Willie, Bob and Christmas........My Way (that's Elvis too) :-)

A Dollar’s Worth

By Alisa Dollar

I love Christmas music. I have an eclectic taste in music and love wordsmiths who sing those words. Some may think them great writers, but can’t sing worth a flip. I consider the source and move right along.

Christmas music is a bit different in that it is more traditional and many musicians try their vocal chords expressing the Christmas season.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Bing Crosby. How could one not go through the holiday without hearing at least once, White Christmas crooned over the radio or directly in the ear from an IPod? He and Nat King Cole and others have the smooth and ethereal mix of hot chocolate, eggnog-less (that’s how I drink it), chestnuts roasting on an open fire - - oops, I’m getting carried away!

Children’s Christmas voices are light and happy and energizing.

I personally have everything Elvis did in records, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs and now an MP3. I hope a new mechanism doesn’t come out, I can’t discard any in the various and sundry ways I’ve collected music. Husband can’t say a word as he has his own passionate display of collections. His is more subdued though. I mean Western Swing and Big Band and anything before 1960---and he’s stuck there!

I tend to grow with the times.

That’s why I’ve added two new CDs to my Christmas repertoire.

One is by Willie Nelson and the other Bob Dylan. I know, I know. It’s hard to fancy either of them singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” or “Noel” and such.

However, since I am a great fan of both, when I saw the CDs I couldn’t help myself. I may well be the only person who’s bought them, but who cares? I love them!

Last year, I’d bought Willie’s and had the boom box turned high singing along with him while I cleaned. Husband walked by and then backed up and listened a second.

“Is that Willie Nelson singing Christmas music?”

“Yes! Isn’t it great?”

“That’s not exactly what I’d say it is.” He replied walking on by and adding, “Could you turn it down?”

I bought Bob this year. I stick my earphones in my ear so I can listen.

To me their voices are always poetic, but to sing out-of-their-norm is truly music to my ears.

Needless to say, I’ve learned to keep my ears to myself!