Cookie Music: Sounds of the Season

Khalil and his best pal Alyssa create a holiday playlist to bake to and debate the finer points of Christmas music magic.

By Khalil Hymore

I can always count on my friend Alyssa to accompany me on many a "nerdy" outing. Like running to Michaels or Jo-Ann's fabrics for crafting supplies, searching the shelves at K-Mart and Macy's for Martha Stewart Christmas ornaments, or coming over for a holiday bake-a-thon.

I can always count on my friend Alyssa to accompany me on many a "nerdy" outing. Like running to Michaels or Jo-Ann's fabrics for crafting supplies, searching the shelves at K-Mart and Macy's for Martha Stewart Christmas ornaments, or coming over for a holiday bake-a-thon.

Cooking with Alyssa is a lot of fun. She is super-smart (she majored in Math in college--MATH! Who majors in math? Smart people, that's who) and super-crafty (oh, and by the way she just added a masters degree masters in fashion and textile history from FIT to that math degree!), and is a brilliant cook, especially when she channels her Italian roots. In fact, I usually defer to her for all things pasta.  

Every December she and I set aside some time for some good old fashion holiday fun. This year I insisted on a day of cookies and Christmas carols. What is Christmas without an afternoon of cookie baking? I got up early and put on a big pot of my Rosemary-White Bean Soup, and prepped my kitchen for a day of mixing, rolling, and icing.

Another passion of Alyssa's is music--mostly Indie rock with a dash of bluegrass and Ella Fitzgerald thrown in for good measure, so I insisted that she bring her iPod. Like me, she also has a rockin' collection of Christmas tunes (my exclusive music of choice for the entire month of December). So, I figured that a little a battle of the bands...or bakers, so to speak, was in order. I asked Alyssa to name her top 5 Christmas songs to see how it stacked up to mine and to find out if Christmas cookies taste better when you play (um, and sing?) Christmas carols while you bake them (I think they do!).

Alyssa's Jams:

Merry Christmas, Darling - The Carpenters
"I like to think that if Karen Carpenter ever tasted one of our Christmas cookies, things might have gone differently for her--a sweet voice for such a sweet time of year."
 
What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder
"If you're like me and you like to dance while you cook, clean, craft, and decorate--it doesn't get much better than this one!"
 
Oh Holy Night
"Fall on your knees for this Christmas classic! No matter who is singing it, this song almost always brings a little tear to my eye... even when I'm furiously searching all of Banana Republic for that sweater that's on sale in my brother's size--which they never have!"
 
Dominic the Donkey - Lou Monte
"My big Italian family loves this song, but unless you grew up in the New York area, you've probably never heard it. Spend the 99 cents on iTunes and you'll forever be 'Eehaw! Eehaw!'-ing along!"
 
Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band
"A lot of holiday songs are about the two "big guys" of Christmas, but this song speaks to what Christmas is really about--sharing happiness and peace, which is all we really need."
 
Khalil's Hits:

I Saw Three Ships A Sailing - The Chieftains
"This song is so Dickensian. It makes me want to ditch the cookies and steam a pudding instead! Plus, The Chieftains are awesome--where's my pint of Guinness?"

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) - Alvin and the Chipmunks
"When my sister and I were little we would listen to this song over and over on Christmas morning. It's kitschy, it's fun, but it's also kind of timeless."

Christmas Time is Here - Vince Guaraldi
"I like to think that there is a little bit of Charlie Brown in all of us. This is not a big in your face Christmas number. Its quiet and contemplative, and I love that."

Silent Night - Cyndi Lauper
"Who knew Cyndi Lauper would have one of the best Christmas albums out there? Her rendition of Silent Night is so beautiful and really poignant."

Auld Lang Syne - Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis
"Think what you want about the 'Sex and The City Movie' but the montage of Carrie racing through the streets of New York City on a snowy New Year's Eve to cheer up a depressed Miranda before the ball drops in Times Square to this tune is powerful enough to melt the Grinch-iest of hearts."