Festive soundtrack favourites

Classical music has always been the most festive for me and instantly puts me in a jolly mood. Maybe it's being so involved with the choir at Christmas time when I was in primary school?
We used to have a special hotel event where we were invited to sing in a grand hall filled with biscuits, wreaths, dark ornate furniture, huge fireplaces and twinkling lights in front of groups of elderly people. I remember it being one of the most exciting aspects of Christmas for me!

From when we were sang to when we were little, to now, when we are the ones singing to others and passing our traditions once again down the line, it is a celebration of warmth, of log fires, of peace and goodwill, or remembrance and yet also one of nature and appreciation, filled with music. Here I have made a little compilation of my five favourite, dreamiest, most festive soundtracks - a little peek as to what is filling our flat this Christmas.

Orchard House, Little Women Soundtrack, Thomas Newman - This piece is so jolly, yet moving, really capturing that sense of hominess at Christmastime. For me, it heavily refers back to olden times and I feel as if I'm moving among the bustling, snowy streets with horses and carts loaded full of produce and coal for the winter, which is quite heart wrenching at the same time because those times are long gone. We remember them as we celebrate and create our own Christmastime, each and every year.

Pas De Deux, The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky - Again, an instrumental piece rather than one to be sung, this piece is so beautiful, reflective and I love the gentle highs and lows of the music. As the piece builds, it takes us on a journey; although quite mournful, the combination of all of the instruments together sounds especially festive to me.

In the Christmas Tree, The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky - this particular piece of music invites me in to the sitting room of Clara's house from The Nutcracker story, wreathed with decoration: elegant displays of candles, baubles, and trees filled with edible decorations. Snow whips past outside, fast in slush substance and then slowly in big, fat flakes. There are the ribboned gifts under the tree, under which the Nutcracker himself lies, bandaged with handkerchief. 

Scene and Waltz of the Snowflakes, The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky - In this next piece we are with Clara as she is tumbling in to another world, the Land of Snow, and the uncertainty she feels, thrown in to unfamiliar surroundings. There is a sense of urgency as events are happening quickly and we struggle to keep up. There is a great sense of peace and joy from 1.49 as the surroundings are indeed beautiful and we are caught in a flurry of snowflakes!

Walking in the Air, The Snowman, Howard Blake - Ahh such memories! Quite possibly the most magical soundtrack from my childhood at Christmastime, it always conjures up the story of The Snowman for me; that and the smell of log fires at my Grandma's house, being warm, snug and fed, away from the dark wilderness outside.

Many jazzies were eaten for the purpose of this post. Whether you have it playing on a winter jog or are shouting it from the rooftops *me*, what do you like to listen to at Christmas time?