Christmas Best - They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
I have been making mix tapes since they invented 8-track tape recorders. I moved on to cassette tapes when they made cassette recorders. Eventually I moved on to CDs which is where we are now. In about 2009 I discovered a couple websites that specialized in Christmas mix tapes and a few that shared Christmas music on the internet for downloading. Most of the sharing websites shared old, out of print music in order to avoid any problems with copyright infringement. One of the longest running websites is one called Ernie Not Bert. Ernie posts hundreds of singles during July for 'Christmas In July' and leaves December for mostly complete LPs. Ernie is a compulsive shopper at thrift stores where he acquired most of his out of print treasures.
Since 2009 I have made a Christmas CD that I give to family and friends. I have made my Christmas collections from different genres: rock n roll, country, doo wop, big bands, and every few years I put together a secular CD for our non-Christian friends and relatives that I call Winter Wonderland. This year is a Doo Wop Christmas.
A few years ago I made 5 CD's featuring my favorite Christmas and non-Christmas songs that I'm listing below. I was listening to them the other night and was struck by the difference in the quality of the musicianship and lyrics found in the older songs compared to more modern songs. Most of the songs are by artists from long ago. You will recognize most of the artists but I'm sure there will be some that you have never heard of. Check out the lists below and see how many you recognize.
Volume 1
Ring Those Christmas Bells - Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians
All I Want For Christmas Is You - Lisa Layne With Vince Vance And The Valiants
Away In A Manger - Julie Andrews With Andre Previn And His Orchestra
Baby, It's Cold Outside - Buddy Clark And Dinah Shore With Ted Dale's Orchestra
Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
Carol Of The Bells - Phil Spitalny's Hour Of Charm All-Girl Orchestra And Chorus
Christmas Eve In My Home Town - Eddie Fisher
Christmas, Baby Please Come Home - Darlene Love
Do You Hear What I Hear - Bing Crosby
Frosty The Snowman - Jimmy Durante
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Carpenters
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Carpenters
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jane Krakowski
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Bing Crosby
It Must Have Been The Mistletoe 'Our First Christmas' - Vikki Carr
Merry Christmas Darling - Carpenters
Merry, Merry Christmas Baby - Dodie Stevens
Please Come Home For Christmas - Dion
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
Silent Night - Lennon Sisters
Silver Bells - Bing Crosby, Carol Richards With The John Scott Trotter Orchestra '1950'
Sleigh Ride - New York Philharmonic, Skitch Henderson, Conducting
Snow - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Peggy Lee, And Trudy Stevens
Still, Still, Still - Norman Luboff Choir
White Christmas - Bing Crosby '1942'
Winter Wonderland - Richard Himber And His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra With Joey Nash
Volume 2
All Alone On Christmas - Darlene Love
An Old Fashioned Christmas - Frank Sinatra
Blue Snowfall - George Morgan
Christmas Dreaming 'A Little Early This Year' - Frank Sinatra
Christmas Kisses - Ray Anthony
Hallelujah Chorus - From 'Messiah' - Robert Shaw Chorale And Orchestra
'I Love The' Winter Weather - Benny Goodman And His Orchestra With Peggy Lee And Art Lund
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Bob Crosby And His Orchestra
Little Altar Boy - Carpenters
Little Jack Frost, Get Lost - Frankie Carle And His Orchestra With Marjorie Hughes
Looks Like A Cold, Cold Winter - Bing Crosby
Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House - Lennon Sisters
Oíche Chiún 'Silent Night' - Enya
On A Snowy Christmas Night - Elvis Presley
Our Winter Love - Lettermen
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Crystals
Snow - Johnny Mann Singers
Snowfall - Doris Day
The Christmas Song 'Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire' - Nat King Cole
The Holly And The Ivy - Roger Whittaker
The Toy Trumpet - John Scott Trotter Orchestra Featuring Bobby Guy
'Twas The Night Before Christmas - Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians, Teen Trio, Gordon Goodman, Jack Best
We Wish You The Merriest - Frank Sinatra And Bing Crosby
Patti Page - [Pop Masters: Wonderful World, Beautiful People] Winter World Of Love
You're My Christmas Present - Jimmy Beaumont And The Skyliners
Volume 3
An Old Christmas Card - Jim Reeves
Judy Collins - [Angels In The Snow] Angels In The Snow
Ave Maria - Phil Spitalny's Hour Of Charm Orchestra, Evelyn And Her Magic Violin, Jeanne, Vocal Solo
Blue Winter - Connie Francis
By The Fireside - Jo Stafford
Christmas Bell Rock - Bobby Emmons And The Crosstones With The Wanderers
The Anita Kerr Singers - [Sweet And Simple] Cold Winter Nights
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen - Bing Crosby
Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees - Elvis Presley
If I Get Home On Christmas Day - Elvis Presley
I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter - Connie Francis
'It's A' Marshmallow World - Darlene Love
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms 'Collectables' '1957'
Jingle Bells - Bing Crosby And The Andrews Sisters
Last Christmas - Wham
Let's Have An Old Fashioned Christmas - Roaring 20's
Lonely This Christmas - Mud
Noël Prelude - Ronnie Milsap
Rockin' This Christmas - Tractors
The Anita Kerr Singers With Orchestra - [Love - Well Seasoned] Snow In Lover's Lane
Snowbound - Barbra Streisand
The Coldest Night Of The Year - April Stevens And Nino Tempo
The First Noël - Sergio Franchi
Tony Pastor - [Swingin' Songs For Santa 2] When Winter Comes
White World Of Winter - Bing Crosby
Winter In New England - Joanie Sommers, Arranged And Conducted By Stan Applebaum
Gale Storm - [The Best Female Voices Of The '50s] Winter Warm
Winter's Here - Robin Ward
You're All I Want For Christmas - Brook Benton
z Christmas And Cocktails
Volume 4
Amid The Falling Snow - Enya
An Old Fashioned Christmas Tree - Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians With Don Rodney
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S - Ames Brothers
The Lettermen - [For Christmas This Year] Christmas All Alone
Christmas Candles - Andrews Sisters With Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians
Coventry Carol - Choir Of King's College, Cambridge
December - Kay Starr With The Billy Butterfield Quintet
Here Comes Santa Claus - Bing Crosby, Andrews Sisters
Home 'When Shadows Fall' - Jackie Gleason
Julie London - [Ultra-Lounge: Christmas Cocktails, Part One] I'd Like You For Christmas
Kiri Te Kanawa(Soprano), Michael George(Bass), BBC Philharmonic Ochestra & Choir/Robin Stapleton - [40 Most Beautiful Winter Classics] In The Bleak Mid-Winter
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - Julie Andrews With Andre Previn
It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You - Elvis Presley
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas - Maurice Chevalier
Joy To The World - Mario Lanza With Henri Rene's Orchestra
Long, Lonely Days Of Winter - Duane Eddy With Marty Paich, Arranger, Conducter
Noël - George Thill
O Christmas Tree - John McCarthy Chorus
O Holy Night 'Cantique De Noël' - Fred Waring, Pennsylvanians, Patti Beems, Men's Glee Club, Harp
O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Nelson Eddy
Run, Rudolph, Run - Jane Krakowski
Star Of The East - Judy Garland
The Christmas Waltz - Doris Day
The First Snowfall - Bing Crosby
The Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale
When You Trim Your Christmas Tree - Les Brown And His Band Of Renown With Jack Haskell
Who Needs Mistletoe - Julie Roberts
Volume 5
A Christmas Prayer - Penguins
A Wonderful Winter - Charlie Spivak AHO With Jerry Saunders, Vocal '1945'
All I Want For Christmas, Dear, Is You - Louise Mandrell
Christmas Candle - Tony Martin '1941'
Christmas Eve - Billy Eckstein
Christmas On The Plains - Roy Rogers And Dale Evans
Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby
It's Christmas Once Again - Frankie Lymon
Merry Christmas - Judy Garland
Merry Christmas, Baby - Charles Brown
Mistletoe And Holly - Frank Sinatra
My Christmas Song For You - Hoagy Carmichael With Martha Mears
O Come All Ye Faithful 'Adeste Fideles' - Luciano Pavarotti With The National Philharmonic
River - Barry Manilow
Santa Claus Is Back In Town - Elvis Presley
Siberian Sleigh Ride - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
The Tractors - [Have Yourself A Tractors Christmas] Silent Night, Christmas Blue
The Bells Of Christmas - Julie Andrews
The One Horse Open Sleigh - Robert DeCormier Folk Singers
The Star Of Bethlehem - Richard Crooks
The Story Of A Starry Night - Jackie Gleason
Twelve Days Of Christmas - Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians
Warm December - Julie London
What Child Is This - Andre Previn, Conducting
Winter Light - Linda Ronstadt
Posted by Rick | November 27, 2025 11:01 AM | Just For Fun
RIP Mr. Rishoi
Stanley Rishoi, beloved Watertown High School music teacher for 17 years, passed away August 7, 2025, in Storm Lake IA. He was 90 years old.
I posted this on my blog 'redmeatblog.com' on December 25. 2023.
“There’s an old saying that goes like this: It’s not really drinking alone if the dog is home. That said, as I listened to Christmas music this afternoon and poured my second red beer I became a little nostalgic (blame it on the alcohol) remembering one of my more pleasant memories of Christmas in Watertown. must have been either a junior or senior in high school and Mr. Rishoi called me at home around dinner time and said that he was putting together a small group of carolers to go out that evening. I really don’t remember who ultimately participated but I’m guessing that the group consisted of some of the members of the a cappella choir. We met somewhere downtown (If I recall correctly, the stores were open on Friday nights.) and sang carols on the street corners for quite a while, eventually making our way to an old folks home near the court house where we were invited in to sing for a bit. It was snowing and, of course, very cold but I think a good time was had by all. Cheers! and Merry Christmas!!"
When I was a junior Mr. Rishoi directed 'The Music Man' musical. It was an enormous undertaking. People were chosen to play the various parts, costumes were ordered, dance lessons were given, the orchestra was organized, the sets were built and singing practices were never ending. He created a barbershop quartet that I was fortunate to have been chosen for (Jacey Squires, 1st Tenor). In one memorable, and somewhat embarrassing practice session, Mr. Richoi put an empty waste basket on my head because I was singing off-key (flat) allowing me to hear myself better. Lesson learned.
Mr. Rishoi had Watertown High School host the all-state choir in 1965. I still have a record of the performance which was directed by. Douglas McEwen. We also went to the All State Chorus in 1964 in Sioux Falls with half the a capella choir.
Mr. Rishoi was always a very dapper dresser with a white, I’m guessing silk, scarf draped around his neck in the colder weather.
It was of some interest to me that his doughter, Stacy, sang the Lord’s Prayer at the funeral. As a senior, Mr. Richoi assigned that to me for a singing competition, which I won by the way.
Mr. Rishoi was certainly a huge positive influence on thousands of students. He will be missed.
Posted by Rick | November 20, 2025 02:58 AM | Just A Thought
He's Out Of The Basement And His Mind
Former President Joek Biden gave a speech last Friday from somewhere in Nebraska (Omaha). In the speech, while decrying the evils of President Donald Trump, this sad old man actually said "when I was president wages were up and inflation was down." He must be off his meds....
Put this fool back in the basement where he belongs.
Posted by Rick | November 10, 2025 10:34 PM | Political Science
