All About You FRIDAY – Music That Moves

I am, by nature, a sappy, sentimental romantic. And I am a musician. That is a powerful combination that drives emotional nostalgia this time of year. Songs of the season trigger emotions from years gone by and when I allow myself to stop, escape the noise and really listen, I am treated to reminders of all that is good in this world and in my life.

I am a storyteller, after all, and the best stories are the ones told from the heart because those are the ones that connect us. We are all different, but also the same. Finding commonality means we are not alone. And so on this last blog of 2025, I thought I would share the stories of my favorite songs of the season. Maybe you’ll nod in agreement. Maybe you’ll raise an eyebrow at my song choices. But hopefully the list will encourage you to share your favorite songs with ones you love and the stories behind them. Here’s my Top 5 Sentimental Christmas Songs. (I’ve added the links to the YouTube video just in case you want to sing along)

All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey) – I know. I know. It’s overplayed. But growing up, my parents would host the best Christmas Eve celebration. Our guests included friends who became family. Single moms and their children. People who had no other place to go. As everyone grew up, the guest list expanded. Sometimes there would be over 30 people in attendance and my mom made sure everyone had gifts. That’s right. Plural. There would be a huge spread of food, everything from turkey to eggrolls to pancit and a smorgasbord of desserts. And there was always rice. Lots of it. Presents surrounded the large tree in the living room and once everyone had eaten, my sister would put on this song and pump up the volume. That was everyone’s cue to form a bucket brigade style line from the family room to the living room on the other side of the house. I would be at the front of that line. It was my job to grab a present and hand it to the next person to pass it on down the line. On the other end, someone would sort the gifts into piles for each person. Can you picture it? A long row of smiling Asian people (mixed in with our American boyfriends/husbands) singing at the top of our lungs as we passed each gift. Sometimes this song had to play three times before we got it all done, but what fun it was. Almost better than opening the gifts themselves. I miss those days.
Mary Did You Know (Pentatonix) – The first time I heard this song, I was a young adult early in my career. I don’t remember what I was doing but I remember being busy (as usual) and this song stopped me in my tracks. I sat in the car and listened as tears welled up in my eyes. When Pentatonix came out with their version, I put it on repeat for awhile. This song instantly reminds me of the ultimate Christmas gift.
Grown Up Christmas List (Amy Grant) – The season is always a mix of celebration and melancholy. This world can sometimes be a hard place to live. I’ve often thought if I could have what I really wanted, this would be it.
Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire (Nat King Cole) – When I was a young married person, Doug asked me what my favorite Christmas song was and I started singing this one at the top of my lungs. Not delicately, like it was meant to be sung, but rather in my worst (but still in tune) singing voice. “Chestnuts roasting on an open FY-ER!” I would croon with my arms spread wide. He would roll his eyes. And every time after that, when it would come on the radio, I freely repeated my performance. Seriously, it is a classic and now that I am older, I sing it with more feeling and less drama, but I still can’t help doing the “FY-ER” part.
Oh Holy Night (Josh Groban) – One of my best memories was hearing my dad sing this song as my mom played the piano. It’s how they met, you know. When my dad was 16 and my mom was 14, she played the piano and he was in the church choir. He fell in love the second he laid eyes on her. That was the beginning of a great love story. She wasn’t so quickly smitten, but his persistence paid off. My mom would often accompany my dad as he sang in his beautiful tenor voice and every year he would perform this song at our church. I would hear him sing it in the shower. I would hear them practice it. I never tired of hearing it. This song moves me to tears for its meaning and for the man who sang it so often when I was growing up. In many ways, my parents were my heroes. I miss them so much.

Remember back in the day when someone made you a mixed tape? It was often a show of affection because the songs told a story or sent a message. Consider this my mixed-tape for you.

Thank you for making MoveWell Academy a success this year and for following along each week as I write. I’m always surprised to find out who is actually reading. Writing from a quiet corner can sometimes feel a bit isolated.

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I’ll be back in 2026 bringing more content that keeps people moving pain-free. Until then, remember this:

“If God is a DJ, life is a dance floor, love is the rhythm, you are the music.” -Pink

Share your song. This world will be a better place for it.

It’s been a long week. Don’t forget to celebrate.

I’ll see you next year…