In a recent Ascension Presents video, Father Mike Schmitz breaks his silence on his favorite–and least favorite–Christmas songs.
1) First on the list is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
Father Mike explains that while there are many versions out there, three versions specifically resonate with him.
The video below is one of his favorite versions, “Veni Veni (O Come O Come Emanuel)” by Mannheim Steamroller:
2) Second on his list of favorites is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Casting Crowns.
His love for this song in particular has a deeper meaning.
“...the declaration of faith in the midst of this broken world and suffering and violence and war and us hurting each other. The sense of death doesn’t have the last word, and evil and sin don’t have the last word, but God has the last word,” he explains.
3) Father Mike’s third favorite Christmas song is Amy Grant’s “Breath of Heaven.”
“It’s a song from the perspective of Mary in this uncertainty,” he explains.
He references the Annunciation in the first chapter of Luke, and the sense of uncertainty within Mary that presumably followed the angel’s departure. He also admits in the video that he prayed his own version of this song during times of uncertainty in his life.
4) Next is “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” which he explains is nearly a year-round song for him in Northern Minnesota.
Here is Bing Crosby's version:
5) "White Christmas" makes number five on his song list.
Here's the song, also by Bing Crosby:
6) Number six is a song titled “Do They Know It’s Christmas” by Band Aid.
He shares a touching memory with the audience, telling his experience of listening to the song growing up.
“It really pierced my heart,” he says.
7 & 8) The final two are the absolute classics– “Silent Night” and “O Holy Night.”
No explanation needed, really!
Here's Josh Groban's version of "O Holy Night":
And Josh Groban's version of "Silent Night":
Then, Father Mike lists his top three least favorite Christmas songs.
This is where, he explains, he gets passionate.
1) First up on his list of least favorite Christmas songs is “Last Christmas.”
“It is not only a horrible song, it also is not a Christmas song,” he explains.
At this point in the video, he also passionately mentions that Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie.
2) Next on his list of least favorites is “Christmas Shoes.”
“Pulls on your heartstrings,” Father Mike says.
If you’ve never heard of this one, take a quick listen:
3) The last one on the list is Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”
He concludes the video, reminding the audience that making this list was all in good fun, and while the people who made these songs are great, the songs themselves are a little questionable.