Happy Thanksgiving!

 

A Moment of Levity for Today's Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers

I understand that a record number of people will be traveling in the United States over the next several days and that stormy weather is expected in many parts of the country. As I reflect on the many blessings I'm thankful for tonight, I'm especially grateful to be enjoying Thanksgiving at home. For those of you who are or will be on the move, here's a brief look at some of what you may be in for.

My Latest Holiday Mix, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today," Is Now Available

I'm pleased to report that my 20th annual holiday mix, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today," is now complete and available for your listening pleasure. It runs a little over 75 minutes, contains 41 tracks and features my typically divergent mix of good, bad and ridiculous holiday tunes and other sounds. I'm especially proud to have it completed before Thanksgiving for the second year in a row, which allows folks to play it during dinner tomorrow should the conversation turn to politics. 

This mix opens with an excerpt from the 1954 holiday episode of TV's "Liberace Show." Noted for his colorful and flamboyant style, Liberace's weekly program made him one of the country's most successful performers in the 1950s, and his schmaltzy, enthusiastic style is immediately apparent in this year's opening number. It's followed by the title track, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today," which should be familiar to fans of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" (SNL). This track features SNL cast members Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan and Horatio Sanz. The song was first performed on December 9, 2000, and was sufficiently popular that the foursome returned to do it on 10 additional episodes of the show over the subsequent decade. SNL is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, so it seemed like a good time to feature this classic number.

(L to R): Horatio Sanz, Jimmy Fallon, Christ Kattan and Tracy Morgan.

Information about the other 39 tracks will be posted in this space between now and the end of the year in groups of around two or three per day. My aim, as in previous years, is to share at least a little background about every track. Many if not most of the cuts will probably be unfamiliar to you, so I hope this background will be of some interest. I will also include a number of posts about holiday music in general, and each Saturday we'll once again feature a vintage SNL holiday sketch as part of our SNL Holiday Flashback series.

For more information about this year's mix, please visit my holiday music website via the link below. The website also contains links to my previous mixes and other holiday-related material. It's hard to believe I've now been doing this for 20 years, but it's been worth it if I've managed to help make your holidays even a little brighter.

Access and Learn More About My Latest Mix, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today"

Get a Track List for This Year's Mix