Cool Christmas Music For You

It's that time of the year when the holiday music goes on heavy rotation in our CD players and iPods. If you're like me, you add a few discs to your collection each year. Here are four kids' CDs that will make fine additions to your roster of cool Christmas tunes:

• The Hipwaders - A Kindie Christmas
  The Hipwaders have always been inventive and unique. Their fresh take on Christmas includes all original songs, written by lead singer Tito Uquillas, and performed in their usual jangly indie rock style. There are some new holiday classics on this disc!
  
  
• Danny Adlerman, Yosi, & Kevin Kammeraad - ...And A Happy New Year
  This is just a fun group of guys singing a fun mix of holiday favorites and originals. A bit of folk, rock, and pop, you can tell from the easygoing style and laughter that these three had a good time making this CD.
  
  
• Various Artists - Putumayo Presents A Family Christmas
  The Putumayo World Music label has always stood for high quality, and they don't disappoint in this wonderful collection of festive Christmas songs. Highlights include Martin Sexton's "Holly Jolly Christmas" and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's spirited "Is Zat You Santa Claus?"
  
  
• Paige Stroman - Christmas Lullabies To Create Memories
  Perfect for the quiet times this season, Paige Stroman keeps it mellow as she sings the old favorites, like "Away In A Manger," along with five new tunes. A beautifully produced CD, this one sounds great all the way through.
  

You can find all of these CDs at online stores like The Pokey Pup, iTunes, and Amazon. Or click on the links in the above descriptions to get to the artists' web sites and buy directly from them. I encourage you to check them out!

Disclaimer: Two of these CDs were sent to me by the artists for review.

A Family Carols Through It

Or, right-click here to download for later playback.


Welcome to the Christmas Edition of A Family Sings Through It. This time it's a full hour of my family's holiday favorites, with a decidedly mellow pop flavor.

You'll hear songs from Rockapella, Pugwash, Burl Ives, The Lonely Hearts Band, Jason Mraz, and many more. Let me know if you're curious about any of the artists. If you like what you hear, go to Amazon or iTunes and pick up some new Christmas music!

Happy listening!

Christmas Music In The Air

We don't break out the Christmas music until about two weeks before the big day. And then we listen to it pretty much non-stop until the 26th.

Each year I try to add a couple of good holiday CDs to our collection. This year's big winners skirt the edges of traditional Christmas music. Both of them are highly recommended...

Ranlom's Going On Holiday is an upbeat mix of pop originals and classics, including one of the better arrangements of "Little Drummer Boy" I've ever heard. Ranlom is a group of talented musicians led by singer Matthew Molnar, and the playing and production on this Christmas CD is sparkling. There's a bit of Ben Folds mixed with Harry Connick, Jr., in these seven songs, and that is a very welcome sound after the 19th heavenly choir singing "Silent Night" pops up on the iPod. You can order the disc through CD Baby, or download it instantly at Amazon. Listen to samples at both sites.

The GrooveBarbers' Glory is an a cappella spectacular from some of the best vocalists in the genre, including three former members of Rockapella. One of them, Sean Altman, has one of those voices that I could listen to sing the phone book. On Glory, Sean and the other Barbers cover all the holiday favorites, from "Let It Snow" to "Jingle Bells," with quirky arrangements and impeccable harmonies. This may be the most consistently pleasing Christmas CD in our entire collection. Download Glory at Amazon for just $6.99, where you can also hear samples.

Here's The GrooveBarbers backing up opera singer Inna Dukach in a funny rendition of Puccini's O Mio Babbino Caro:

Tree Cat

What is it about cats and Christmas trees?

Within seconds of setting up the tree in our family room, our cat Basil had firmly planted himself underneath it. And there he sits most of the day.

I don't know what he's doing. Waiting for Santa Claus? Maybe he thinks he's in the great outdoors and is just enjoying the fresh air and nature. Apparently he hasn't figured out that our tree is a fake one.

When Basil was a kitten, we would set up a real tree each Christmas and he would chew on the branches. His litterbox was always very interesting that time of year, with bits of green needles and silver tinsel mixed together in his waste.

The kids think he's cute, sitting there under the tree and stubbornly refusing to come out for anything but his own basic needs. I suspect that he believes the tree is a present for him, one big pine-scented cat toy that we've placed in the house solely for his amusement.

Let There Be Lights

For the first time ever, I got my Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving. I took advantage of a windless, sunny day, with the temperature near 50, to climb around on the roof.

First, though, I had to go to the store for new lights. Grrrr. 3 out of 5 of last year's lights wouldn't work when I pulled them out of the Christmas boxes. Why do I even bother storing them? At $5 or $6, I could just toss them each January and buy all new ones the next holiday for less than $50.

I'm supposed to be encouraging my kids to recycle and re-use. We live in such a throwaway society that it pains me to buy products that aren't designed to last more than a couple of months.

What do I do, not put up lights? It just wouldn't be Christmas if I couldn't be the Clark W. Griswold of my neighborhood. I love the festive aspect of the holidays, as nature hibernates and our surroundings turn gray. A little bit of color gets me through the winter months a little easier.

Besides, my house likes to party in December. It demands to be lit up, all twinkly with blues, greens, and reds, fake icicles and snowflakes dangling from the eaves. It wants the inflatable snowman out front. Well, actually, I think it really wants the inflatable Santa on a Harley, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.