the fire with a big mug of hot chocolate.

My go-to track (which I included on a compilation holiday CD I made for all my students this year) is "Go Tell it On the Mountain". It makes me feel warm and fuzzy every time I hear it, and I love the gospel choir that accompanies him. To listen to a sample of this song and all the others, go here.

That's all, folks. Today is a double-post day, so stay tuned for another song that will be sure to get your kids talking...about Christmas!