Where were YOU one year ago?

One year ago today, I was on a plane to Namibia. In fact, I think we were an hour away from a stopover in Dakar, Senegal just about now.

My life was packed into two 50-pound suitcases and a backpack. I'd left behind more people and stuff than I cared to count. I met twelve new friends that day...friends to laugh with, friends to cry with...kindred spirits who understand the ins and outs of living in rural Namibia more than anyone else in my life. We were embarking on a three-week rollercoaster orientation that included copious fat cakes, kapana, too many bottles of Tall Horse, life stories, bugs in our beds, odd Namibian-style American meals, springbok births, and lots and lots of Yum Yum. We were preparing ourselves for teaching & living in the bush. We were saying goodbye to the comforts of America and the close proximity of friends & family who know us deeply. We were giving up quality cheese and ice cream and hot showers and short shorts and things too dear to mention.

Despite the challenges 2011 has presented, I wouldn't give it up. If I were stepping into December 28, 2010 again, I would still get on that plane with an overwhelmingly excited spirit and a few tears in my eyes. Here's to one year later...

If you just joined the blog and missed my posts from Namibia, you can still read them all in reverse order here or you can check out select photos here.

The Second Annual Christmas Pajama Party: Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

Aside from the best Hot Chocolate Bar to boot, the Second Annual Christmas Pajama Party included cookies upon cookies upon cookies. There were still several kinds that I planned on making, but never got around to! Thank goodness this is an annual party...I'll just save those for next year.

Our first platter of cookies was sent up for the party by Amy's mom. What a gift!

It included sugar cookies with green & red sprinkles, pizzelles, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. She also sent a bowl full of spiced pecans that were divine!

You know those chocolate cookies that are plump and look like they're cracked on top? I've been searching for weeks for the right recipe and have often ended up with cookies that were too hard or too cakey or just not right. Even good ol' Paula Deen's recipe failed me. But finally, the night before the party, I stumbled upon a great Chocolate Crackle Cookie recipe...hallelujah!

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp softened, unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
4 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Directions:
In a bowl, stir together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and blend in butter. Stir in egg and vanilla until mixture is blended. Stir in 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. Spread dough in a thin layer in a bowl and freeze for 15 minutes, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease baking sheet.

Put confectioners' sugar in a small bowl and dust hands. Roll each piece of dough into a small, gumball-sized ball and then in confectioners' sugar. Arrange balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until cookies are just set.

Another "cookie" that debuted at the party was the Kiss Pie. Even though it's called a pie, it's really just a fancy cookie. We try not to let it get too full of itself. These were so easy to make and delicious (if you don't forget to set the timer and burn them like we did with our first batch). The Kiss Pies are a great way to use up leftover Hershey Kisses or pie crusts that you may have from other holiday sweets & treats.

Kiss Pies

Ingredients:
2 store-bought, refrigerated pie crusts 
Hershey kisses (I used regular, but any kisses would work!)
1 egg white whisked with 1 tbsp water
Granulated and powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out pie dough onto a lightly floured countertop. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter (I used a drinking glass with a 2 1/2 inch mouth), cut out as many circles from the pie crust as you can. Continue cutting out circles until you use all the dough. Place one unwrapped Hershey Kiss in the middle of each circle and pinch four sides of the dough up to the top off the kiss. Make sure the edges seal in the middle so they don't burst open in the oven.

Brush all little pies with an egg white wash then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 20-28 minutes or until pies are golden. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes. Dust each with powdered sugar and serve.

Lastly, we made a glorified version of a precious dessert called "Untitled." We may have admitted that we finally went to far with this, but I think if we hadn't already eaten gobs of sweets by the time these came out of the oven, we would have loved it.

The tradition of making "Untitled" began in my freshman dorm at Vanderbilt. After weeks of baking Tollhouse break & bakes in the dirty community kitchen, we decided to take it a step further and make s'mores with our freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Untitled is, in its most basic form, a s'more made with chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers. It doesn't have an actual name because there simply is no name to justify how delicious it is.

At this year's party, we made Untitleds with break & bakes (after all this baking, I didn't have it in me to make homemade chocolate chip cookies), Kung Fu Mallows, and melted dark chocolate chips. My oh my, what a decadent take on Untitleds.

Untitled: Second Annual Christmas Pajama Party-Style

Ingredients:
Nestle Tollhouse Break & Bake cookies
Kung Fu Mallows
Dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Bake break & bake cookies as directed on package.

With one minute remaining on the cookies, melt dark chocolate chips in the microwave. Begin by heating them on high for 30 seconds and stir. Continue heating at 10-second intervals, stirring between each take until melted.

Immediately after you take the break & bakes out of the oven, assemble your Untitleds. Turn one cookie upside down and slather the melted dark chocolate on its bottom. Place one Kung Fu Mallow on top. Place another cookie on top of that, right-side-up. Continue until all your Untitleds are assembles. Enjoy immediately.

Merry Christmas One-Liners

Do any of you struggle over what to post on your social media during major holidays?

The typical "Merry Christmas!" seems too mainstream and eye roll-worthy. Not acknowledging the holiday makes you seem careless. What's one supposed to do?! History hasn't set a precedent for Christmas wishes in 140 characters or less.

Despite many "aha" moments about my Christmas Day status update, it's December 25 and a decision hasn't been made.

So here are my Christmas one-liners in less than 140 characters this year. This counts as posting Christmas wishes on social media, right?

"sing out with joy for the brave little boy who was god but made himself nothing for he gave up his pride and he came here to die like a man."

"go tell it on the mountain that jesus christ is born!"

"for unto us a child is born..."

"yea, lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning! oh come, let us adore him, christ the lord."

"and wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men."

"with the angelic host proclaim, 'christ is born in bethlehem!' hark! the herald angels sing, 'glory to the newborn king!'"

"behold the lamb of god, the life and light of men."

"light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings."

"the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

"joy to the world, the lord is come."

"where meek souls will receive him still, the dear christ enters in."

"oh rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing!"

"then let us all with one accord sing praises to our heavenly lord!"

"all glory be to god on high and to the earth be peace! goodwill henceforth from god to man begin and never cease!"

Merry Christmas, y'all. I mean it.

Top 25 Tunes for Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas Eve, friends!

I finally decided on my favorite Christmas songs for 2011. Check 'em out below - and if you missed the list from 2010, check it out there. What are your favorite tunes this year?

Top 25 Tunes for Christmas 2011:

1. Little Big Town "Go Tell It On The Mountain"
2. Carrie Underwood "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
3. Stevie Wonder "What Christmas Means to Me"
4. Judy Garland "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
5. She & Him "The Christmas Waltz"
6. Bebo Norman "Joy to the World"
7. Matt Wertz "Tennessee Christmas"
8. Sleeping At Last "What Child is This?"
9. Little Big Town "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
10. Sara Groves "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
11. Jason Mraz "Winter Wonderland"
12. Taylor Swift "White Christmas"
13. Andrew Peterson "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
14. Jill Phillips & Andy Gullahorn "O Come All Ye Faithful"
15. Andy Davis "Christmas Time"
16. Slugs & Bugs "Happy Birthday, Jesus"
17. Carly Simon "The Night Before Christmas"
18. Disney's Season of Song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
19. Elenowen "White Christmas"
20. Jenny & Tyler "Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light"
21. John Denver & The Muppets "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"
22. MercyMe "Joseph's Lullaby"
23. Sandra McCracken "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming"
24. Sarah McLachlan "In the Bleak Midwinter"
25. Yo-Yo Ma "Happy Xmas (War is Over)"

If you're looking for some great new Christmas albums this year, check out:
She & Him A Very She & Him Christmas
Matt Wertz Snowglobe
Carole King A Holiday Carole

And as a bonus, the best Christmas song of all time:

The Second Annual Christmas Pajama Party: The Hot Chocolate Bar

My favorite weekend each year is the one in which the annual Christmas Pajama Party and Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God" concert coincide. While I'll save the latter for a future post, I wanted to give you all a taste (get it?) of this year's party.

This year was the Second Annual Christmas Pajama Party. It's a convenient excuse to gather together three things that I love most: friends, food, and thematic pjs. Dear friends from near and far arrive in their comfiest pajamas, snuggle together to watch Christmas movies, and indulge in unnecessary amounts of treats and sweet.

Not so secretly Secretly, it's also an excuse for me to try out new Christmas recipes on all my friends. I've been clipping and pinning and gathering recipes for this year's party all year long. What better way to share in the joy of newfound recipes than to share them here with you in a series of blog posts?

My favorite part of this year's party was the Hot Chocolate Bar, not just because it's a play on words, but also because hot chocolate is one of my very favorite things during these chilly fall and winter months.

Did you know the difference between Chocolate and Cocoa is that hot chocolate is made from actual shaved pieces of chocolate, while cocoa is made from a powdery mix? Both types have the potential to be very rich, but this year I opted to serve hot chocolate instead of classic Swiss Miss cocoa. Grace friend Amy had generously gifted an extra package of medium blend that she had bought from a place in Chicago called Hot Chocolate (perfect, right?). Amazingly, we drank the entire package in under 30 minutes, so I had to hunt out my hot chocolate reserves. We finished out the night serving a mix of Caribou Milk Hot Chocolate and Williams-Sonoma Classic and Peppermint Hot Chocolates. Decadent like whoa.

In addition to the drink itself, the Hot Chocolate Bar included homemade marshmallows, chocolate dipping spoons, Pirouettes, miniature chocolate chips, store-bought mini-marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, and peppermint schnapps. It also included our wide assortment of unique mugs, which we all love dearly.

Homemade Marshmallows
Recipe courtesy of Grace friend Wendy Stallings

Ingredients:
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (oops...forgot to add that)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Directions:
Place the gelatin into a bowl (of a stand mixer, if you have one. I used a hand mixer because I'm not married yet) along with 1/2 cup of the water. 

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover, and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7-8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12-15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping (again, I forgot this and they turned out okay - but I wouldn't skip it again). While the mixture is whipping prepare the pan.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13x9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar/cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel or knife dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

I recently received the best dirty santa gift ever from my friend Mallory - Ninjabread Men cookie cutters! Of course, we used these to cut up some of the marshmallows and called them Kung Fu Mallows.

The Hot Chocolate Bar also included some Chocolate Dipping Spoons that I made with Amy. If I had children, these would be so fun to make - and possibly even more fun and satisfying than decorating sugar cookies!

Chocolate Dipping Spoons

To be used for dipping in hot chocolate...or to be eaten alone.

Ingredients:

Plastic spoons

Assorted chocolate chips (I used one bag of dark chocolate, one bag of semisweet, and half a bag of white chocolate)

Assorted toppings (I used mini marshmallows, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, crushed candy canes and powdered sugar)

Wax paper

Directions:

Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in individual bowls by type. For each one, initially heat it for 30 seconds on high and then stir. Continue melting on high in 10-second intervals until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring between each time. Each type of chocolate has a different melting point; do not over-heat it or the chocolate will seize.

Dip each spoon into the chocolate, making sure both sides of the spoon are covered. Set spoon on wax paper and decorate immediately. Put spoons in the refrigerator until set (about 30 minutes). 

Stir in hot chocolate or eat like lollipops!

We decorated our dipping spoons like snowmen, Christmas trees, drizzled in various other chocolates, with sprinkles, with powdered sugar as snow, and more.

Amy's snowmen, snow and peppermint, and Rudolph

Aside from those two homemade goodies, the rest of the Hot Chocolate Bar treats were displayed proudly in mason jars. 

As for my favorite Hot Chocolate Bar creation? 

Hot Chocolate + Peppermint Schnapps + Homemade Marshmallows + Whipped Cream + Sprinkles/Mini Chocolate Chips

What would yours be?

Most photo creds from these party posts go to the party guy himself, Jon Andereck - thanks!!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Past Christmases have not caused me to tear up as often or deeply as this Christmas has...and Judy Garland doesn't just tug at my heartstrings - she snaps them right in half. How sadly humble, hopeful, and peaceful this tune is for Christmas 2011.

Start at 1:36

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. Next year all our troubles will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the yuletide gay. Next year all our troubles will be miles away.

Once again as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who were near to us, will be dear to us once more.

Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then, we'll just have to muddle through somehow.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

My Nativity

Recently, my longing for a nativity set of my very own has grown to an incredible strength. Blame it on my German heritage, but this year I knew I had to make an investment in my rest-of-my-life Nativity set. It's something everyone should have, really.

After much consideration, I eagerly decided to buy one from Red Earth Trading Co. Red Earth is the direct trade, sustainability piece of Global Support Mission, the organization with which I work. I have the honor of working with Red Earth every day, overseeing inventory and shipping out orders. Bias aside, Red Earth is awesome. Have you seen their 2011 promo video? Pretty neat stuff. Red Earth partners with artisans in Kenya and Uganda with which they have close relationships. They promote continued economic development, entrepreneurship, and community development by buying the products these artisans make and selling them back home and throughout the world. They do this primarily through house parties and online sales.

This year, one of our beloved artisans, Johnson, made several Christmas products for Red Earth. Johnson is a young man who owns a family-run business outside of Nairobi, Kenya. He is somewhat of an expert in working with banana fiber and Red Earth has sold his Banana Fiber Trees since the beginning. For Christmas 2011, he crafted angel ornaments and nativity sets for Red Earth.

As I said, I had the privilege of buying one of the few nativity sets available this year. To say I love it is an understatement. Ask anyone who's entered my house this December and they'll tell you that the first thing I point out is my nativity set. It is beautiful.

The Red Earth Nativity Set comes with 11 figurines - Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the angel, two goats, a shepherd, and four others - and the stable, which holds them all together when you don't have your nativity set out (although let's be honest: I'm never putting this thing away). It is pristinely constructed out of banana fiber, leaves, and seeds and is entirely handmade by Johnson.

Unfortunately, these guys sold out at lightning speed before December even began. But do not fear - you can still buy one of his four stunning angel ornaments here! 

Don't worry: I bought one of each of these, too. They look great on a Christmas tree, on a doorknob, or dangling from your rearview mirror (may limit front window visibility...). Although you've missed the boat for shipments by Christmas, Red Earth does free and speedy shipping on every order. So hop on over and order something for yourself and all of your loved ones!

When I Look at the Stars

In deepfall, I went on a youth retreat out in rural Tennessee, about 45 minutes south of Nashville. We drove down winding, rural roads, chasing the sunset the whole way. As we unloaded and settled in, several of us ventured out to a nearby field. Next to a group of glow-in-the-dark frisbee-ers, we laid on our backs in the scratchy November grass and stargazed.

My, what a show it was. Shooting stars all over the place!

Not just once did they remark, "these are the most incredible stars I've ever seen!" And the stars sure were great, especially coming from the "bright lights" of Nashville. I mean, growing up a Chicagoan, I think even Nashville's city stars are pretty great.

But having lived in the second most sparsely populated country in the world, my standards are pretty skewed these days.

Over these past six months when people have mentioned how remarkable the clouds look, or how stunning the sunset is, or how clear the stars are...I've been itching to say, "But wait! You have no idea - there's a place where they're even more incredible!" And at first, I always did say that. I would try to describe the sunrises on my walk to school in Ohangwena. I would try to explain how you could vividly see the cloudiness of the Milky Way within minutes of the sun setting in southern Namibia. I would emphasize over and over and over again that African sunsets are incomparable.

But try as I might, I haven't convinced anyone yet. Maybe it's impossible to. I can never find deep enough words or vivid enough photographs to convey my message. And thus, as of late, I've stopped trying. I didn't even make an attempt to tell the high schoolers what they were missing out on.

One Sunday, I was reminded of when Luke says, "though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand (8:9)." How often I read things in the Bible that seem great, but I just cannot fully grasp. Like God's grace and mercy. Or the depth of my sin. How often I exclaim what a blessing something is. Or how such-and-such is like heaven on earth. What do I know?

I can just see God chuckling at my exclamations. Such as when I return from an exceptionally great coffeedate full of good heart to heart conversation and think on how incredible God's provision of companions is, or how comforting and real the community of believers is. God must smile and say, "But, Karen, wait! You have no idea - there's a place where that's even more incredible!" But try as He might, there's no way I will ever fully understand the depth of this community until Christ returns.

And thus are the sunsets and sunrises and stars at night. When I look at the stars, I see a sky that has so much more depth than the sky we see on this side. And yet, I still can't imagine the depths of the heavens above us. While I'm still frustrated by my inability to convey that which none of my dear friends here have ever seen, I am humbled by my inability to clearly see the things God is try to show me. So I will keep trying to explain the African sky, and keep remembering how clouded my own vision still is.

It's Coming

Listen!

...and in despair I bowed my head. "There is no peace on earth," I said, "for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead nor does He sleep; the wrong shall fail, the right prevail of peace on earth, good will to men."

It IS the Same Thing

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.

TIA Tuesday - Last Day

Today would have been my last day in Namibia...or at the very least, my last required day at school. Strange.

It's oddly wonderful to have all the fast friends that met in DC on December 28, 2010 returning to the States.

Seems fit for this to be my last official TIA Tuesday post. After a year of experiencing African and American extremes, I'll readily admit they aren't so extreme after all. Just different. And different is good and such a normal part of my 2011.

There still may be TIA moments in the coming years, but look forward to a new year of new blog adventures!

This is Africa and America...contrasting and beautiful, just like the Namibian motherland.

Nashville Nugget No. 14: Tex's World Famous Bar-B-Q

This week's work field trip involved a trip to a hole-in-the-wall place we had spied earlier this fall. Said establishment was called Tex's - not Texas, but Tex's - and is located in a wood-paneled building near Foster Ave and Murfressboro Rd. The outside looks like your typical roadside barbecue stop - a little run-down, covered in vintage signs, and an inviting neon "Open" placard in the front window.

On their website, Tim "Tex" Williams boasts that his establishment is one of the oldest barbecue joints in town, having been open for 35 years. They don't "make the most" barbecue and are "not the biggest barbecue house in town," but for all their humility, they certainly are something to write home about (don't we need to change that phrase? Who "writes home" about things anymore? Let's say it's something to text home about.).

They serve up heaping portions of smoked-and-pulled-in-house barbecue and fixins. You know it's going to be good when sides are called "fixins" and macaroni and cheese qualifies as a "vegetable."

Not only that, but they're only open Monday through Friday from 11-2. They serve up their delicious food "professionally and informally" - and if you know how to strike the perfect balance of professional and informal, then you're a winner.

You can order practically any combination of barbecue and fixins you can think of - brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, smoked turkey breast, bbq baloney, and ribs with "veggies" (everything from mac&cheese to black eyed peas to potato salad to deviled eggs to collard greens to baked beans), cobbler, pies, and several fresh cornbreads. I ordered a "lite plate" which included pulled pork, sweet cornbread, and three sides - macaroni and cheese, green beans, and baked beans. I didn't want my plate to ever be clean - this food was phenomenal! The only thing they could improve upon was making their sweet tea a tad sweeter - but I suppose I should thank them for trying to save my arteries in the eleventh hour.

Tex's World Famous Bar-B-Q is located near Foster Ave and Murfreesboro Rd at 1013 Foster Ave.

Top 25 Tunes for Christmas

Last year, an intense internal debate raged in my head over how to share my favorite Christmas songs with my friends. Facebook? Twitter? Blog? None of the above? My, my, it was a trying time; but I settled on posting one song a day throughout the December Advent season on Facebook. I received a startlingly good response and soon had many friends sending me their own favorite & unique Christmas songs. Some were typical, played-every-hour-on-93.9-Lite-FM songs; others were original holiday tunes. All were fantastic.

While I don't yet have my act together to start sharing my favorite carols for 2011, I am giddy to share the original list of 25 from my countdown last year. They appear in no particular order. You should listen to one a day until Christmas, or all 25 every day this month. Check them all out on Grooveshark or Spotify or buy them on Amazon or iTunes.

Merry December 1, y'all!

Top 25 Tunes for Christmas 2010:

1. *Jill Philips & Andy Gullahorn “I Will Find a Way” (local favorites...in fact, their whole CD is outstanding - maybe my #1)
2. *Butterfly Boucher “Cinnamon & Chocolate” (from Ten out of Tenn Christmas)
3. “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” (classic...not many know this one, but the friends who do are keepers.)
4. Dave Matthews “Christmas Song”
5. Coldplay “Christmas Lights”
6. Mona Abboud “Pretty Little Dolly” (a Sue McGee favorite...strange and hilarious)
7. “Dominick the Donkey” (a Bob McGee favorite)
8. *98 Degrees “This Christmas” (duh.)
9. *John Denver & The Muppets “12 Days of Christmas” (go see the new Muppet Movie if you haven't already!)
10. Bebo Norman “Angels Interlude” (hammered dulcimer...'nuff said.)
11. Mariah Carey “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
12. *Amy Grant “Grown-Up Christmas List” (a serious Sue McGee favorite)
13. Sarah Mclachlan “Wintersong” (divine.)
14. MercyMe “Silent Night” (in 4/4!)
15. Aaron Krause & Troy Akers “Born!” (you can download this Grace friends' track for free on Noisetrade right now!)
16. *Andrew Peterson “The Holly and the Ivy” (mandolin.)
17. Garth Brooks “Baby Jesus is Born” (no, he did not sing this at his December concert. boo.)
18. Sesame Street “Counting the Days” (a Jess Luthy favorite)
19. Basil Marceaux “Come Christmas” (horrible. only because he was the biggest joke last year.)
20. Alli Rogers “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
21. *Sufjan Stevens “Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming”
22. *Yo-Yo Ma & Natalie MacMaster “A Christmas Jig”
23. Whitney Houston “Who Would Imagine a King” (still looking for the original of this song from "The Preacher's Wife" that the kids sing during the Nativity.)
24. Barenaked Ladies & Sarah Mclachlan “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings”
25. *Andrew Peterson “While Shepherds Watched”/ “Behold the Lamb of God” (the transition between these two tunes is breathtaking)

* check out the entire album. these are some of my favorites.