I get at least two holiday cards every year. And I get no more than three holiday cards every year. I get one from my parents. Each year it has a picture of my kid, my niece, and my nephew. I get one from my friend, whom I wrote about in this post. That one…
I’ve listened to Christmas in the Stars: A Star Wars Christmas Album a lot over the years. I started listening to it as a little kid, and it’s still one of my favorites. When I was little there were two parts of the album that I didn’t really get. One was in the song, “What…
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I listen to a lot of music. That includes lots of Christmas Music. For holiday music, I have jazz, blues, rock, gospel, country, pops, and klezmer. But I only have two classical albums. Another way of putting it is I have about 200 classical albums in my…
One of the hard parts of the holiday season is deciding what gifts to give everyone. Just this afternoon, I had a whole conversation with my aunt about what to get my kid for Christmas. I didn’t have a clue. I don’t even know what I’m getting him this year. We finally settled on a…
It’s kind of amazing how much my holiday traditions have changed over the years. There are always reasons for the changes, and I like the new traditions, but sometimes I get nostalgic for the old traditions. For example, when we were kids, my family always decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. That fell away when…
Every year for the past 26ish years, I read Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s one of my favorite holiday traditions. The other day, my dad asked me if I get anything new out of the book each year. My mom chimed in that there’s always something to discover in a good book. I agree….
Good morning. It’s 9:11 in the AM on Christmas Eve. I’m listening to the Campbell Brothers’ Sacred Steel for the Holidays. I’ve woken up, brushed my teeth, pooped, and showered. It’s going to be a busy day. I have to go Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, wrap presents, help mom with pies, go to my brother’s…
As a former horn player, I listen to as much French horn music as I can get. I love the big orchestras and bands, but there’s always been a special place in my heart for small ensembles. Things like woodwind quintets, brass trios, and brass quintets. One of my favorite brass quintets is the Canadian…
Every year, PNC Financial Services figures out how much all the presents in the Twelve Days of Christmas would cost. This year, it’s $46,729.86. That’s a record high. It’s up 2.7% from last year, which was the previous record holder. If you’re wondering, ten lords a leaping led the way at $14,539.20. That’s almost a…
“Do You Hear What I Hear?” is one of my favorite Christmas carols. Sadly, it’s not one of the more common holiday songs. Of my fifty-ish holiday albums, the only one it seems to be on is a Bing Crosby compilation. You’re not likely to hear it while walking through the grocery store. I listen…
