let's start with a metaphor, shall we?: DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

bee my guest?

Howdy Beezers! I'm excited to share something new with you... Over the upcoming months, most of the content you'll be seeing here will be from special guest contibutors! This is sure to add a new texture to this thing we've been weaving over the years. I know that many of my readers (yes, you!) are writers, artists, musicians and filmmakers. PLEASE feel free to contact me if there's something you'd like to contribute! I'd be most honored to pollinate... send me a note: m.mckinley@rocketmail.com

December 1, 2009

DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?

I'll make a true confession. Sometimes, in the dead and blistering heat of Summer, I'll breakout a little Christmas music. I used to keep the volume turned way down low for fear I'd be deemed a nutjob, but I don't care anymore. I crank it up and blast my holiday favorites like a snow blower making tracks in a blizzard! You can't Scrooge me, not even in July.

Christmas music is an integral party of the holiday season. Here in Milwaukee and around the world there are radio stations that play continuous Christmas favorites from Thanksgiving through New Years. In theory this is joyous thing for Christmas music lovers. Unfortunately they all seem to play the same songs, even the same versions, over and over. And over.

My personal music collection is very diversified, and has a treasure-trove of holiday music. I was curious to see how many Christmas Cd's I had, so today I counted them: 73. They're all great in their own way, but these 10 classics are the ones I never tire of. Note that the Streisand Christmas albums aren't represented here, because they just are....