Deck the Halls with Musical Memories!

Ahhhhh, Christmas. I must admit…I really love it. I especially love Christmas music. You see, my earliest musical recollections as a kid were Christmas albums that my mom and dad had purchased or won in some give away. In fact, I clearly remember at least 2 or 3 Christmas albums that my parents always played during the holidays. The first was a Christmas album…(vinyl, of course)….released by Singer Corporation (you know, the sewing machine maker), and it had a huge photo of Donna Reed and her family on the cover holding presents. It was a free record that was given to my mother at the Singer Sewing Shop. My mom was a seamstress…or at least, she liked to sew a little. So, they gave her the album. We played it until the grooves wore out. Do you remember the Donna Reed Show? It was a B/W TV series that aired in the ‘60s along with My Three Sons and others like it. If not, don’t worry. All I know is that every song on that Christmas album was played over and over while we sat watching the Christmas tree. We didn’t have the luxury of a TV back then, but sure made the best of the music. That was the first Christmas record that I can remember in our house.

The second vinyl record was yet another free record that my family received at a Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant. “WHAT”…you might ask? Fried Chicken and Christmas music? Yeah, that’s right. Every year (for several years, in fact), KFC pressed Christmas albums to sell during the holidays at the restaurants. And the face that you see of the old man with the goatee on the KFC signs is none other than the infamous Col. Harlan Sanders, brainchild and founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire. He was from Kentucky (actually from Southern Indiana), and he took pride in not only selling his famous recipy fried chicken, but also playing mandolin with his mandolin band. Yessirree….every Christmas we played the Colonel’s Mandolin Christmas music through the house. It was actually surprisingly nice music.

Yes, Christmas music was special to us at our house when I was a kid….but it wouldn’t have been special if it wasn’t for our Christmas Albums.

I could go on and tell you about my Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Album….but you probably have that vinyl album.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Eddy Cabello
Inside MusiCast