Music does bring us joy.  We listen to it, sing it, perform it, stand in awe of it.  Whether we are musicians or not, there is a place in our hearts for music.  The holidays are no different.  I love using music in many ways during the holidays: as we decorate our tree I like to play my favorite Glenn Miller Christmas CD, In the Christmas Mood, as we tidy up the house the kids love some of those traditional Christmas sing-along songs.  In the classroom, I keep my Charlie Brown Christmas CD handy as it has beautiful, relaxing jazz piano music featuring the Vince Guaraldi trio and at home, late at night as I bake cookies or wrap presents, I turn to my favorite hard rock music to keep me going!  (ok… That’s not holiday music, but it’s totally necessary for me at Christmastime!)

What is it about music?  It’s the creation of atmosphere, the expression of joy and the celebration of our culture.  What would this season be without it? Even if you can’t stand the music as a whole, there is usually that one song that just hits the spot. For me, it’s O Holy Night and the instrumental version of Sleigh Ride: two completely different feelings that come alive during the season. (To hear these and other great holiday songs, scroll to the end of this post.)

As the last days before the holiday break scurry by, I must remember that all these crazy things we do both in and out of school, are because we are expressing our joy and I need to pause and enjoy them.

These are the things we should be sharing with our students and families.

Now, I have two little gifts for you.

The first is a great site I want to share that has links to a variety of traditional and fun Christmas songs.  Each link plays the song as well as gives the story about the artist and/or song along with fun graphics.  I hope you enjoy it!

And secondly, please enjoy this short playlist of great holiday music to play in your classroom at certain times in your day. (Or at home just for you and your family!) This is the Spotify link to

The Inspired Classroom’s Holiday Playlist

Use the playlist:

• As students are entering your room and getting settled.
• As students are working on a holiday craft or art project.
• At snack time.
• As students are cleaning up the room.
• As you sit quietly alone for that one precious moment before your day begins or when it has ended.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Beethoven’s Birthday! Happy New Year!