1, 2, 3, 4 . . . .

here's another one of those songs that doesn't have a mention of christmas within it. it is commonly associated with christmas, however, as it is a song that was written by irving berlin for the classic holiday movie, white christmas. in the film this song is performed as a duet by bing crosby and rosemary clooney. it is a tender moment between their characters, who are ultimately destined to fall in love and (as is the way with hollywood musicals) live happily ever after in wedded bliss.

this gentle reminder that approaching life with a "glass half full" perspective is one i need to hear more often than not. i am certainly a glass half empty kind of person, always looking at what is missing rather than what is present. i'm not sure if that orientation to life will change anytime soon, but it is helpful, at least every now and again, to be nudged toward an outlook that is founded in gratitude for whatever good thing that has come my way.

count your blessings - amy grant from the christmas collection

lead the way

here's another traditional holiday song, but performed in not the traditional way. this is the thing that i love about this particular artist. he always seems to find a way to approach his music slightly off center, such that even a song that we've all heard countless times over the years can seem fresh and new.

this particular rendition i imagine will have you humming this tune long after you're done listening to it. hopefully, for you, that will be a good thing.

winter wonderland - jason mraz from a very special christmas vol. 7

shall we dance?

there are some holiday songs that just sweep you up and transport you to another time and place. whenever i hear this particular song, i am invariably overtaken by images of a large ballroom lavishly decorated with fresh greenery, candles, ornaments and poinsettias.

gliding around the room are men in tuxedos partnered with women in beautiful gowns of the finest materials and the jewel-toned colors of the season. reds and greens, blues and golds swirl around the expansive dance floor in intricate patterns, perfectly timed to the music performed by a small orchestra.

joy and merriment fill the air and the cares of the world are far away and momentarily forgotten.

such is the power of music and particularly the music of this magical season.

christmas waltz - the carpenters from a christmas portrait

and even cozier

the aspect of this song that i love the most is that it's a truly adult christmas song. you listen to it and all you want do is snuggle up with the person you love underneath a down comforter in front of a roaring fireplace.

well, i've got the fireplace and the down comforter. any volunteers to be my cuddle buddy?

baby it's christmas - amy grant from the christmas collection

time to get a little cozy

today i'm sharing one of those christmastime classics that interestingly enough doesn't ever actually mention the word "christmas" or even refer to the holiday season. still, it's pretty easy to see why it's such a favorite and is recorded so often on holiday album after holiday album. and it's pretty easy to imagine this couple going through this back and forth flirtation after a holiday season date or a christmas party.

i've picked this particular version because it's one of the few (actually the only one of which i'm aware) that the song is sung by two men. and sung very well indeed.

baby, it's cold outside - chris colfer and darren criss from glee the music: the christmas album

no, it really isn't

i thought to complement this morning's song, i would post another in the theme of the anticipation of the christmas season. now in listening to this song, i hope you think more of the season in which we are finding ourselves ever more deeply immersed, and less about the dwindling number of shopping days that remain until the actual day of celebration arrives.

christmas can't be very far away - amy grant from a christmas to remember

and a ho, ho, ho to you

for the past week or so, i've been in the midst of decorating the house for christmas. it's the first time i've felt like making any attempt at holiday decorating that evenly closely approximates how i used to decorate. that was an activity of martha stewart-like proportions. fortunately, i've scaled back quite a bit, but it's still taking some time to get the house the way i'd like it.

one of my annual christmas traditions is that i collect santas. i get them in a variety of forms, but i consistently order at least one type of particular type of santa statue from a specific high end retailer every year. each has some associated theme with it. there's highland fling santa, aspen santa, venetian santa, emperor napoleon santa, and so on.

i used to have many more than i do today, but i left quite a few behind at my ex's house, and my understanding is they now are for sale at the local goodwill, following his having the basement cleared out in preparation for putting the house up for sale earlier this year. it's my own fault really as, in the throes of my deep depression, i told him just to keep the stuff an do whatever he wanted with what i left behind. now that the clouds of depression have dissipated to a great extent, i definitely regret that decision, but it is what it is.

i guess my affinity for santas comes from the fact that i find this particular symbol of the holiday season to be one of the most endearing. the memories of waiting for santa are still palpable today, hoping i made the nice list once again and would get whatever i desired from the endless toy and game commercials that littered the airways then between thanksgiving and christmas. it's also fun to think about how many children over the decades since have engaged in that same tradition and how many are now waiting for that jolly fellow in the reindeer propelled sleigh to pay them a visit and leave loads and loads of brightly wrapped packages.

today's song is about that building anticipation of christmas day. it's one of those bouncy, jazzy, modern christmas classics that interestingly enough isn't performed that often of late. well, i am very glad this particular artist has performed it because she's one of my favorites and as always she does a truly great job with it.

the man with the bag - jane monheit from the season