Christmas Playlist

Those who know me well know that I have a thing for Christmas music. Yes, it's cheesy, but I just love it. I have been known to listen to a few holiday tunes in April or July if I'm having a particularly bad day, but in general I try to reserve them for the actual holiday season so they don't lose their special luster. My general rule of thumb is no Christmas music before Thanksgiving, and now that turkey day is over, it's open season for Frosty, Rudolph, and all the rest. Here's what I'll be listening to for the next few weeks...



What a Wonderful Christmas by Louis Armstrong & Friends. Satchmo mixes it up with the likes of Mel Tormé, Eartha Kitt, and Lena Horne on classics like "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" and more unusual selections like "'Zat You, Santa Claus?" (Reissued in 2003 as The Best of Louis Armstrong and Friends: The Christmas Collection.)







Stevie Wonder's Someday at Christmas is probably my favorite Christmas album of all time. A perfect blend of religious songs ("Ave Maria", "Little Drummer Boy"), classics ("Silver Bells", "The Christmas Song"), and Stevie Wonder's signature motown sound ("What Christmas Means to Me"). The title track's message of peace and love is what Christmas is all about.








Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas by Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Swings it on a must-have set of secular favorites like "Winter Wonderland" and "Sleigh Ride". This is my ultimate go-to holiday album. (Reissued in 2002 with additional tracks.)









Come December, I can be sure that my dad will have John Fahey's Christmas Guitar on regular rotation in his car CD player. A low-key instrumental album, it is perfect for quiet mornings or evenings by the fire.











Christmas '64 by Jimmy Smith. A different kind of Christmas album, with a groovy big band sound. Perfect for a retro holiday cocktail party...I'm thinking sidecars and pomegranate gimlets.





If that's not enough to get you in the holiday mood, here is another classic by the incomparable Otis Redding...