Only 116 Shopping Days Left!

What a gorgeous morning! Once again I decided to soak in the dawn from the one and only Adirondack that chair that sits on my front porch. I've got no great view to speak of, just a quiet road and tons of trees. I can see my scrubby front yard and gravel driveway plus a neighbor's driveway and mailbox not too far away. Squirrels rummage here and there. On a more interesting day a moose would stroll through. Today just a peaceful quiet stillness punctuated by the smell of someone nearby using their wooden stove overnight into the early a.m. hours. Oh, the weather outside is far from frightful, but the first snowfall isn't far away. Earlier marked the first morning this summer that I had to put on pants for lounging outside. Actually if I was out on a hike or a run there'd've been no need for pants -- 43°F (6°C) with shorts and the right layered up top is so completely doable. But when just sitting and not moving around, and even with hot coffee, shorts would make me freeze. To me it was strange putting on them pants when for all summer long it's been nothing but shorts. The time is here for the darn chilly mornings and I suspect pants'll be the clothes order of the day much more frequently.

One thing's for sure about this weather -- it makes listening to the following a whole lot more appropriate... almost. Seeing how Christmas is a long time away and it's still actually summer, it's not exactly the season for St. Nick and Jingle Bells. But the cold weather sure makes it feel like it!

Harry Connick, Jr.

When My Heart Finds Christmas

1993




Sleigh Ride
When My Heart Finds Christmas
(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus
The Blessed Dawn Of Christmas Day
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
The Little Drummer Boy
Ave Maria
Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
What Child is This?
Christmas Dreaming
I Pray On Christmas
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
O Holy Night

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

The more I listen to this, the more I like it! Still it remains uneven, bouncing from one kind of sound to another. That kind of got to me at first but it's alright considering each tune's got some nice holiday charm. Connick's big band swing sound is prevalent on many numbers. He's also got the Sinatra sound down pat harking right back to beautiful numbers of the 40's and 50's. What Child Is This? has much more of a traditional Christmas song sound as does O Holy Night... after it gets past its booming John Williams Boston Pops film score kind of opening. The original songs here even have been able to grow on me. One of them, I Pray On Christmas, has an old timey Gospel spiritual feel while The Blessed Dawn Of Christmas Day once again goes for the traditional carol sound. There's also fun here with a not very often heard Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers and children backing up Rudolph.

It took me some time to be able to really enjoy all of the album all the way through, from one sound to another and to another... but I'm glad I got it. On a cold and snowy day in December with the smell of freshly baked cookies in the house... or cabin, I can imagine this getting a spin and making it really feel like Christmas.

256 kbps dload right here
Harry Connick, Jr.
When My Heart Finds Christmas