Tchaikovsky - "Waltz of the Snowflakes"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

Somehow classical music always seems to bubble up around the holidays. The Nutcracker, that classic ballet, is performed on stages around the globe, and within that music stirs the magic of the season. Hopes alive and well in children’s eyes as the see things they’ve never seen before, dreams reignited in youth sitting in audiences, adults remember magical moments from their past, and elders are alive in the bloom of their youth again dancing across the stage.

A Russian composer of the Romantic period. Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He was honored in 1884 by Tsar Alexander III and awarded a lifetime pension.

So, today, chilly winds sneaking under my coat, I chose Tchaikovsky’s "Waltz of the Snowflakes" from “The Nutcracker” as my, little dreams falling from the sky, angels standing by, let miracles fall where they lie, song for a, look to the starlight, a dream in the clouds, love wrapped like a blanket, Thursday.

Barbra Streisand - "Jingle Bells?"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

Oh man, as we spin madly on toward the holidays things to be getting so fast that they almost come off the rails. As things careen forward, and loved ones are asking for time with you, and flights are booked, and covid swirls in the air, there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

Nothing like Babs and a bump to shove you forward. Man, you can almost hear the line.

Good luck this holiday. Stay safe, stay sane, and try to hold on to the ground as the tinsel, the trees, and the terror fly by.

So, today, with a blizzard of family, I choose Barbra Streisand’s “Jingle Bells” as my, spin on, sail on, sing on, song for a, well that happened, ok sure, with a wink and a smile, Thursday.

Celine Dion - "O Holy Night"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

Today is Winter Solstice, the Yule celebration. The idea that something divine comes to earth and brings light in the darkest part of the winter, because from this day forward there is more light each day. We can see where the songs come from.

This is a beautiful version of this song, which so beautifully follows these same themes of divine light coming into the world to help humanity.

Today I say look for the light. Be the light. Bring the light.

So, with my shudders open, I choose Celine Dion’s "O Holy Night" as my find the light within, burn as brightly as you can, sing your songs to the sky, song for a, dream on, look up, see the celestial bodies - shimmering net of diamond stars - the silver moon - the golden sun - as a promise to light your path, Tuesday.

The Andrews Sisters - "Jing-a-Ling Jing-a-Ling"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

As we rush towards the holidays this frantic yet feverishly happy songs seems all too fitting. Life is rushing onward and with joy and excitement we prep ourselves for more and more familial interaction. Remember kiddos, as you try to keep yourself sane, that the version of you that family knew as 14 is still how they see you. Do not be offended when they treat you as they see you, they probably haven’t been around to witness all your growth and successes.

The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn (January 3, 1916 – October 21, 1995), and mezzo-soprano Patricia "Patty" Marie (February 16, 1918 – January 30, 2013). The sisters have sold an estimated 80 million records.  Their 1941 hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of jump blues. Other songs closely associated with the Andrews Sisters include their first major hit, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön (Means That You're Grand)" (1937), "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel)" (1939), "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (1940), "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" (1942), and "Rum and Coca Cola" (1945), which helped introduce American audiences to calypso.

The Andrews Sisters' harmonies and songs are still influential today, and have been copied and recorded by entertainers such as Patti Page, Bette Midler, Christina Aguilera, Pentatonix, and others. The group was among the inaugural inductees to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame upon its opening in 1998. Writing for Bloomberg, Mark Schoifet said the sisters became the most popular female vocal group of the first half of the 20th century. They are still widely acclaimed today for their famous close harmonies. They were inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame in May 2006.

So today, with many bells ringing, I choose The Andrews Sisters’ "Jing-a-Ling Jing-a-Ling" as my, here we go, off into the wild, with a little more luck, song for a, many merrymakers, little silver songs, happy hopeful hearts, Monday.

Bette Midler - "I'll Be Home For Christmas"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

The original Bathhouse Bette, an outspoken advocate, a muse and a maestra all in one. Bette Midler’s talent and passion are incomparable. Her ability to pull you into a song and make you believe, make you feel, make you see the truth she’s singing about it unparalleled.

As I flew home to Texas yesterday, this song kept revolving in my head. It’s a mixed bag of feelings, excitement, trepidation, worry, anxiety, hope, love, all mixed together. However, family is important, seeing them, and physically showing that to them is important. So, sometime’s one must go above and beyond to make that happen.

So today, home for the holiday, I chose, Bette Midler’s delicate version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” as my, hope for the hopeless, songs for the singers, dreams for the dreamers, song for a, believe better exist, create the truth you seek, do not give up, Friday.

Donny Hathaway - "This Christmas"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

Just hearing that delicious horn intro and his velvety smooth voice brings a smile to my face. His legacy lives on in the multitude of musicians that he continues to inspire and influence. His magic is everlasting.

Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom Rolling Stone described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include "The Ghetto", "This Christmas", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Little Ghetto Boy". Hathaway is also renowned for his renditions of "A Song for You", "For All We Know", and "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", along with "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You", two of many collaborations with Roberta Flack. He has been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame and won one Grammy Award from four nominations. Hathaway was also posthumously honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Dutch director David Kleijwegt made a documentary called Mister Soul – A Story About Donny Hathaway, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam on January 28, 2020.

So today, prepping for the main event, I choose Donny Hathaway’s "This Christmas" as my, fire light laughter, warm wine wishes, tinsel tree dreams, song for a, believe they are better, hope your hardest, prepare with hope, Thursday.

Peggy Lee - "I Like A Sleighride (Jingle Bells)"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

Smoky, sultry, and classy, Peggy Lee was one of the few “girl singers” along with Ella, Judy, & Doris, who was able to stand up to the Rat Pack boys and all their versions of the hits. She could take a song and really make it her own, infusing it with her style and substance that was often lacking from pop starlettes of the day.

Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music.

Lee recorded over 1,100 masters and composed over 270 songs, and was nominated for 13 Grammy Awards. In 1969, her hit "Is That All There Is?" won her the Grammy for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance. In 1995, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

So today, with a wink & a smile, I choose Peggy Lee’s dizzying "I Like A Sleighride (Jingle Bells)" as my, keep on spinning, lights all around, a blur of color and sound, song for a, one sleep closer, planes - trains & automobiles, gird your loins, Wednesday.

The Carpenters - "Merry Christmas Darling"

As every Holiday Season, this month I’ll be choosing only Holiday Songs from as many holidays as I can.

I know they were a bit cheesy, and it’s a bit cliché to use this song as I celebrate the holidays with my partner, but we forget the magic that these two siblings found. A drumming lead singing sister and composer pianist brother shifted the way bands were thought of in the 60’s and 70’s.

Her talent was truly staggering. There wasn’t a note she had to stretch to hit, and her depth of emotion was incomparable. She captivated young and old alike, and she did it with ease and without changing who she was.

They produced a distinct soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television specials.

The siblings were born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California, in 1963. Richard took piano lessons as a child, progressing to California State University, Long Beach, while Karen learned the drums. They first performed together as a duo in 1965 and formed the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio followed by the middle-of-the-road group Spectrum. Signing as Carpenters to A&M Records in 1969, they achieved major success the following year with the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". Subsequently, the duo's brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and they became leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary music genres. The Carpenters had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in addition to twelve top-10 singles. They have sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The duo toured continually during the 1970s, which put them under increased strain; Richard took a year off in 1979 after he had become addicted to Quaaludes, while Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa.

Their career together ended in 1983 when Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Extensive news coverage surrounding these circumstances increased public awareness of eating disorders. Though the Carpenters were criticized for their clean-cut and wholesome conservative image in the 1970s, their music has since been re-evaluated, attracting critical acclaim and continued commercial success.

So today, with gifts floating around me, I choose The Carpenters’ "Merry Christmas Darling" as my, find your own truth, make promises to yourself, don’t save the white lace for someday, song for a, love is all around, look inside yourself first, that’s the best gift you can offer, Friday.