(I'm back, if anyone remembers me! [grin])

Ah, Christmas music....some of my very favorite. I am in the process of doing some "theme tapes" of just these songs. First one is "Dig That Crazy Santa", second is a contemporary re-telling of the Christmas story (entirely Christian), third is childhood and other experiences and the darker side of the holidays (one of Si Kahn's songs, about a factory worker who gets laid off at Christmas, for example), and the last is good ol' fashioned carols and songs we all know. But wait a minute--most of the tunes are not so familiar.

Try "O Little Town of Bethlehem" done by John Roberts and Tony Barrand on "Nowell Sing We Clear." Or "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" done by the good folks at Folk-Legacy. And YES--there IS an alternate tune for "O Come, All Ye Faithful"! (my favorite carol) You can find it on "Snow Angels" and it's sung by Kevin Connolly.

*Lots* more songs, too numerous to mention here. And check out Cyndi Lauper's "Merry Christmas....Have a Nice Life!" album. It came out last year and is, surprisingly, rather folkie! If you're into Scandinavian stuff, try Garrison Keillor's "Now It Is Christmas Again."

I was extremely fortunate to find an old Folkways album at a thrift store this summer. It's by Alan Mills and is called "Christmas Songs of Many Lands." (all sung in English) I doubt this is still in print but it is well worth the effort of a search.

I could wax prosaic on this subject for many more paragraphs, but 'tis time to turn over the forum to someone else! :)

Good cheer to all,

Folksie Lady