(Art by RuairĂ Coleman)
The nights are getting longer.
The Toy Show has been and gone.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
It is time for my personal picks.
Welcome to our festive edition of Personal Picks. I decided to do it this week to give people a chance to try the songs out. I think it is a nice mix of famous artists and novelty picks. I discovered that a lot of artists I enjoy have Christmas songs / albums. There's also some that feel quite random. Here's ten Christmas albums you may or may not know exist:
- Elvis' Christmas Album - Elvis Presley (1957)
- Christmas Album - Jackson 5 (1970)
- Once Upon A Christmas - Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers (1984)
- Happy Christmas - Boney M. (1991)
- Snowed In - Hanson (1997)
- Songs For Christmas - Sufjan Stevens (2006)
- Christmas In The Heart - Bob Dylan (2009)
- Imagene Peise - Atlas Eets Christmas - Flaming Lips (2014)
- Kylie Christmas - Kylie Minogue (2015)
- Happy Xmas - Eric Clapton (2018)
Dylan's album has been on my list for years but I have now have new favourite songs that include performances from Angela Lansbury, Dolly Parton and Cyndi Lauper. Well here's the songs I picked:
1. Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time! - Sufjan Stevens
2. White Christmas - Eric Clapton
3. We Need A Little Christmas - Angela Lansbury, Donald Pippin, Frankie Michaels, Jane Connell, Sab Shimono
4. Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton
5. Little Drummer - The Jackson 5
6. A Christmas Duel - The Hives, Cyndi Lauper
7. Christmas In Heaven - Monty Python
8. Christmas Tree - Dustin
9. Merry Christmas Baby - Bruce Springsteen, The E Street Band
10. Must Be Santa - Bob Dylan
I'm off to eat something healthy ahead of my annual feast. Here's some festive flicks to watch.
Recommended reading: Hmmm dig out a comic book annual
Recommended viewing: Home Alone, Miracle On 34th Street, Santa Claus: The Move