The Donny & Marie Osmond Christmas Specials

Norelco Santa

The Carpenters at Christmas (1977 TV Special)

The Bob Hope Christmas Special (1967)

"Merry Christmas" Melanie (1968)

Melanie Safka (usually referred to as simply "Melanie") was a singer/songwriter who was considered a hippie pop singer who sang hippie pop songs, but she never personally identified with being a hippie. And she was signed to bubblegum pop label Buddah. And Buddah wasn't exactly Vanguard or even Reprise in the echelons of hippie rock.

But while wannabe hippie girls everywhere loved her. She was the Jewel of her day.

But before Melanie had her famous Woodstock appearance and her 1970s mega-hits "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)" and "Brand New Key", she recorded a Christmas song called "Merry Christmas", based on the traditional carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". It was originally on her debut LP in 1968 Born To Be. After her Woodstock appearance and the success of "Lay Down", Buddah re-released Born To Be, retitled as My First Album.

On this track Melanie, changes the "We" in "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to "I". And literally demands her figgy pudding and her cup of good cheer. Now.

She still performs and releases new music and her old classics independently.

The Johnny Cash Christmas Show (1977)

BBC's I Love A 1970s Christmas

1970s Christmas nostalgia in the UK. With some crazy and cool stuff we missed on this side of the pond....

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWTDMXV7RWg

Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJQdvq6_-0A

Part 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncrm-84BtJk

Part 5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAUjudGcjpc

Part 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqBpWezndyI

Part 7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88SbsOWZgRI

"Merry Christmas You Suckers" Paddy Roberts (1962)

Yes, it's the same Paddy Roberts who gave us this..

John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas TV Special (1975)

Complete with original 1975 TV commercials!

Yes kids, TV really did look like this in 1975.

And who knew John Denver invented the Bio-Dome?

Vintage 1930 Pre-Filled Mesh Christmas Stocking

 

Christmas Music Radio Stations

 

It begins this time every year....

Certain radio stations across America and Canada begin dropping their usually Adult Contemporary, Religious or Oldies formats for all Christmas music. 

On the surface, the reason is simple enough - it's the beginning of the holiday season. And regardless if you're still nauseated from all the Halloween candy you ate this weekend and still have your pumpkin outside the front door, it's time to start planning.

But more importantly, the all Christmas music format is one of the most successful in ratings and in sales. Radio stations in this format get lots of advertising and they can charge more for it. If this format could be viable all year round, they would do it.

But by December 25th, some of us are already annoyed by the holiday music overkill and can't wait until the 26th when sanity and regular programming returns.

It's true some radio stations start this format just waaay too early. Yes, the air is getting nippy, but the first week of November is really pushing it. There should really be some breathing room between holidays. 

But the bottom line is the bottom line; It's the make or break time for last quarter profits for retail businesses. And Christmas music tends to get people in a spending mood.

Holiday music was once a staple of radio in the 1950s, but as the 1960s to the 1990s progressed, it was usually limited to December 24th and 25th. After the 9/11 attacks, the format returned en masse. We were a nation in shock and in need of comfort. And Christmas music was the perfect aural comfort blankey. It was wildly successful and began yearly traditions at many radio stations. 

With that, here's a run down of terrestrial AM and FM radio stations that have already flipped to all Christmas formats (if you really can't wait.) Most of them you can hear online or with streaming mobile.

RadioInsight Christmas Music Station List 

 

Plastic Easter Grass

 

Like the similar shiny silver plastic tinsel for Christmas trees....

THIS evil crap (Luckily metal tinsel was replaced by shiny plastic in the 1970s.)

Plastic easter grass (and tinsel) are indisputably the worst holiday decorating products EVER.

Namely because by April, you're STILL picking out the strands of Christmas tinsel that shedded off the tree and now gums up the roller of your vacuum cleaner.

But plastic Easter grass is much worse. Because that stuff doesn't stay in one general area. If you have little kids, they throw that stuff everywhere. And just as you're trimming the Christmas tree once again, out of the corner of your eye in an overlooked edge of the wall, you see a shiny strand of green transparent plastic that gets your blood pressure up.....

Today however, biodegradable paper is often preferred (one ugly side effect of plastic grass is pets eat them. And plastic doesn't digest.) or even edible candy Easter grass.  

Merry Christmas From Chun King

These records were pressed as promotional items for the staff and associates of Jeno's Inc. Which made Chun King products in the late 1960s

They were pressed on the lids of their long discontinued frozen entrees.

More incredible non vinyl records here https://www.wfmu.org/MACrec/index.html

"Merry Christmas From The Loud Mouse" Loud Mouse (1985)

Listen here - Thanks to Junk Shop Juke Box

1950s Hi-Fi Junior

'Nuttin' For Christmas" Stan Freberg (1955)

Kawaii Crush

You know, it's the creepy weird crap they make for little girls these days that really makes me take back every bad thing I ever said about Holly Hobbie.

Or at least Holly Hobbie never wore outsized animal carcasses over bubble gum pink hair. And some of you also have young daughters who have begged you or Santa for this.  

Now look, I know we live in edgier times. But what the hell is Kawaii Crush?

I had to investigate.

Oh dear. For those of you who just ate Christmas candy, you're probably going to need an insulin shot in 4-3-2-1.....

And who sings this soundtrack? Maroon 5? (I can't tell anymore through all the AutoTune they use in commercial pop music these days.)

Finding no answers from YouTube (and Wikipedia has no current entry on it.)

I went to Kawaii Crush's web site.

A Flash video popped up with "What is Kawaii Crush?" above the player and feeling a bit of relief, I watched my relief turn to horror as apparently, these dolls or whatever are, are supposed to be cute and they have cute crushes on cute kitties, cute pandas, cute birds and cute bunnies and cover their craniums in cute cuddly carcasses of cute critters. They live in a world where everything is cute and everyone has a crush. ("Even on candy!")

They have names like Sunny Bunny Hop Hop, Katie Cat Meow Meow, Owlena Hoot Hoot and Amanda Panda Pop.

It's enough to make Hello Kitty look like G.I. Joe.

Fortunately, the web site had a "Grown Ups" link. Unfortunately, it has the only information a parent needs to know from a toy company: Like, Follow, Subscribe and BUY!!

I stopped right here. This is about as far into Kawaii Crush cuteness as I could go without going into catastrophic diabetic shock.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

The Many Names Of Santa Claus

COUNTRY SANTA NAMES
United States of America, Canada - Santa Claus
Brazil - Papai Noel
China - Shengdan Laoren
Chile - Viejo Pascuero
Dutch - Sinter Klaas
England - Father Christmas
Europe - Saint Nicholas
Finland - Joulupukki
France - Père Noël
Germany - Sankt Nikolaus
Hawaii - Kanakaloka
Holland - De Kerstman
Hungary - Tel-apo/Mikulas/ Winter grandfather
India - Santa Claus, Baba
Italy - Babbo Natale
Japan - Hoteiosho
Lithuania - Kaledu Senelis
Morocco - Black Peter
Netherlands - Kerstman
Norway - Julenissen
Peru - Papa Noel
Poland - Swiety Mikolaj
Russia - Ded Moroz
Scandinavia - Julenisse
Spain - El Nino Jesus
Sweden - Tomten/Jultomten

"The Chipmunk Song" The Chipmunks w/ Canned Heat (1968)