The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing...

As I sit here typing this we are an hour or so into the gaint blizzard that is supposed to dump 25" of snow on our fair city. It is both grim and beautiful. I love the snow. Especially when I'm inside looking out at it. The best part of a snowstorm like this one is all the wonderful cozy stuff you get to do when you come inside - hot coffee spiked with Baileys, a big warm blanket and great holiday music. All the right ingredients to help you weather the storm.

I'm trying to put together a mixed holiday CD for my more musically challenged friends. I can't allow people to go through the holidays with nothing but a single copy of A Very Special Christmas from 1987. It's inhumane.

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There are some Christmas Albums that are classics and should be in every single collection, bar none.

The Classics:

BING CROSBY - WHITE CHRISTMAS

The perfect Christmas song. Written by a Jewish man. How great is that? If I had to choose one song to be the soundtrack of the whole season, this would be it.

MEL TORME - THE CHRISTMAS SONG

The best way to hear this song is when it is sung by the man who wrote it. Love it when he does the verse. Mmmmm....velvet.

JUDY GARLAND - HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Who doesn't want their heart broken a little bit, even at Christmas?

NAT KING COLE - O HOLY NIGHT

I don't usually tend to lean towards the less secular tunes, but this is just so hauntingly beautiful....just like the man who sings it.

THE MILLS BROTHERS - HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS

Festive goodness personified. "Now listen children...!" Couldn't love it more.

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The great thing about great jazz renditions of holiday tunes is that you can listen to them all year long. Not that I would....admit (ahem) to doing that.

The Jazz Essentials:

JIMMY SMITH - GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN

This album was also released under Christmas '64 and later Christmas Cookin'. Whatever you call it, it's some of the best jazz christmas music out there. It's big, it's brassy, it's intense and it's vintage Jimmy Smith. The kind of music you can really get lost in. This particular track is my favourite - and it can also be found on a Verve compilation record that's on the market.

VINCE GUARLDI - LINUS AND LUCY

It's nearly impossible to pick one track as a standout from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Linus and Lucy makes the cut over the beauty of Skating and Christmas Time is Here, which is now a standard, simply because it's dancey and invariably makes anyone listening to it start dancing like a member of the Peanuts gang.

THE SACKVILLE ALLSTARS - OLD TIME RELIGION

One of THE BEST Christmas records of ALL TIME is by the "Sackville Allstars" (Sackville records is out of Toronto). The personelle is Ralph Sutton, Jim Galloway, Milt Hinton and Gus Johnson - Jay McShann later stepped in for Ralph Sutton but does not appear on the Christmas record. It's not Christmastime for me until I hear the first few bars of Santa Claus is Coming to Town on that record. Jim Galloway swings on Old Time Religion like you would not believe and that's my pick. And I'm Sticking to it...so...hard...to...decide....!

JOHN COLTRANE - MY FAVOURITE THINGS

Technically not a Christmas tune, but appropriate and wintry none the less. Trane's spirituality shines through clear as a bell.

OSCAR PETERSON - I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Elegant, tasteful, wistful even. And it swings in all the right places.

ELLA FITZGERALD - GOOD MORNING BLUES

Another difficult choice. Had to go with this tune for it's sheer uniqueness and Ella's great interpretation.

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The Holidays should be fun. Goofy, good times, laugh out loud fun.

The Kitschy Fun Stuff:

PAUL SOLES and BILLIE MAE RICHARDS - WE'RE A COUPLE OF MISFITS

From the Rankin-Bass animated classic, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Canadian actor Paul Soles voices Hermie, the elf who doesn't want to make toys. Completely blew my mind when I met him a few years back - the man is an icon of my childhood! Incidentally, he's also the only man to ever impress me by offering me a cigarette (it's a long story).

EARTHA KITT - SANTA BABY

Every chick singer in the world does this song now. Who could resist, it's such vampy, campy fun? For the best version go straight to the source. Gggggrrrrrr!

THURL RAVENSCROFT - YOU'RE A MEAN ONE, MR. GRINCH

"Gunk". Good stuff! I don't think I need to say more.

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These are great vocalists that I will classify as 'newer', in this particular exercise just assume that we're talking about 'newer' as, well, records made in my lifetime. Great stuff to let loose and sing along with!

The Newer Vocalists, sing along:

DIANA KRALL - COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF SHEEP

Canada's "jazz sweetheart" put out a full length Christmas record this year and included this beautiful Irving Berlin lullaby on the song list. Just lovely.

ROSEMARY CLOONEY - CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE

Ms. Clooney was sheer perfection on this recording, as ever. Her time and taste was exquisite.

HARRY CONNICK JR. - WHEN MY HEART FINDS CHRISTMAS

Harry is the standard bearer for the next wave of Christmas classics, if you ask me. This is a great tune.

KURT ELLING - COOL YULE

Loooove Elling. This tune introduced the phrase "night noon" into my vocabulary. Go on, take it! it's yours! "Night Noon"!

LOU RAWLS - CHRISTMAS IS

Doesn't Lou Rawls just sound too cool? Love his smooth manly man voice. Mmmmm.

MANHATTAN TRANSFER - SNOWFALL

This is lush and romantic. Just the soundtrack for a quiet evening in front of the tree with your sweetheart.

DONNY HATHAWAY - THIS CHRISTMAS

My favourite contemporary Christmas tune. Donny Hathaway was just amazing.

RUN DMC - CHRISTMAS IN HOLLIS

"My name's D.M.C. with the mic in my hand
And I'm chilling and coolin just like a snowman
So open your eyes, lend us an ear
We want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!"

Couldn't help myself. Don't judge me, yo!

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Well, looks like each category is going to have a CD of it's own. How did I not see that coming?

Happy listening friends. Hope your holidays are filled with peace, love and nog!