Their favorite Christmas songs

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light.

From now on our troubles

Will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make your Yuletide gay.

From now on our troubles

Will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore.

Precious friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more.

Through the years we all will be together

If the fates allow.

Hang a shining star

Upon the highest bow.

And have yourself

A merry little Christmas now.

That song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (sung by Judy Garland in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis), never fails to turn me misty-eyed, with a lump dribbling in my throat. It makes me want to cry, especially the line”Through the years we all will be together if the fates allow” because it graphically shows that we don’t control our lives, Somebody Else does, and we can plan and plan for all we care but, sob and sigh, things will come true only if the fates allow.

That’s my favorite Christmas song. What’s yours?

I asked some of my favorite singer-friends about theirs. Here they are:

•  SHARON CUNETA: It’s so hard to pick just one song. So let me go back to when I was happiest and life was so simple — my childhood. In our maternal and grandparents’ homes, the Jackson 5 and Ray Coniff Christmas albums were “boss.” Hearing them play would make the already nippy air seem a bit cooler, aromas of the yummy feasts (yes, plural — almost every day during the season in the Cuneta household — and in each of the few days leading up to Christmas Eve at Lolo and Lola’s was a never-ending buffet of sorts!) wafting from the kitchen much more appetizing, and smiles and kisses and hugs exchanged more often!

•  GRETCHEN BARRETTO: Land of the Loving. It will let you know best how true love can keep you alive in bliss.

•   JOSE MARI CHAN: O Holy Night. It describes in words and music a clear image of that glorious night 2,000 years ago when Our Lord was born. The music simply lifts my soul.

•  TIRSO CRUZ III: I like several Christmas songs, but the best is still White Christmas simply because it brings me back to my youthful years and makes me believe in hope, happiness and love, and the pureness of good tidings from the heart for people.

•   JAMIE RIVERA: My Life is in Your Hands written and composed by Kathy Trocolli. I like it because it reminds me to get rid of useless worries and that God knows all our needs.

•  JESSA ZARAGOZA: Jingle Bells, because of its simplicity. It reminds me of the time when I was growing up. I know that Christmas is for everyone but it’s most special in the eyes of a child.

•  CLAIRE DELA FUENTE: I’ll Be Home For Chrtistmas, because it’s so heart-warming and very promising. Di ba pangako ‘yon na babalik ka sa Pasko? Also, it’s very memorable for me as a mother kasi on my Christmas album ka-duet ko ang anak kong si Rafael, as if I waited my whole life for it to happen. Listening to your son singing professionally with you is so fulfilling.

•  DINGDONG AVANZADO: Hark The Herald, because of the melody and the message of the song — the real meaning of Christmas. We should rejoice over the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It’s so majestic especially when sung by a choir.

•   KARYLLE: Give Love on Christmas Day. I sang it with my mom (Zsa Zsa Padilla) on Kuya Germs’ GMA Supershow. It was my first time to sing with my mom. It’s very memorable. Plus, I’ve always believed in its message — no greater gift is there than love.

•   OGIE ALCASID: Thankful by Josh Groban. It reminds me of the many blessings that God has been giving me and my family through the years.

•  GARY VALENCIANO: 1) Handels Messiah, simply because when I hear it, it sparks or ignites the spirit of Christmas in me even when the season is over. 2) Merry Christmas Darling by The Carpenters. When I hear it I can’t help but remember my brothers and sisters, my mom and my dad, and the way we used to spend Christmas in Greenhills.

•   ERIK SANTOS: The Christmas Song — you know, chestnuts roasting on an open fire...Beautiful song. Masarap siyang kantahin.

•   LEO TAVARRO VALDEZ: O Holy Night. As a Christian, I feel deeply everytime I hear or sing it, especially with the lines “It is the night of our Saviour’s birth. Long lay the world in sin...Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth...” It conveys the real and true meaning of Christmas. As a singer, I like its melody which starts in a gentle prayer-like, solemn tone and progresses into one celebratory burst in the chorus and ends ever as gently as it started. It’s a beautiful and seemingly simple, beautiful song yet it’s quite challenging for a singer to sing. I never fail to get goosebumps whenever I sing it.

•  POPS FERNANDEZ: Among the local songs, Pasko Na Sinta Ko; among the foreign songs, My Grown-Up Christmas List. Whenever I hear them, I get a mixed feeling of sadness because of the lyrics and the music but I also feel hopeful because it’s Christmastime. Christmas always reminds me that there’s so much hope in our lives.

•  ZSA ZSA PADILLA: I’ll Be Home For Christmas, because I’m home sick now after I’ve been on (a US concert) tour for two months.

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