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The Sounds Of Halloween 2023

9/20/2023

This is part of a blog I wrote years ago, but I revisit it and try to update it a bit each year.

Like most families, Halloween and Christmas have always been big at our house. Lisa and the kids are on the Halloween side, while I'm with Santa.

I learned long ago not to try and convert any of them. I think what happened at Disneyland once illustrates it best. In one of the studios at California Adventure, you can use this machine to determine which hero or villain you are.

I was Tarzan. All three of them were villains.

About Us (2023 Version)

9/2/2023

Hi All!

A note popped up in my Facebook memories today from 2009. I thought it was worth sharing, well, after a significant update.

At the time, I was getting ready to put the Sounds of Christmas back on the air for what was our upcoming third season. At that time, the Sounds of Christmas went live at some point in October, and then ended on January 7 (after Epiphany).

I started by thanking the thousands that had connected to us on social media (mostly MySpace, but Twitter and Facebook were starting to build). And while the numbers (and platforms) have changed, the sentiment is the same.

Most of the listeners to the Sounds of Christmas are not connected to our social media sites. To be honest, I'm not even sure how they stay connected. Maybe it's as simple as having the Sounds of Christmas bookmarked on their computer or device, or maybe they just use our app. Or maybe it's something else I'm not aware of.

Whatever the case, I am very grateful. It's an honor and a privilege to spend at least part of the season with so many all over the globe. While we're not on MySpace any more, we are on Instagram, and we recently joined Threads, Post and Bluesky. So if you'd like to be connected, you have a bunch of options. If you're interested, just click on CONNECT up above and you'll get links to all the social media sites that we're on.

In this note from 2009, I also explained what the Sounds of Christmas is, and maybe I shouldn't take it for granted that you already know that. So just in case, here's what I wrote back then...

For those who don't know, The Sounds of Christmas is an Internet Christmas radio station. For those who haven't discovered Internet radio, yet, it simply means it's like a radio station, but available online instead of through a traditional radio. And as far as I'm concerned, it's a lot better.

I am a huge fan of Christmas music, and I always have been. Increasingly over the years, I became more and more disillusioned with the way those traditional radio stations went about playing Christmas music.

Year after year, they seem to roll out the same 100 songs right around Thanksgiving, and play them all over and over until Christmas Day. It's no wonder that so many people groan when this begins each November.

There are tons of great Christmas CDs out there, and most seem to get ignored, while Bing's "White Christmas" and Nat's "Christmas Song" get featured seemingly every hour.

Don't get me wrong, I love Bing Crosby and Nat "King" Cole. I love Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams, Judy Garland, Johnny Mathis and the Chipmunks, too. But there's a lot more than just those standards, and I can't be the only one that loves all the rest of the Christmas music.

Then, I thanked Mannheim Steamroller. They had sponsored the first two seasons of the Sounds of Christmas, celebrating a brand new Christmas CD each year. And each year, both releases shot up the charts! More than anything, that should have shown these other "traditional radio stations" that people love the new Christmas music as well as the old.

If that didn't underscore my point, I also brought up Josh Groban. His Christmas CD, which debuted in 2007, sold so well it broke records held by Elvis Presley! In fact, it went on to become the best-selling CD of the year! Not just the best-selling "Christmas" CD, but the best-selling CD, period.

In 2009, I pointed out that listeners to the Sounds of Christmas the previous year got to hear new holiday music from singers and bands as diverse as Los Lonely Boys, Harry Connick Jr., Tommy James, Aretha Franklin, Weezer, Billy Bob Thornton, Carrie Underwood, the Archies, the Pretenders, Celtic Woman, Enya, Faith Hill, Greg London, Julianne Hough, Katy Perry, Neil Sedaka, Lorenna McKennitt, Kristin Chenoweth, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Plain White T's, Sarah Brightman, Roy Holliday, Spyro Gyra, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Sixpence None the Richer, Tony Bennett, U2, Straight No Chaser and the Archies.

In 2022, listeners to the Sounds of Christmas were treated to new music from Alanis Morissette, Harry Connick Jr., Alicia Keys, Ingrid Michaelson & A Great Big World, Blane Howard, Jim Brickman, Bob Sirois, Jimmy Barnes, Andrea Bocelli, Cliff Beach, Joss Stone, Grant Maloy Smith, Jane Monheit, the Backstreet Boys, Joyce Cooling, Blake Shelton, Lindsey Stirling, Macy Gray, Bryan Adams, Nora Jones, Olivia Rox, Kristin Amarie, David Lanz, the Offspring, Chris Isaak, Laurie Berkner, Pentatonix, Straight No Chaser, Michael Sinatra, Switchfoot, Cliff Richard, David Foster & Katharine McPhee, Paul Kelly, Rhonda Burchmore, Debbie Gibson, A Girl Named Tom, Sarah Partridge and Gloria Estefan. Just to name a few.

In 2009, the Sounds of Christmas playlist was well over 3000 tracks. In 2023, it's more than five times that.

I explained that, while I love Bing's "White Christmas", having such a wide and diverse playlist meant that it didn't get played every hour on the hour. Besides, Bing has lots of other great Christmas songs. In fact, all the artists I've mentioned have more than just one Christmas "hit". It seemed really short-sighted, and a dis-service to Christmas music fans, to ignore that and just play the same ones over and over.

And it still does.

This station was something I had wanted to do for a long time, and thanks to Mannheim Steamroller's sponsorship during those first few year, I was able to make it happen.

At the writing of this original note, i was getting ready to do start it up again. Now, while the station is on, I'm getting ready for an all-new season, which will begin on November 1.

From there, I went into a pitch about advertising, or buying things from our online store. This year, as I type this, I'm just about sold out of advertising spots, and we no longer have an online store.

That means I'm not asking you to buy or pay for anything. The best way you can support us is by listening!

The Sounds of Christmas is on right now, so as we roll through September, any time you need a little musical Christmas Spirit, stop by!

On October 1, the Sounds of Christmas becomes the Sounds of Halloween, and for the entire month, you'll only hear Halloween music here.

And then, on November 1, the new season begins, with thousands of great Christmas songs, including new holiday music from David Arkenstone, Tommee Profitt, Cher, Pentatonix, Johnny Mathis, David Foster & Katharine McPhee, Jon Pardi, Kate Rusby and Creed's Mark Tremonti (among many, many more)!

Thanks again for your continued support!

And may you always believe in Santa Claus!

Ken

The Sounds of Christmas From A To Z Part Two

7/9/2023

I hope you’ve been enjoying our special programming for Christmas In July. If you missed it, starting on the first of July, we’ve been playing the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z - almost every song in our library in alphabetical order, by song title, going from Faith Hill’s “A Baby Changes Everything” to Lunch At Allen’s “Zuzu’s Petals”, which we should get to on Tuesday just before 1pm (Eastern).

I had thought about replaying the entire block, but instead of doing that, I thought I’d give you a sequel!

As soon as “Zuzu’s Petals” finishes on Tuesday, we’ll begin the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z Part Two - the artists edition! This time, we’ll be playing most of our library in alphabetical order again, but this time, it will be alphabetical by the singer or band who recorded the song.

As with the first one, I’m skipping all the Halloween and Thanksgiving songs, but leaving in Hanukah, Kwanza and New Years. And this will be alphabetical by the first letter of the artist’s or band’s name. Like the first A to Z, I simply put our library into a Google spreadsheet and sorted it alphabetically by artist. And for artists who name begins with a number, I just spelled out the number, so we’ll get to 3 Doors Down when we get into the T’s.

Lots of artists have recorded lots of Christmas songs, so I’ll be picking one song for each of them to represent them. In some cases, that will be pretty easy. In others, a lot more difficult. I’m still not sure what I’ll pick for Frank Sinatra (among many, many others). Duets will be treated differently, so some artists may actually appear several times. For example, Bing Crosby recorded songs with the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and David Bowie. Maybe it’s cheating, but I’ll be including those.

There aren’t really hard and fast rules with this. At best, there are guidelines. I just hope you enjoy listening. You’ll be sure to hear lots of your favorites, alongside singers and bands you may never have heard of! That’s kind of what the Sounds of Christmas is all about.

So this Tuesday, right after Lunch At Allen’s “Zuzu’s Petals”, you’ll hear from A Boy Band Christmas, and then the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z Part Two - the Artists Edition will continue until we get to the Zoo Human Project.

I’m still putting this together, so I don’t really have an idea of how long this will go. In some ways, it should be a lot longer, since some artists only released one song, and that was a cover that I didn’t use in the first A to Z.

For example, Dan Ashley did a really good cover of “My Favorite Time of Year” but I played the original version by the Florin Street Band. I’ll get to play both in this next A to Z.

On the other hand, many artists have released lots of Christmas music, and I’ll only be playing one song from each of them.

So you and I may both find out together just how long this one will last.

Note - I may have made some mistakes. Like the first A to Z, this was a much bigger undertaking than I originally thought it would be. So some artists might come up in the wrong place. Some songs might play more than once. And some might not show up at all. None of that is on purpose. Just human error. My apologies if there’s an artist you want to hear and somehow they don’t show up.

I also get that you may not agree with the choices I make as far as which song gets picked to represent a particular artist. In most cases, I picked the more obvious choice, but a couple times I shook things up a little to pick something you might not expect.

I know that this isn’t for everybody. When some people listen to Christmas music, they want “White Christmas”. They want “The Christmas Song’. Others want “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or “Underneath The Tree”. And while all of those songs will appear, some more than once, in the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z Part 2, you may not get to hear them as often as you like. In fact, right now as I’m still putting it all together, I can’t even tell you how many days it will take until we get to Bing Crosby.

But, if you love Christmas music, all kinds of Christmas music, you’ll get a real taste of what I mean when I say the Sounds of Christmas plays the best variety of Christmas music. You’ll hear from lots of singers and bands that you may never have heard before, and you’ll probably hear a lot of songs you’ve never heard before, either. But I think you’re going to like it (at least I hope you do)!

Once again, I’ll send periodic updates through social media to let you know where we are as the month of July continues to roll along. The Sounds of Christmas is on Facebook and Twitter, and we’re dipping our toes into Bluesky, Post and Threads, but Facebook and Twitter are where we’re most active, at least as I’m recording this.

Anyway, despite all the caveats and possible mistakes, I hope the whole thing is fun, and that, if you do tune in, you like what you hear.

Listen to the Sounds of Christmas From A to Z

7/1/2023

The Sounds of Christmas From A to Z begun, which is where we're playing almost all the songs in our library in alphabetical order (by song title). We're also trying to make it as easy as we can to tune in!

There are three pretty simple ways to tune in.

First, simply click on the player on the front page of our website. This way, you can listen to us as long as you're on that page, even if you open other windows.

Second, you can click on the tree on our front page. That opens a pop-up player, so you can keep listening to us whether you stay on our website, or go to check your email, Facebook, etc. You can keep listening as long as you keep that pop-up player open.

You can also do either (or both) of these steps on the LISTEN NOW page.

And third, you can download our free app in the Google Play store (for your Android phone), and take us with you wherever you go!

This is something special we're doing for Christmas In July, and it's the first time we've even attempted it, so apologies in advance if something doesn't work quite right as the month of July rolls along. In fact, since we've never done this before, we don't really know how long it will take. If we get to the end in the middle of July, we'll probably run it again. Once it's done, we'll return to our regular programming. Until October 1st, that is, when we switch to Halloween music, and the Sounds of Christmas becomes the Sounds of Halloween. Then, on November 1st, the new season of the Sounds of Christmas begins!

We know that you may not be ready for Christmas music (either now or on the first of November when our new season starts), but when you are, we're ready for you! We're playing the best variety of Christmas music, with all your favorite tunes and favorite artists, and in November, we'll be adding hundreds of brand new songs!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and for listening!

May you always believe in Santa Claus!

The Sounds Of Christmas From A To Z

6/25/2023

We are now closer to Christmas 2023 than we are to Christmas 2022, and that means Christmas In July is just around the corner!

Last year on the Sounds of Christmas podcast, I hosted what I called a podcastpalooza for Christmas In July, inviting on lots of other Christmas podcasters to talk about their podcasts and share their love for the season.

This year, I wanted to do something different. Something with the Sounds of Christmas station. Something I haven’t ever done, not since I launched the Sounds of Christmas back in 2007.

Starting on July 1st, I’ll be giving you the Sounds of Christmas A to Z, playing almost every song in our library in alphabetical order. This is by song title, not by artist. And, at this point, I honestly have no idea how long it will go on. I can tell you that it takes over 13 hours just to get through all the songs that start with A.

So, a couple things about this.

First, I took my master library list and put it in a Google doc, then I set it to alphabetize all the entries by song title. For the most part, I think this worked okay. In some instances, punctuation in the song titles made it tricky. Sometimes, I was able to move those songs around where they made the most sense, but that probably wasn’t always the case. So you may hear a song that seems out of place, and that could be the reason.

Or it could be other things. Sometimes artists change the name of a song they’re covering. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas becomes, simply, A Merry Little Christmas. My Grown Up Christmas List becomes just Grown Up Christmas List. And Run Rudolph Run is sometimes listed as Run Run Rudolph. I’m sure there are plenty of others, but those are the ones that leap to mind.

I tried to deal with that as best I could, but this was a huge undertaking, and there may have been some I missed. Another reason that, upon occasion, there may be a song that seems out of place.

Also, I’m not playing every different version of every single song. I did consider that in the beginning, and thought it might be interesting to hear so many different artists with their own interpretations of each song. Then I realized that, if I did that, there would be over nine hours of different versions of “Silver Bells”.

I like “Silver Bells. A lot. Maybe even more than most. But I don’t think I would listen to nine hours of it.

So I went through and picked one version of songs like that to kind of represent the song. A couple times, when I had some versions of a particular song that were so different from each other, almost like they were completely different songs, I chose to play more than one. And sometimes I played an instrumental along with a vocal version of the same song. I tried not to play two versions of the same song that sounded very similar. But there were a couple times I found it hard to choose, so I included both.

And I included Chanukah and New Years songs, but I took out the Thanksgiving songs and Halloween songs. And I only included the first version of Adam Sandler’s Hannukah Song.

For songs that started with numbers, I simply spelled out the numbers, and you’ll find them accordingly.

I included lots of medleys, and some of the songs included in those will be found elsewhere in the entire A to Z event. I went back and forth on this, and finally decided that medleys are quite possibly more popular in Christmas music than in any other genre, so excluding them just seemed wrong.

I may have made some mistakes. This was a much bigger undertaking than I originally thought it would be. So some songs might come up in the wrong place. Some songs might play more than once. And some might not show up at all. None of that is on purpose. Just human error. My apologies if there’s a song you want to hear and somehow it doesn’t show up.

I also get that you may not agree with the choices I make as far as which version of a particular song gets played. In most cases, I picked the more obvious choice, but a couple times I shook things up a little to pick something you might not expect.

I know that this isn’t for everybody. When some people listen to Christmas music, they want Bing’s “White Christmas”. They want Nat King Cole and Elvis. For others it’s Mariah Carey and Kelly Clarkson. And while all of those artists do appear, more than once, in the Sounds of Christmas from A to Z, it will take a while to get to Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”. And if you miss Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on that first day, you won’t get to hear it again until we get back to regular programming.

But, if you love Christmas music, all kinds of Christmas music, you’ll get a real taste of what I mean when I say the Sounds of Christmas plays the best variety of Christmas music. You’ll hear lots of songs you may never have heard before, and you’ll hear lots of artists that you may have never heard before, either. But I think you’re going to like it (at least I hope you do)!

I’ll probably send periodic updates through social media to let you know where we are as the month of July rolls on (and possibly August).

I’m set to kick this off on July 1st with Faith Hill’s “A Baby Changes Everything”, and then keep on going until at some point we get to “Zuzu’s Petals” by the group Lunch At Allen’s. If it only takes a couple weeks, I’ll probably repeat it. I have a feeling it will take a lot longer than that, but since I’m still programming it all, I really don’t know. I guess we’ll find out together.

Anyway, despite all the caveats and possible mistakes, I hope the whole thing is fun, and that, if you do tune in, you like what you hear.

I’m set to kick this off on July 1st with Faith Hill’s “A Baby Changes Everything”, and then keep on going until at some point we get to “Zuzu’s Petals” by the group Lunch At Allen’s. If it only takes a couple weeks, I’ll probably repeat it. I have a feeling it will take a lot longer than that, but since I’m still programming it all, I really don’t know. I guess we’ll find out together.

Anyway, despite all the caveats and possible mistakes, I hope the whole thing is fun, and that, if you do tune in, you like what you hear.

Thanks again. And may you always believe in Santa Claus.

ChatGPT Blog Posts

3/5/2023

This is not real. Stephen King was not involved in this. Neither was Jerry Seinfeld.

What follows are the writings of the Artificial Intelligence program ChatGPT. As mentioned in the latest Sounds of Christmas podcast episode, I asked the chatbot to write a blog post about Christmas music in the style of Stephen King, and then in the style of Jerry Seinfeld.

I'm sharing them both here, as I thought the results were interesting. And a little scary.

First, here's the AI's attempt at a Christmas music blog post in the style of Stephen King...

There's something about Christmas music that's both comforting and unsettling at the same time. The familiar melodies and lyrics evoke memories of childhood and happy times spent with loved ones. But there's also a sense of darkness lurking beneath the surface, a feeling of unease that grows stronger as the holiday season approaches.

Perhaps it's the repetitiveness of the songs, the way they're played over and over again in stores and on the radio until they're practically etched into your brain. Or maybe it's the fact that many of the classic Christmas tunes were written decades ago, at a time when the world was a very different place. Whatever the reason, there's a certain eeriness to Christmas music that can't be ignored.

Take "Jingle Bells," for example. On the surface, it's a cheerful song about sleigh rides and snow. But if you listen closely, you can hear a hint of madness in the lyrics. "Laughing all the way"? Who's laughing, and why? Is it the riders on the sleigh, or something else entirely?

And what about "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"? Sure, it's a fun song about a jolly old man in a red suit. But when you really think about it, the idea of a stranger sneaking into your house in the middle of the night is pretty creepy. And the lyrics, "He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake" are downright chilling.

Then there's "The Little Drummer Boy," a song that's supposed to be about the joy of giving. But there's a sadness to the melody, a sense of loss that's hard to ignore. And when you consider that the song is about a poor boy who has nothing to give but the gift of his music, it becomes even more poignant.
But perhaps the most unsettling Christmas song of all is "Do You Hear What I Hear?" The lyrics tell the story of a shepherd boy who hears a voice in the night, telling him of a king who will bring peace to the world. It's a beautiful sentiment, but there's something ominous about the way the words are sung. The repeating refrain of "Listen to what I say" is almost hypnotic, and the line "A child, a child, shivers in the cold" is enough to send shivers down your own spine.

So as you listen to your favorite Christmas tunes this holiday season, remember that there's more to these songs than meets the ear. There's a darkness lurking in the shadows, waiting to be uncovered. And who knows what horrors it might reveal?

As a fan of Stephen King, this reads (at least to me) like someone who hasn't read any of Stephen King's books attempting to write something about Christmas the way they imagine someone like Stephen King might write it. And if you look at it that way, it works. I should also mention that ChatGPT wrote this entire post in seconds.

The next is a Christmas music blog post in the style of Jerry Seinfeld...

What's the deal with Christmas music? I mean, every year it's the same songs, the same lyrics, the same jingle-jangle-jingle. And don't even get me started on those sleigh bells. It's like the only way they know how to make a song sound "festive" is by adding a bunch of bells.

And why is it that every pop star feels the need to record their own version of "Jingle Bells" or "White Christmas"? Do we really need to hear Taylor Swift's take on "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"? I don't think so. And let's not forget those "modern" Christmas songs that are just terrible. I mean, have you heard "Santa Baby"? That song is just creepy.
And what's with all the religious Christmas songs? I mean, I get that Christmas has some religious roots, but do we really need to hear "Silent Night" or "O Holy Night" a thousand times a day? And don't even get me started on those kids' choirs singing "Away in a Manger." I mean, come on, give me a break!
But you know what, despite all my complaints, I have to admit that there's something about Christmas music that just puts me in the holiday spirit. Maybe it's the memories of sitting by the fire with my family, listening to the classics on the radio. Or maybe it's just the fact that I know I only have to listen to it for a few weeks out of the year.
So, I guess what I'm saying is, even though Christmas music can be a bit repetitive and overplayed, it's still a part of what makes the holiday season so special. Plus, it gives us all an excuse to belt out "Feliz Navidad" at the top of our lungs. And really, what's not to love about that?

This one almost reads like a bad SNL parody. The first sentence let's you know who it's supposed to be written by (the "what's the deal with" opening has been used for decades as a supposed hallmark of Seinfeld). And as with the previous post, this one was written in seconds by ChatGPT.

I tried several others (including Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman and Steve Martin), but none of those were really close to the writer it was trying to emulate.

For more on ChatGPT, check out the latest podcast HERE!

Christmas Auld Lang Syne 2022

12/29/2022

First, and most importantly, Happy New Year! I hope 2023 is your best year yet!

2022 has been pretty terrific for the Sounds of Christmas, and I wanted to say thank you for being a part of that, whether you listened to this station or to the Sounds of Christmas podcast. Or both.

The Sounds of Christmas podcast just passed one hundred fifty thousand downloads. While in the grand scheme of things, or at least as far as that goes in the world of podcasting, that may not be a lot. But it seems like a lot to me, especially since I only started the podcast in early 2021 (not quite two years ago).

While that milestone might give some the desire to pause and reflect, I’d rather look ahead at the year to come.

For the podcast, I’ll continue posting episodes year-round. I have just posted an episode this week, after posting a new episode each day the week before. The frequency of new episodes will ease up now, going back to a similar schedule as last year. I’ll try to get one new one posted every Monday, but there may be a week or two where that just doesn’t happen.

I do have a wish list of people I’d like to have on as guests, including a lot of artists who had advertised on the Sounds of Christmas station over the years, but haven’t necessarily released any new Christmas music lately. I’d like to check in with them, see what they're up to, talk about the Christmas music they did release, and, knowing me, probably ask them about making some new Christmas music, too.

I have a couple surprises in store, at least I hope I do, with some people I’m working on scheduling for the next month or two, but I don’t have anything set, yet, so I can’t reveal anything at this point. I don’t mean to tease; I just want you to know that I am working on some things I think you’ll like.

The Sounds of Christmas station will continue on, playing the Best Variety of Christmas Music, commercial-free, through the end of September. Then, once again, I’ll switch things over for October, and we’ll be playing the Best Variety of Halloween Music.

Then, on November 1, 2023, a brand new season of the Sounds of Christmas will begin.

Between now and October, I’ll do what I can to keep things fresh, including the addition of a bunch of songs that I didn’t get around to playing this past season. Some I just didn’t find in time. Others were released that last week leading up to Christmas. And others I just wasn’t able to fit in.

I’m writing this on New Year’s Eve Eve Eve, and I noticed that we still have people listening all over the United States and in at least fifty other countries. And while that’s nice to see, I know full well it probably won’t stay like that. And really, that’s fine.

I know I mentioned earlier that the Sounds of Christmas podcast just crossed the one hundred fifty thousand download mark, and I don’t mention that to brag. It’s more out of surprise and gratitude, which is the same feeling I have seeing all those who are listening to the station tonight.

I didn’t start doing any of this for the numbers, and I really hope it doesn’t sound like that’s the case. In fact, I fully expect the numbers on both the station and the podcast to drop significantly over the next week, with neither really going up much again until next fall.

And that is also fine.

My only hope is that, at some point during the next year, when you feel like you could use a little Christmas spirit, that you remember that we’re still on and you can listen any time. And if you love Christmas music enough that you want to hear me and my guests talk about, I hope you remember the podcast is still chugging along, and if you’ve followed or subscribed on whatever podcast service you use, all our new episodes will be there waiting for you when you feel like checking back in.

Thanks so much for listening, to the podcast and to the station. It has been wonderful sharing part of the season with you, and I look forward to sharing more with you, whether it’s later in January, or April or July or next fall once the new season gets underway (or even if you wait to listen until next December).

Thank you for sharing the season with the Sounds of Christmas.

And may you always believe in Santa Claus.

The 12 Days Of Christmas

12/25/2022

Despite what the traditional radio stations, TV commercials and car dealerships tell you, the Twelve Days of Christmas actually come after Christmas. No, really. Those twelve days mark the time from Christmas Day to Epiphany. I'm not going to get into the weeds of the religious history, though if you're interested, you can check out the info on Wikipedia (among other places).

I always mention this fact, year after year, as it seems many people lose their enthusiasm for Christmas a day or two after.

For our first ten years, the Sounds of Christmas stayed on through January 6. And while there was a drop-off in listeners, it was surprising that so many people, in so many different countries, continued to listen.

Also, listeners sent in emails and messages, asking us to stay on all year long. That seemed a bit much, and I went back and forth on that. Finally, a few years ago, I decided to give it a try.

Surprisingly, aside from that initial drop-off after Christmas Day, thousands continued to listen, all over the globe.

Some people don't like the idea of year round Christmas music, and I get that. It's not for everybody. Some don't like it before Thanksgiving, or before December 1. And some don't like it at all. That's okay. No one has to listen.

But, for those who do enjoy it, the Sounds of Christmas is here for you. Any time you need some Christmas spirit, just click on the player (on the website or through the app) and enjoy it as the Sounds of Christmas turns the Twelve Days of Christmas into Twelve Months (well, eleven months plus Halloween).

As far as the song goes, there are lots of versions of "The Twelve Days of Christmas". Not just different artists and different arrangements, but actual different versions, where the twelve items are in different orders, or the items are actually replaced with other things.

The song was originally published over two hundred years ago.

12 Lords A Leaping
11 Ladies Dancing
10 Pipers piping
9 Drummers Drumming
8 Maids A-Milking
7 Swans A-Swimming
6 Geese A-Laying
5 Gold Rings
4 Colley Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Those lyrics were printed somewhere around 1800. In the early 1900s, the lyrics were published with a few changes. The four colley birds became four calling birds. Colley had meant black, so these were basically blackbirds. The change to calling birds made the subtle shift that these were songbirds, not necessarily blackbirds.

The Ladies Dancing moved from 11 to 9, Lords A-Leaping moved from 12 to 10, Pipers Piping moved from 10 to 11, and Drummers Drumming moved from 9 to 12. No one seems to know why these changes were made.

Briefly, in the mid-1800s, Pipers Piping became Fifers Fifing. Shortly after, the Pipers were replaced with Ships Sailing, the Ladies Dancing became Ladies Spinning, and the Lords A-Leaping became Bells Ringing.

While those all shifted back a few years later, other changes crept in. French Hens became Fat Hens, the Colley Birds became Ducks Quacking and the Gold Rings became Hares Running.

Then those changes went back, and the Geese A-Laying switched to Ducks A-Laying, the Maids A-Milking became Hares A-Running, and the Drummers Drumming were replaced with Badgers Baiting.

In the 1870s, the Badgers were replaced with Lambs A-Bleating, and the Lords A-Leaping became Lords A-Leading.

In the 1880s, the final five gifts were Hare’s A-Running, Bulls A-Roaring, Men A-Mowing, Dancers A-Dancing, and Fiddlers A-Fiddling.

In the 1890s, the Partridge was temporarily replaced with a Very Pretty Peacock, and the Lords A-Leading became Lads A-Louping.

In 1900, Squabs A-Swimming, Hounds A-Running, Bears A-Beating, and Cocks A-Crowing were all added.

A few years later, Boys A-Singing and Asses A-Racing were introduced.

In 1909, the standard that we hear today, for the most part, seemed to be accepted.

12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords A-Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids A-Milking
7 Swans A-Swimming
6 Geese A-Laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

When I mention all these changes that happened in the 1700s and 1800s, I should mention that there have been publications of those verses with those changes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were preferred or more in use than other versions.

Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters are credited with recording one of the earliest versions of the song, and that was in 1949.

Perry Como recorded a version of it in 1953, but switched around the Lords A-Leaping, Ladies Dancing and Pipers Piping.

Many other artists have recorded in the years since, and the order of those last four or five gifts is often switched around. Pentatonix did that a few years ago, and I didn’t know the song’s history, and instead, just got annoyed at them for changing it around. I had no idea that all of these changes had been going on for hundreds of years.

So, Pentatonix, if you’re listening, I apologize.

In 1984, the PNC Wealth management bank in the U.S. began publishing the Christmas Price Index, which computed the entire value of all the gifts in the song. However, this was only for the one gift mention on each new day in the song, instead of adding up all of the gifts (meaning that by the end, there were twelve partridges in twelve pear trees, since one was given each day).

They created a second index to reflect those totals, which they called the True Cost Of Christmas.

In 1984, the True Cost Of Christmas was determined to be $61,318.94.

In 2022, the True Cost Of Christmas has risen to $197,071.09.

Regardless of how much you can spend on partridges and pear trees, or if there are pipers or fifers, the main thing I hope you take away from all of this is that the 12 Days of Christmas come after Christmas.

So don’t let anyone tell you that you should stop listening to Christmas music, even though traditional radio stations, and most stores and other places where music is played, have stopped.

In fact, since we’re on year-round, you don’t ever have to stop. If Christmas music brings you joy, we’re here for you, anytime you want to listen and get a little Christmas spirit, whether it’s December 29th or January 5th or, for that matter, March 5th or June 5th.

The Sounds of Christmas will keep playing the Best Variety of Christmas music, all year long. Well, except in October, when we play the Best Variety of Halloween music.

Thank You 2022

11/25/2022

Thank you.

This is based on a blog I've been posting around Thanksgiving every year for the last several years. I am gratefully updating it for 2022.

Running the Sounds of Christmas is a labor of love. It's not a big money-maker, nor was it ever intended to be. I love Christmas music, and felt that there was so much great Christmas music out there, and most of it was being ignored by traditional radio. I wanted to create a place that played it all (or, at least, a lot of it). I thought others who loved Christmas music probably felt the same way, and I wanted to make a station that would play as much Christmas music as possible, not just the "hits". Judging by the traffic this site gets, and the increasing number of listeners that find us and tune in each year, I'm not alone.

Lots of artists find us, too, and I am very grateful for that. Some record special announcements for us. Some simply send us their music for airplay consideration. And some elect to pay us to advertise their latest release. Some names you may know. Some you may only know because you've heard them regularly on the Sounds of Christmas. And some may be completely new to you.

I'd like to take a moment here to thank those that have chosen to support us this season.

Kenny Davies says his song "Christmas Rap" is the "true story" about Santa. He recorded it and posted it to YouTube around Thanksgiving 2012. And he's been sponsoring us season after season. In fact, he is almost always the first one to sign on for the next season, sometimes as early as Spring! You can click on the picture and download his song from iTunes.

Michael Sinatra has been with us for several seasons. He's also been so generous with his time that he checked in with the Sounds of Christmas podcast for several episodes to take us along on the journey of creating his last Christmas album (and his plans for more Christmas music, hopefully some time soon)! Click on the picture on the right to stream and download songs from his second Christmas album, simply entitled Christmas. You can also order a signed copy of his first Christmas album, An Old Fashioned Christmas, on his website HERE!

Actress and vocalist Brynn Stanley released Classic Christmas a couple years ago, added a bonus track last year and has now released the album on vinyl! Sounds of Christmas listeners may also remember her earlier single "Selfie With Santa" from a couple years prior, though it's also included on Classic Christmas. Her video for the first single "Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)" was voted the number one holiday video on Hip Video Promo. Click the picture on the left to get a copy of her album on vinyl while supplies last!

Russ Lorenson first advertised with us in 2015, when he released his second Christmas album. Very happy to have him back with us again for In The Holiday Spirit's 7th anniversary (and the sixteenth anniversary of that first Christmas release, What I Want For Christmas). You can find out more about both of those albums, as well as Russ' other music, when you click the picture and go to his website.

This year marks four-in-a-row for Suzanne's Band. Their second Christmas single, "Underneath The Tree", came out last year, and Suzanne was also kind enough to make time for our podcast, giving us updates on the journey that song took from creation to its release last November. You can check out both of Suzanne's Band's Christmas singles, and the rest of their music, by clicking on the picture on the left!

Tommee Profitt is back with us for his third year in a row. His Christmas album, Birth Of A King, had been in the works since 2005. He created the concept of making an epic soundtrack to what many refer to as the Greatest Story Ever Told. And he assembled an amazing array of artists to bring his vision to fruition. Those artists include Avril Lavigne, Sarah Reeves and Chris Tomlin, just to name a few. You can find out more about Tommee and this project by clicking on the album cover.

Rosalie Drysdale is also back with us a third season. Her album Let Your Heart Be Light is her first Christmas release, and she has prolifically followed that up with more albums and singles, including her version of "Mary Did You Know". You can find out more about her and her music by clicking the album cover and visiting her website.

Laurie Berkner is back for her third time with the Sounds of Christmas. She’s just released her second Christmas album Another Laurie Berkner Christmas. Her previous Christmas album, A Laurie Berkner Christmas, came out around ten years ago, so she said she thought it was time for a sequel! You can find out more about her and her music by clicking the picture on the right!

Paul Kelly is back this year for his second time! He released his first ever Christmas album, Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train, last year, which included an updated version of his popular classic "How To Make Gravy"! This year, he's adding a track ("Maybe This Christmas") to what was already a massive collection! Check it out by clicking the photo on the left!

Cliff Beach is also back for his second season with the Sounds of Christmas. Last year, he released his first Christmas album, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year (filled with covers in several styles, along with the original title track), and this year he’s just released an a cappella version of “Jingle Bells”! Check it out by clicking on the photo on the right!

Dan Ashley also returns for his second season! He has a great Christmas single, a cover of "My Favorite Time Of The Year" (and you may know the original by the Florin Street Band). He also hints to me that there might be a Christmas album in the not-too-distant future! Check out Dan's Christmas single, and his other music, by clicking the picture on the left!

Linda Imperial is also back for her second season with the Sounds of Christmas. She has an original Christmas single called “Christmas You And Me” and she’s hoping to release her version of her favorite Christmas song soon (that’s “Little Drummer Boy”). Find out more about Linda and her music by clicking the picture on the right!

Corinne Cook is also back for her second time. Her Christmas single is “A Soldier’s Holiday” and she hopes it shares the feelings a woman in the military has when the calendar turns to December. You can check out Corinne's Christmas song (and find her other music) by clicking the picture on the left!

Liz Kennedy is back, too, also for her second season. Liz’s Christmas single is “Snowman Moon (A Christmas Crime), which she says she hopes captures that magic that is found in love and also at this very special time of year. You can check it out, along with the rest of Liz's music, by clicking on the picture on the right!

And Deb Bowman returns for her second year with the Sounds of Christmas. Last year, she released her first Christmas album, “A Big Love Holiday”, which, I believe, Deb is planning to take out on tour in December. Find out more about Deb and her music by clicking the picture on the left!

As if that wasn’t enough, there are some super-talented, amazing singers and musicians joining the Sounds of Christmas this year for the first time.

First is the collective known as All Star Kid. I just had a conversation with AdELA in the a late October episode of the Sounds of Christmas podcast, but for those who missed it, All Star Kid has released an album called “A Thankfully Spooktacular Christmas”, which features songs for kids about, as you might’ve guessed, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! Check it out by clicking on the picture on the right!

Singer-songwriter Stephen Winston makes his debut with the Sounds of Christmas this year. He says he hopes his single “Winters Breath Warms The Heart”, which recounts a childhood memory, helps everyone revel in the nostalgia of those warm memories of Christmas Past. Check it out by clicking on the picture on the left.

Singer-songwriter Sarah Partridge joins us for the first time this year, following the release of her first Christmas album, “A Partridge In A Pear Tree”, which she said had to be the title, given her last name. You can check it out by clicking on the picture on the right!

Also new this year is Mark Winter, formerly in the 80’s band Illusion. Mark has just released his first Christmas single “Christmas In The Air”. You can check out the single and find out more about Mark by clicking on the photo on the left!

Similarly, the KEITH band is with us for the first time, following the release of their first single “Christmas Magic” (though they hint that their may be more Christmas music on the way - which is always something we like to hear)! Check them out by clicking on the photo on the right!

American Roots Singer/Songwriter Grant Maloy Smith is joining us for the first time this year. His first Christmas album “The Christmas Heart” is just out (and you may also know Grant from his single a few years back, “Fly Possum Fly”! Find out more about Grant and his music by clicking on the photo on the left!

Jazz/pop/standards vocalist Jane Monheit is with us for her first time this year, following the release of her second Christmas album The Merriest. Jane released her first Christmas album, The Season, in 2005, and a follow-up has been on her schedule for years, and when you hear it, you’ll know it was worth waiting for! Check it out by clicking on the photo on the right!

Australian entertainer Rhonda Burchmore and Big Band leader Jack Earle join us for the first time, with their Christmas album A Red Hot Swingin’ Christmas, another Christmas project that was in the works for years, and once you’ll hear it, you’ll know it was worth the wait! Check it out by clicking on the photo on the left!

Matt Molnar is also with us for the first time this year. Matt’s album Some Christmas Songs was picked for USA Today’s Holiday Album List, when it first came out a few years ago. You can check it out for yourself by clicking the photo on the right!

Singer/songwriter Michael Brandmeier joins us for the first time this year, with the release of his single "I See An Angel". Listen for him on an upcoming episode of the Sounds of Christmas for the story behind this song. And check it out for yourself by clicking on the picture on the left!

Guy Maeda is also with us for the first time this year. You may not recognize the name, but you've certainly heard him. He is a professional studio singer and musician and has performed in hundreds of movies, TV Shows, recordings, commercials, and concerts. "The Magic Of The Season" is his first single! You can check it out by clicking on the photo on the right!

Singer/songwriter Blane Howard is also with us for his first season on the Sounds of Christmas. He just released his first Christmas album - Christmas In The Car. You can check it out wherever you stream and download music, and order a CD from his website! Check it out by clicking on the photo on the left!

I am so grateful to all of these artists for helping the Sounds of Christmas get on the air, and stay on the air this season. And while I do play songs from all of them, I also play lots of other songs (our library is over 15,000 and growing every day). Saying thanks to them all here doesn't seem enough, so I've set aside special hours each weekday to feature music from all of the artists that have been so kind as to support us this year, and in year's past (and you can find all of those on our links page above).

Anyway, each weekday at 1am and 7am, and 1pm and 7pm (Eastern), you'll hear an hour's worth of music featuring those singers and bands that have been instrumental in keeping the Sounds of Christmas going.

And while there are many worthy charitable organizations out there, I'm particularly grateful to the American Cancer Society, Feeding America and the Shelter Pet Project for letting me help spread the word about the wonderful work they do. You can click on each of their names to find out more about them.

I also want to thank those that have been so kind as to donate to us through the PayPal link. I wasn't going to mention this, as I didn't want to sound like I was seeking donations, but there have been so many lately, that I couldn't let it go by without acknowledging and expressing my gratitude. I'm adding the link here because some have asked, but I really don't want anyone to feel like I'm asking for donations, or expecting them. The Sounds of Christmas is a free online Christmas music station, and you can listen without every giving us a nickel.

And now I've saved the best for last.

Thank you for listening. When I started the Sounds of Christmas back in 2007, I had no idea that it would still be going strong so many Christmases later. And it wouldn't be if you weren't tuning in.

Truth is, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed as I take a look at where listeners are tuning in on this Thanksgiving week...

Thank you for the kind words, messages, Facebook posts and Tweets. It is a pleasure and an honor to get to spend at least part of the holiday season with so many all over the world.

I hope the Sounds of Christmas brings you joy, makes you smile and enriches your holiday. Knowing you're out there listening certainly does that, and more, for me!

Thank you again. Thank you a million times. And then a million more.

And may you always believe in Santa Claus.

Ken

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Special Program

11/21/2022

We are so excited to announce that we'll be airing the Trans-Siberian Orchestra The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve Radio Special!

For an entire hour, we'll be presenting TSO's music, along with interviews from guitarists Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery, along with drummer Jeff Plate!

They'll be talking about this year's tour, the music and the legacy of Paul O'Neill!

You'll have several opportunities to catch this special in December, with airings on the Sounds of Christmas on Sunday, December 4 at 8pm (Eastern), Saturday, December 10 at 10pm (Eastern) and on Sunday, December 18 at 11pm (Eastern).

If you want to see when the Trans-Siberian Orchestra is coming to a concert venue near you, just CLICK HERE to go to a special page on their website with info about all of their dates for the 2022 tour!

To get you in the spirit, here's a video TSO recently posted to their YouTube channel, offering up the complete narrated version of "The Lost Christmas Eve"!