dancing to The Elf Song shaking a Box Of Rocks because we’re Fancy Like Christmas Under the Tree!

Hello, Monday peeps! Today is my birthday! This is me as an itty bitty newborn with my mom and dad and older sister:

A birthday tradition for my oldest and me on our respective birthdays is to go out to breakfast, followed by thrift store shopping. I love that we have this tradition and hope it continues well into their adulthood. 😉 Since it is Monday, you know that Monday means music! This week is a freebie week, so grab your favorite tune(s) and come dance with us, won’t you? 

Let’s start with a fun song that was released a couple of years ago – let’s give it up for some Elf Awareness with an upbeat song that both adults and kids will enjoy. This four-time Grammy-nominated artist honors the North Pole’s working class with a video that serves as a much-needed tribute to our tiniest holiday heroes.

The visual for the hilarious track finds the artist and his band jamming in a winter wonderland while fighting for the rights of Santa’s pointy-eared helpers.

Get ready for some fun, here’s Crowder with “The Elf Song”:

Next up is another song that has become a tradition to share each year since my favorite brother’s birthday happens to be 3 days after mine (that will be Thursday, in case you need assistance counting the days). Sure, he’s my only brother, but we’ll let him have the ‘favorite’ title, m’kay? Happy Birthday, Mikey – here’s a “Box Of Rocks” for ya! You know I love ya!

Here’s the amazing The Song Trust with “Box Of Rocks”:

Next is a song from this favorite artist that was released just last year. It’s like his first mega-hit has returned with bells on – and this time around, his 2021 seismic hit proved even more irresistible because of its added ingredient: the holiday spirit.

The song is still completely recognizable, with the melody and rhyming cadence of the original, but all new lyrics now feature a Santa’s sleigh full of holiday references. (And yes, sleigh bells have been added to the accompaniment.) Brainstorming with the song’s original co-writers, the artist said:

“We were just all smiles writing that song. It was kind of a revisit of the day we did the original, and I just love it. It makes me so happy.”

The music video is equally inspired with the artist’s entire family — including his wife and their six kids, ages 8 to 17 at the time—all having “an absolute blast” in front of the cameras.

Of course, in writing the new version, the aritst made sure there were a few nods to the original. His favorite restaurant chain does make a guest appearance: “Hopin’ Santa gonna leave an Applebees’s gift card.” And “bougie like Natty in the Styrofoam” is traded out for “bougie like blowups in the front yard.”

That line is especially dear to his heart because, years ago, he promised his three daughters and three sons that they each could have their own holiday blowup — if he ever scored a No. 1 song. “Fancy Like,” a multi-week chart-topper, allowed him to make good on his promise, and the family has since gone a bit overboard: Their front yard now proudly sports eight blowups.

The holiday version reflects the artist’s home life, perhaps even more than the original lyrics. The family loves Christmas so much that they keep their fake white-flocked tree up year-round. “It makes me happy just sitting in the living room.”

Get ready for some fun, here’s Walker Hayes with “Fancy Like Christmas“:

Last but certainly not least is a brand new song from this favorite artist. This new holiday ballad longs for the one thing that St. Nick can’t bring him: the lover he has lost.

The artist wrote this song for the animated film That Christmas, which premiered on Netflix last week. The video for the song intersperses live-action of this artist and his costar Claudia Jessie (from Bridgerton) with animation from the movie. The pair play a couple no longer together, despite the artist’s most pleading attempts for a rekindling.

“There is nothing under the tree that I wished for / I want you to come back to me / And be like before”

The live-action movie That Christmas is based on the children’s book series by Richard Curtis, who wrote the screenplay for the modern Christmas classic Love, Actually. Curtis directed the artist’s video for this song, choosing to film the clip in Southwold in Suffolk, which evokes the movie’s fictional town of Wellington-on-Sea. The artist said:

“Richard Curtis made my fav Christmas film, and TV special. He came round my house in 2021 and showed me a rough of his new one, then asked me to make a song for it. How could I resist,” Sheeran says in a statement. “Having kids, I struggle to find great great movies for very young kids to watch at Christmas, and this ticks all the boxes. This song is written about a character in the film who wants to spend Christmas with his dad, but doesn’t get to. It’s a heartbreaking scene, and something so many people go through every year being alone at Christmas. Hope everyone loves the song.”

Get ready for some goosebumps; here’s Ed Sheeran with “Under the Tree”:

After I found that song to share, I had to go watch “That Christmas” – and loved it! So, if you have Netflix, it’s totally worth it. 😊🎄

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday! See you on the dance floor!

Now onto the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!