Hilltown Families 
5 New Holiday Music CDs & Songs for Families
Holiday Music For Kids
Do you hear what I hear? It’s holiday music and Christmas cheer! Despite all the stress, I still absolutely love the holidays, and one of my favorite things about the season is all the happy music. Here are some new CDs and songs that we’re enjoying this year….
Ben Rudnick & Friends
Ben Rudnick & Friends are about to play their 9th Annual Holiday Extravaganza Concert at the Regent Theatre (Boston, MA) on December 11th. It’s always a wonderful show full of Christmas and Chanukah songs all wrapped up in that unique BR&F style.
And every year people ask if they have a holiday album… and every year they have to say no, but maybe next year… Until now!
They finally did it! And it was well worth the wait! Their new album, It’s Santa Claus
, features eight classic Christmas songs, from Frosty the Snowman
to Jingle Bells
, and one super cool original song, It’s Santa Claus!
Of course, now they need to put together a CD of all their fun Chanukah songs. OK guys, that’s your assignment for next year!
Daria
Daria’s Songs for Merry Multicultural Mirth
is a sweet collection of songs from around the world. We’ve always loved the song Ocho Candelikas
, a traditional song sung in Ladino, the language of the Sephardic Jews. What I love about Daria’s version is that she’s added an English verse, too, so we can sing along. Spanish speakers will enjoy seeing the similarities and differences between Spanish and Ladino.
Daria does such a great job of bringing different cultures together! This CD also feature songs in Spanish (Feliz Navidad), German (Ihr Kinderlein Kommet
), and English (Rockin’ Jingle Bells
). Check out the liner notes to the album where you can read more about each song and download the lyrics.
Phil Cooke
Speaking of Christmas celebrations around the world, Phil Cooke from Australia has just released a new album, Christmas Time is Coming!
Is that Santa surfing on Christmas day? Of course! In Australia it’s summer time during the holidays, so why not?
One of my favorite songs on this album is No Worries Mate (Santa Claus He’s a Surfie)
. It’s fun and playful—like all of Phil’s songs. Did you know Rudolph once forgot to put sun screen on his nose? How do you think he got that burn?
Renee & Jeremy
I am of the opinion that Renee & Jeremy can do no wrong. Everything they do is brilliant! So of course their new cover of Little Drummer Boy
is instantly my favorite version of this song ever. Period.
Combine this song with the beautiful art work by Hsinping Pan that always graces their albums and you’ve got perfection. I love the colors and joy displayed on this CD.
And speaking of art work, have you seen the video for Renee & Jeremy’s It’s a Big World? It’s shockingly beautiful.
DidiPop
Another fun Christmas single comes from DidiPop this year. Let’s Make Santa Claus Happy Tonight
is simply adorable. Didi sings along with her kids who are soooo excited about Santa stopping by during the night.
The song is upbeat and playful and reminds us adults about how much fun Christmas Eve is and how hard it is to wait for morning.
And is that an ukulele I hear in the song? That reminds me of Didi’s newest album, DidiPop Goes to Hawai’i
, set for release on December 14th. You don’t want to miss it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amber lives with her husband and son in Watertown, MA. Originally hailing from Hawaii, Amber and her family moved to Watertown to be closer to the Perkins School for the Blind where her son attends preschool. She has a Master’s degree in English from Tufts University and spends most of her “free time” writing about being a parent of a disabled child on WonderBaby.org or about the family’s musical adventures around Boston on BostonChildrensMusic.com. But really most of her time is spent caring for and playing with her little boy. info@bostonchildrensmusic.com. (Originally posted at Boston Children’s Music.)
