This was an album my Mom and Dad had and used to be played only on Christmas Day (of course !). My Mom has always been a big Johnny Mathis fan and the guy has a voice as smooth as silk and as rich as Mansa Musa (Google it).

The first track on Side 1 is “The Sounds Of Christmas” and that’s exactly what this LP is, this is what Christmas sounds like to me and has since I was a kid. Finding my very own copy in a charity shop a few years ago for 99p was a good day. There are Xmas classics like “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”, “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Let It Snow ! Let It Snow ! Let It Snow !” alongside some lesser known festive tunes, Bing Crosby’s “The Secret Of Christmas” and “Christmas Is A Feeling In Your Heart” plus some traditional songs like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”. Johnny even has a crack at Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” !

Snigger all you like, I don’t care. This is the first thing that gets played in our house on Christmas morning, I have a few others as you’ve discovered but this is always first, and long may it continue.

The Sounds Of Christmas - https://youtu.be/Z8Mr3A4mPiQ?si=4FWmuXbGXcDYJw3j