Christmas Collection 2016

I've been doing this for a while now, but this is the first time I've put it on the internet.  This is my annual mix of holiday music, with songs new and old to get and/or keep you in a festive mood.  These are not the same old songs you hear on the radio each December.  Well, some of them are the same songs, but not the versions you're used to.  This is stuff you likely haven't heard before.  It's also a relentlessly upbeat collection, so don't worry about crying to Christmas Shoes or a Grown Up Christmas List.  This collection is just fun.

Here are the ground rules I use when putting my list together:

• There are twenty-five of them.
• Twelve of them are cover of songs you probably know.
• Twelve of them are songs you probably don't know.
• The 25th spot is saved for the most unusual song I find each year.
• No duplicated songs or duplicated artists in any given set.
• The collection will always contain a version of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, my favorite traditional carol.

You will find a lot of swing and big band sounds because that's my sweet spot, but I try to find a nice variety of styles.  I have everything from country to klezmer and from gospel to zydeco.  Some of it is silly (though I try to avoid simple novelty tunes) but musically, it's all pretty solid.

Click on the link below to download the entire collection as a zip file, then unzip it into a folder with 25 mp3 files.  It's timed to fit on a standard CD if you choose to burn it that way, though I know that's increasingly rare.

GO GET IT 

THE ARTISTS
1. Tony Orlando
2. Nick Lowe
3. The Klezmonauts
4. Jimmy Davis
5. Pete Fountain
6. The Goldbergs
7. The Chenille Sisters
8. Si Cranstoun
9. The New Christy Minstrels
10. Keb' Mo'
11. Wayne Holton
12. Aaron Neville
13. Southern Culture on the Skids
14. Chet Atkins
15. Mary Karlzen
16. Cotton Top Mountain Sanctified Singers
17. Sir Patrick Stewart
18. Ashley Fox Linton
19. Death Cab for Cutie
20. Jamie & Steve
21. The Pete Jacobs Orchestra
22. Kip Anderson 
23. Leon Redbone feat. Dr. John
24. Carly Jamison
25. Pledge Drive