Musical Advent Calendar, Christmas Eve - Darlene Love!

You knew it was going to end with this, right?  Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we'll never see it again.

"Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," Darlene Love.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 23 - Andy Williams

To this day, one of the greatest Christmas albums, and one of the greatest performances of one of the greatest Christmas songs.

"O Holy Night," Andy Williams.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 21 and 22 - Sting and Paul Simon

It seems only appropriate, since the old guys are now a touring staple as a team.



"Getting Ready for Christmas Day," Paul Simon



"Christmas at Sea," Sting

Which almost brings the calendar up to date.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 19 and 20 - Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, One Direction and Mariah Carey

"Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," Jimmy Fallon, The Roots and One Direction



"All I Want For Christmas Is You," Jimmy Fallon, The Roots and Mariah Carey

Whether Jimmy Fallon will be able to sustain the good cheer that defines his "Tonight Show" over a period of years remains to be seen, but for now it's a hoot to watch.  And few of his bits define that mood more than his "Musical Numbers on Childhood Instruments" videos.  Here are a couple of classics.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 18 - Montgomery Gentry

With their great cover of Robert Earl Keen's great song, "Merry Christmas from the Family."

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 17 - Elton John!

In honor of Sir Elton John's wedding, we bring you his great Christmas song, "Step into Christmas" - clearly, an homage to Phil Spector's legendary Christmas album.

Musical Advent Calendar, Days 13-16: Christmas Time in the City: "Silver Bells," "Skating"

Remember when you were little and had an advent calendar, and about halfway through the month realized, "Holy Cow!  I forgot about the Advent Calendar!"?

No?  That was just me?  Oh well.

To catch up we're going to have to do a little cheating.

From Saturday through Tuesday of last week, I was in San Francisco for a conference.  It was the first time I've been in the city that close to Christmas, and I've never seen it so crowded - with revelers there for "Santa Con," with protestors, with shoppers.  It made it a little difficult to navigate through the heart of the city near Union Square, but at the same time it was a lot of fun.

As I made my way through the crowds, I couldn't get the first lines of "Silver Bells" out of my head:

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air there's a feeling of Christmas



"Silver Bells," Brenda Lee

And then, there were the memory invoking tones of Vince Guaraldi's "Skating":



"Skating," Vince Guaraldi Trio

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 12 - Jack Scott

Without a doubt, one of the greatest rock 'n roll Christmas songs.  First time I heard it was in "Diner," and more than 30 years later, I've never tired of it.

"There's Trouble Brewin'," Jack Scott.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 11 - The Raveonettes

"The Christmas Song."

No, not that "The Christmas Song" - this "The Christmas Song."

Either way, it's awesome.

The Raveonettes.

"The Christmas Song."

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 10 - Marianne Faithfull and The Chieftains

A great song from the great Christmas album by The Chieftains, "The Bells of Dublin."

"I Saw Three Ships," Marianne Faithfull and The Chieftains.

Sportsman of the Year

I'll try not to toot my own horn too loudly about this, but back on October 30 I wrote a post about the amazing October enjoyed by the San Francisco Giants, one which just happened to include a line predicting that Madison Bumgarner would be Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.  Indeed, at the time I wrote that he was the obvious (and only) choice.

So I'm happier about this than any sane 54-year old (no comments from the peanut gallery, please) has any right to be.  For someone who started subscribing to SI almost 45 years ago, Sportsman of the Year has always been a big deal to me.  You can ask my mom how I reacted in December 1975 when I came home from school expecting to see Jack Nicklaus on the cover, and found Pete Rose smiling back at me instead.  (Things got a little better three years later when Jack was indeed the man).

I'm not even saying that SI always gets it right - in fact, they probably wish there were a few they could take back after the fact (Sosa and McGwire, perhaps?  Lance Armstrong?).  But for the most part, their selections over the years have been solid - and do in fact include an element of sportsmanship to go along with the purely athletic achievements that play a huge role in winning the award.

What's cool about this from the standpoint of a longtime Giants fan is that it feels almost like the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" on the historic nature of what the Giants have accomplished - and what Bumgarner accomplished over the course of 29 remarkable days.  Being named Sportsman of the Year places one in very heady company, and there is no shortage of legends up there on that stage - names like Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Billie Jean King, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Derek Jeter, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, The 1980 Olympic Hockey Team, Jim Ryun, Chris Evert, and all the others.  Great stuff...historic stuff.

So congratulations to Madison Bumgarner...Sportsman of the Year.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 9 - Harry Connick, Jr.

Let's pick things up a bit, shall we?

I'm quite certain I've posted this one before, but what the heck - it's a classic.  And hard to believe, more than 20 years old now.  Which makes me feel pretty darn old, if you must know.

"It Must Have Been Ol' Santa Claus," Harry Connick, Jr.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 8 - Mary Gauthier

Not every Christmas song is a happy song, just as Christmas is not a happy time for everyone.

Realistic without seeming overly maudlin, Mary Gauthier does a wonderful job painting the picture of someone for whom that is the case.

"Christmas in Paradise," Mary Gauthier.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 7 - Baseballs

Rockabilly Christmas!

"Driving Home for Christmas," Baseballs.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 6 - The Vanishers

The "spending the holidays drinking at the bar" song is a fine tradition and gets a rollicking take here, courtesy of The Vanishers featuring Ginger St. James.

And yes, it's OK to be sexy at Christmas. 

"Christmas Wish at the End of the Bar," The Vanishers featuring Ginger St. James.

Musical Advent Calendar, Day 5 - Mary Chapin Carpenter

A beautiful, slightly melancholy song.

"Christmas Time in the City," Mary Chapin Carpenter.