Mom's cookin' chicken and collard greens...

Well the family will be here soon.  Ma, Katie, Bruce, and the girls are coming up to do "Early Christmas", and just spend some time together.   It all started as just Ma coming up, which I was really happy about, but I was really hoping I'd get to see the rest of them.  Katie called a week or so ago and said that she and the girls were gonna make the trip, too, which really just made my entire week - I was so happy!  Then right before they left today she told me that Bruce was gonna get to come after all!  If only Jo Beth and Robert could be here we'd have the whole family here!  Bethy will be here next weekend, though.  They're gonna stop and spend the night here on their way down to Cassville.

Anyway, it's almost that time.  Everyone should really be in the mood by now, so I figured I'd run down a list of great Christmas songs - but not the ones you always hear on the radio.  Now, there's nothing wrong with
"Up On The House Top", or "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year", but I figure they get enough airplay.

One I've always loved ever since it came out back in the late 80s is Run-DMC's "Christmas In Hollis".  Probably the first rap Christmas song - at least by a big name group (Kurtis Blow had a song called "Christmas Rappin'"
back in 1979, but he wasn't nearly as well known as Run-DMC).  And the video is just plain goofy fun!

Another one I haven't heard in years is "Snoopy's Christmas" by the Royal Guardsmen - kind of a holiday-themed sequel to "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron", which was a major hit for them in 1966.

There are quite a few great comedy Christmas songs - in fact Bob Rivers and Twisted Radio released an entire album of spoofs (which I actually owned at one time - it may still be up there, I don't know).  From that album, though, my favorite was probably "Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear".  I still just think it's hilarious!

One that some of you may have heard on the radio, but only here in St. Louis is a song that my old band, Rocket Park, did several years ago called "Rudolph The Redneck Reindeer".  It's basically "Freebird" with they lyrics to "Rudolph" - and they go together perfectly!  Anytime we were playing a show and someone shouted out to do "Freebird" (which happens a lot more than you would think!) we would always go into that.  Most of the time it just stunned the person shouting for it.  It probably angered some of them, too - to think we would "screw up" that amazing song!  The nerve of us!  :-)  Hopefully I can get a copy of it on here soon! [edit: I finally got around to learning how to make a video - so there's the link]

Anyway, they're probably just about here, so I'm gonna sign off.  I'm just doing a quick red and green stroke this evening, because as far as I'm concerned, Christmas has begun!