I’ve been accused of being a Scrooge about Christmas lights and tacky Christmas yard displays, but that’s not true. I love them, even if I’m unwilling to do them myself. How could anyone object to a light show this impressive? Especially when it’s coordinated to a great song from my favorite Christmas album, Jon Anderson’s “3 Ships”?
Jon Anderson is the lead singer (very high voice but not falsetto) for the prog-rock band Yes. His album mixes very tuneful new (at least in 1985) Christmas-themed songs with traditional carols. I love when contemporary artists try to say something new about the meaning of Christmas, instead of simply relying on the tried and true. The album is very ’80s-souding, heavy on synthesizers, but I LOVE it.
Still, this original Christmas song, a rocker by one of the greatest bands ever, remains my favorite non-traditional holiday song. Enjoy!