‘You’ll Go Down In History’—And How

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen… But do you know the real-life tragedy that spurred Robert May to write a poem for his four-year-old daughter that became a cultural and multimedia phenomenon? Rudolph takes fl...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Cuddle Time

This delectable five-song missive--an unassuming but undeniably moving seasonal communiqué--is an affecting followup to Ms. Smith's 2007 Christmas gem, My Holiday.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Again the Heart With Rapture Glows

The NEW YORK CITY CHILDREN'S CHOIR summons the solemnity and joy of the Christmas season in CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK, a work of inestimable beauty
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Mythic Weight Of Phil Spector’s Christmas Gift

In 1963, PHIL SPECTOR thought his CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU album would be a career-defining event. Then a not-so-funny-thing happened to him on his way to musical world dominance. BILLY ALTMAN fills us in.
by David McGee
 

 

 

In Praise of Those Who Keep Christmas Well

Believe the Hype: Wherein we appraise four truly classic Christmas albums + one bonus, by ELLA FITZGERALD, PEGGY LEE, CHARLES BROWN, STAN KENTON & SIDNEY BECHET
by David McGee
 

 
 

When Vintage Becomes Timeless

DAVID IAN did it in 2011 with Vintage Christmas, and does it again in 2012 with Vintage Christmas Wonderland: gather the combo, pare the set list to five songs and deliver a Christmas gem.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Christmas Beyond the Blue

BLUES, BLUES CHRISTMAS VOLUME 3 leads this revised and updated review of four essential blues Christmas albums, including last year's DEATH MIGHT BE YOUR SANTA CLAUS
by David McGee
 

 
 

Suffused With Beauty

Nancy Lamott and beauty were on intimate terms. It radiated from her warm personality, resonated in her tender vocals, and suffused the recordings she made before succumbing to cancer in 1995 at age 43. Her lone Christmas albu...
by David McGee
 

 

 

This American Yule

With conductor/artistic director HARRY CHRISTOPHERS at the helm, the HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY offers a journey through traditional carols using American tunes.
by David McGee
 

 
 

To Dream Like an Angel

The year of our Lord 2021 has been awaiting its masterpiece of a Christmas album, and finally it has arrived in the form of La Chapelle de Quebec’s stunning The Road to Christmas.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Christmas 1974: Santa (USPS) Brings the 1st Self-Adhesive Stamp

Those self-adhesive stamps we so love? Christmas 1974 brought the first of what were then considered experimental issues, featuring the Dove of Peace weathervane from George Washington's Mount Vernon home. Much trial-and-error ...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Christmas in Verse, 2021

Timeless Christmas poems by ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON, DOLLIE RADFORD, ROBERT SOUTHWELL, et al. plus Christmas music videos featuring THE POGUES, THE PRETENDERS, THE ROYAL GUARDSMEN, THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA and THE SUPREMES.
by David McGee