← The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
The Fr. Mike Schmitz Catholic Podcast
The BEST and WORST Christmas Songs (w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz)
00:07:14
Fr. Mike shares his favorite — and least favorite — Christmas songs 🎄 Find out which ones he loves enough to sing all year, which he calls manipulative, and which he flat-out labels a pile of trash!
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I like getting passionate about things I like. I really like getting fiery about things I don't like. So here's the top three least favorite Christmas songs. Number one. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and this is Ascension Presents. And this is a Christmas coat. We're going to start with the good Christmas song. Number one. Not a Christmas song, but just an Advent song. It's called O Come, O Come Emanuel. And there are three versions that are amazing, insane, ridiculous. Insamu Less. I love almost every version. Number one. Counting. I was Counting Crows. No. Casting Crowns. Casting crowns. Okamo Kom Emanuel. It's just like cello, violin. It is so good. Number two, Stephen Curtis Chapman. Oh, come on. Come Emanuel, you guys. It's a little new rendition of it. So, so good. And then lastly is Mannheim Steamroller, Venny Vinny Emanuel. All three of those versions. So just like, incredible, great. Love listening all of the time. I could listen probably to all three of those all year round. And that's number one. Number two, there's a great Christmas album by Cassing Crowns. And there is a song they have, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. They put it into, like, a key, and so it's just. It's so good. Because I didn't realize that that song was so profound. In fact, I think I made a video about it a couple years ago of just like the. The. The declaration of faith. In the midst of this broken world and suffering and violence and war and us hurting each other, that sense of death isn't half the last word. And evil and sin don't have the last word, but God has the last word. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. I particularly like that version by Casting Crowns. Next one up, the thing. Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant. Now, I don't know if I'm dating myself at this point when I say Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant, but it' just. It's so good. It's a song from the perspective of Mary in this uncertainty. One of the things that I think we sometimes forget is that in Luke chapter one, when the angel comes to Mary and declares that here's what God's plan is for her life, and she says, be it done. It's me according to thy word. It then says, then the angel departed from her. And that sense of like, yeah, there would be an uncertainty. There would be so much, so many questions. And so this. God, be near me. So I would pray that song so many times in high school, college, beyond where it's just, okay, God, just be with Me. Be with me now. Be with me now is one of the refrains that happens a couple times. So good. I'm going to mention some albums right now. Stephen Curtis Chapman Christmas album. Michael W. Smith Christmas album. Again Dating Myself, the first two Amy Grant Christmas albums. So good. Barbra Streisand Christmas album. My mom would play that all of the time in the days leading up to Christmas and beyond Christmas. And it's so good. She sings both Ave Maria and the Lord's Prayer, which is great, but it just. It reminds me of my mom. So do all, like Andy Williams Christmas or Bing Crosby Christmas. There is a song that I will sing all of the time, Walking in a Winter Wonderland. Because you can sing it when it's not Christmas, because it's always snowing here in Northern Minnesota. And so it could be October. And if it snows, I'm like, I can sing this Christmas song because it's not about Christmas, it's about winter wonderlands. White Christmas is a beloved Christmas song for me because I love the movie. We watch the movie virtually every year as a family. And so Bing Crosby, just the crooner, does such a great, incredible job. Back in the day, there was that group of British musicians who came together and they sang the song that we created, the song. Do they Know It's Christmas? For Live Aid, maybe. Was it for Live Aid? We had the little LP or like, you know, the small record. And I listened to that thing all of the time. I remember listening to the song and when they're asking the question, do they know it's Christmas? I remember being just convicted by a. Do they know about Jesus? The people, wherever off in the world, this is Africa in particular. Do they know about Jesus? Secondly, that Matthew, chapter 25, which is, you know, I was hungry and you fed me. I was naked and you clothed me. And it was that sense of like, here's the people who are starving, people who are in need. And just singing about that was. Was like, yeah, it really pierced my heart. Now, keep in mind, it doesn't really do a lot of good to just stir up feelings of sympathy and not doing anything about it. And I remember at the time, I was like, I was. I kind of think I'm just kind of stirring up feelings of sympathy, but I'm not actually taking action. Real Christian life is faith in action. We have the. Obviously, I like Silent Night. Obviously, I like oh, Holy Night. Josh Groban does a great job. I think Celine Dion or other people do a great job. And people do a great job with that song. They also have some funny, not great jobs with that song. All that being said, I really wanted to get to my top three least favorite Christmas songs because this is where I really get passionate. I like getting passionate about things I like. I really like getting fiery about things I don't like. So here's the top three least favorite Christmas songs. Number one is actually a song that in the uk, I think has been the number one Christmas song for two years in a row. I. I don't. Don't quote me on this, but in the uk, they love George Michael and Last Christmas. Now you might be like, oh, my gosh, you hate that song. Yes, I hate that song. Like, loathe that song. It is not only a horrible song, it also is not a Christmas song. It also is an earworm. So I don't like the song, it's not a Christmas song. And it gets stuck in my head and you can't get it out of your head. It's the earworming it takes lodge all. The only mention of Christmas is last Christmas I gave you my heart. The very next day you gave it away. It's a sad, breakupy kind of song. It's not Christmas. Father, are you saying if Last Christmas isn't a Christmas song, does that mean Die Hard is not a Christmas movie? Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. No, Die Hard is completely a Christmas movie. If it just referenced Christmas, that would not be a Christmas movie, but happens during Christmas. Clearly a Christmas movie in the Greatest Christmas Story Ever told. Die Hard. So, George Michael, I'm glad you exist. It's good that you exist. I don't like your song. Although I did hear that he. He does. He plays all of the instruments and does all the parts in that song that he owns the whole entirety of that song. Like even the jingle bells. He did that again. Good. That's a great project. I don't like the song. Number two, Christmas Shoes. Don't like Christmas Shoes. You know that song I'm Going to Buy these Shoes for Mama, Please. Here's why I don't like it because it gives me this thing in my throat where I start getting choked up and it's completely manipulative. The song is, it's Christmas Eve and in the store behind me, there's this little boy and he wants to buy shoes for his mom, who's actively dying in this moment. And I want my mom to have these good shoes on when she meets Jesus tonight. And then at the end of the song, these, like, child choir comes in, I want to buy these shoes. And so it's like, okay, I get it. Pulls on your heartstrings. It is manipulative. It's cruel. I don't like it. The last song of my least favorite, top three least favorite Christmas songs, Paul McCartney. I get it. He was one of the Beatles. But simply Having a wonderful Christmas time. I heard that this might not be true. I heard that he wrote that song because he's like, I can write a Christmas classic. I can write a Christmas hit. And then he sat down and just churned out that pile of trash. Sorry. Clearly, I'm getting very fiery and feisty and worked up about this. I mean, it's all in good fun. So, of course, all these people who made these songs, they're great. I'm sure the songs themselves are just fine. I. I'm just getting worked up. But that last song I don't like is Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time. It's just like it is. Oh, it's sing songy. Okay, whatever. Trash. Anyways, those are some I don't like. Preceded by some I really do like. Anyways, from all of us here at Ascension, presents, Blessed Advent, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, God Bless.