o frabjous day! books, recipes & other things

A child is born, born in Bethlehem Born in a cattle pen A child is born on the killing floor And still he no crying makes I really like Anais Mitchell’s slightly reedy voice, and Song of the Magi is from her Brightness album. I included it on last year’s mix.

By the time we got to Oslo, snow was gone, and we got lost The beds were small but we felt so young Most of Low’s Christmas album (I wonder how many Christmas albums are just entitled ‘Christmas’) is a little too slowcore for my taste, but Just Like Christmas is on the more upbeat…

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight; When it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night Rufus Wainwright has such a wonderful voice, and this version of the 1947 pop song was from The McGarrigle Christmas Hour album. I included it on last year’s mix.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Celebremos juntos la vida I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Y que viva la alegría Michael Buble’s version of Jose Feliciano’s 1970 song, from his Christmas album in 2011. It’s wonderfully upbeat and I finished the 2011 mix with it.

When you play my song, play it slowly; Play it like I’m sad and lonely Over The Rhine are a folk band, and this song is from their 2006 Christmas album, Snow Angels. It’s a lovely mournful song, and I thought it went nicely with the general melancholy tone of 2012’s Christmas mix.

I’m never worried, I never sit by the phone; Cause come Christmas time, I’ll never be alone This is a great bluesy song from Carole King’s album of Christmas songs, A Holiday Carole, which I included on the 2011 mix cd. One of those many Christmas songs along the general theme of waiting for someone…

Herod the King, in his raging, charged he hath this day; His men of might, in his own sight, all children young, to slay. Annie Lennox’s version of this carol is intensely powerful, which suits the subject matter – Coventry Carol dates from the 16th century, and is a lullaby sung by mothers to their…