For me, the 1960s were my season of Christmas magic. I was born in 1961, and by time the 70’s rolled around, I was already a jaded non-believer. But during that decade, Christmas was magical. It had a certain ‘feel’ to it that was exciting and full of wonder. When I look back, I remember many of the things our family did in the spirit of Christmas tradition, but I also remember the soundtrack of those years.
Thanks to the big tire companies.
What? It is true. During the 1960’s Firestone and Goodyear – the two largest tire companies, would put out Christmas albums. What was the relationship between tires and Christmas? I have no idea. But I know that most every year my dad would bring home a new Christmas album from the tire store, and that they were relatively inexpensive.
Here are pictures that might jog your memory:
Kinda makes you want to shout “Hallelujah,” doesn’t it?
The other album that is embedded deeply into my Christmas DNA was from a man named Mitch Miller. He had albums called “Sing Along With Mitch.” The Christmas album was a chorus singing Christmas standards, and we would sing-along-with-Mith, because that is what you were supposed to do. Here is the cover of the Christmas album:
Yes, we loved this stuff. It was Christmas catnip. Even with the polka vibe, I think I would prefer it to what we incessantly hear on the radio today: Paul McCartney, Wham!, Bruce Springsteen, etc.
I was surprised to see that you can buy MItch Miller on Amazon as a re-release, but if you want a Firestone Christmas album, you might have to ante up $150 – because they are collectors items.
Many of you will be too young to care about this post, but some of you will. I know my sister will. We all have our own Christmas soundtracks – I’m sure Amy Grant is a big part of the FOMLs Christmas memories. And I’m grateful that they came along before “Christmas Shoes” did.
What is on your Christmas soundtrack? What about your kids?
Well, I guess I’m an old timer too. I was born in 1966 and my dad worked at Firestone and brought these albums home. He would have my brother and I sing the “Rise Up Shepard and Follow” song, my personal favorite. Mom would get so amused at our lack of talent, and I’m sure she got sick of hearing it over and over again. Such great memories, I’m so glad you put this up for us to enjoy again. I would never have guessed that listening to this music again would bring so many tears and emotions. I wish we were back in the 60’s and 70’s again. Life seemed so simple then to us “kids” and we had no real worries.
$150 for a Firestone Christmas album? Wow. You need to get away from ebay and check some of the charity thrift shops in your town. (We have Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and the D.A.V. around here.) You should be able to find all the Firestone LPS you want for a dollar each or less. Of course you’ll have to look them over to make sure they’re in good shape, but they usually will be because they were “mom and dad’s records,” played on the big console stereo in the living room, rather than “the kids’ records,” scratched to death on one of those lousy kiddie portables. Good hunting!
the Carpenters! awe…the sweet sound of Karen… 🙂
Why is everyone so down on Wham!? George Michael rocks on last Christmas. I also loved Carpenters, Donny Osmonds Christmas at Home (all time fav) and don’t go all crazy on me just hear me out on this one: 98 Degrees has a great Christmas album with beautiful harmony and arrangements. Let’s not forget Michael Buble, Kenny Rogers, a couple of Christina Aguilara, Barbara Streisand, Vanessa Williams, some TSwift, and Amy Grant.
Same memories here. I was a little afraid of Mitch Miller’s goatee, though.
You should check out Ed Ames’ Christmas album-lovely music with a lot of gospel soul for you.
Ditto on the freakishly scary facial hair
Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, and the Chipmunks are the voices of Christmas from my childhood. I have since added Dolly Parton’s Christmas album as well as (don’t laugh) Mariah Carey and Babyface. We also love Harry Connick Jr and Gladys Knight’s Christmas albums.
Speaking of John Denver I heard one of his Christmas songs growing up that had the words: Please daddy don’t get drunk this Christams…
Sorry, I was not inspired, but I guess you had to be there. 🙂 Our family song list looks like this: Sinatra, Martin, Fitgerald, Barenaked Ladies, Crosby, Nat King Cole, Groban, Il Divo, Enya, Dion, Presley, Mannheim Steamroller, MoTab, Cash, Atkins, Enoch Train, Ives, Boone, Garland, Autry, Lithgow (Hippos of course!, Williams, Mancini,Arnold, Lee,Belafonte,Tchaikovsky, blah blah blah. Merry Christmas!
It’s not Christmas until I listen to Boney M Christmas. Mary Christ child, Daughter of Zion, etc. Something about those steel drums and Boney M just puts me in the holiday mood. We grew up listening to that as we trimmed the tree and baked goodies.
Hum. Darned spell check. I hum those tunes to this day
Thanks. MMM
I grew up in the sixties too and still him those silly tunes
Very nice memories in this post MMM. Almost like setting up my nativities from the late 50’s & early 60’s. Time is an interesting noun…it flies by or it can take forever.
Carpenters :A Christmas Portrait. I can’t put up the tree unless that one is playing. George Wintson’s December. Also Motab, and the radio. We would find the Christmas station on the radio, and listen to what was on. Since I’ve grown up, I’ve added Nat King Cole. Love it. Not a fan of Mannheim Steamroller, but my husband loves it.
thanks for the flashback. my parents had all those firestone and goodyear albums. yes – albums. LPs. white noise, scratches, and all. loved them.
last year, i blogged about my favorite/non-favorite christmas tunes. http://stuphfromsteph.blogspot.com/2011/12/999-kez.html
we share some of the same opinions. {wham and paul mccartney}
merry christmas!
The Chipmunks and Ann Murray for me. I drove my poor mother crazy with my cassettes (too young for albums!) of these faves.
I’m just a tad older than you, but my memories are similar to yours. Always listened to Gene Autry, Burl Ives and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Other personal favorites are Andy Williams, Perry Como, Bing Crosby and the Carpenters. Most of the new stuff they play on the radio makes my ears bleed…except for Josh Grobin.
My Dad actually owned a Firestone tire store during the sixties, so we always had these playing both at home an the store. Burl Ives ‘Rudolph’ and ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ come to mind – I think they were on the albums. It still isn’t Christmas without Burl Ives.
Every year, my brother would strap a speaker to our roof and play Christmas music for the entire neighborhood. It just isn’t Christmas unless you hear Jim Reeves as you stepped out of the car. We listened to all of the classics. I do remember the Christmas Polka! My favorite was the Muppet’s Christmas with John Denver. My kids also love all that stuff. My Mom as a HUGE Neil Diamond fan, so we had his Christmas Album. I refused to listen to it though, because he is Jewish and said on The Donahue show how he only sings in songs he believes in. So he was a hypocrite.
Had the same realization about Johnny Mathis’ and Andy Williams’ ages yesterday. They’re definitely on my list. I’m counting down to Christmas with a song of the day here: stupidandmagnificent.blogspot.com.
I’m a few years younger than MMM, so my parents’ taste in Christmas music was similar — I remember a lot of Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, and a big four-record Readers Digest collection. I still love hearing those old songs.
I don’t remember the Chipmunks from my childhood, but my kids went through a phase where the only thing they liked was “Christmas Don’t Be Late.”
I usually add two or three albums a year to my own collection — I’m up over 850 songs in my iTunes Christmas playlist now. I hate Mannheim Steamroller, and the Wham! and McCartney songs, but like most everything else. Near the top of the list would have to be the Carpenters, Harry Connick Jr., Kurt Bestor. Others include Bing Crosby, Josh Groban, Faith Hill, Manhattan Transfer, and Voice Male. On the less traditional side of things, the Hanson, Smithereens, and Jackson 5 albums are good.
(For even less traditional, I’ve got about 75 Japanese Christmas songs. For a non-Christian country, they do love the Christmas music…)
Amen to the Christmas Shoes song. LOL! It’s definitely a “favorite” (not) around here.
My wife HATES the “Christmas Shoes” song. I think that playing this particular song is they fastest way to get her out of the spirit of Christmas and into the spirit of homicide.
I hate the “Christmas Shoes” song, too. The only thing worse is “Santa Baby.”
I remember sitting for hours in front of the console in the living room listening to those five or six Christmas albums (including MoTab, even before we were members, and some Readers Digest collection — Dad loved those!).
My children will remember Harry Connick, Jr., Barbara Streisand, Mannheim Steamroller and plenty of MoTab.
BTW, we sang Rise Up Shepherd as a men’s chorus in our ward a year or two ago (minus the trumpets…)
I can’t really remember what I listened to as a child, but those albums covers do look familiar. My absolute favorite Christmas music memory comes from 12 years ago when my husband returned from a business trip raving about some songs he’d heard on the airplane. While he was at work that day I was able to find the cd he mentioned, and the whole family sat together around the Christmas tree that night and listened to it – The Lost Christmas Eve by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I prefer classical music; my husband prefers rock. It was actually magical to find something we both enjoyed.
As a very single zoobie, my Christmas soundtrack mostly consists of Vocal Point and anything else that I can use to get my friends to dance around the kitchen with me.
There’s been no mention of the John Denver and Muppet Christmas album. That always played on the record player when i was growing up (child of the 80’s). That album is the first to come to mind when i think of Christmas music. I hate “I cry when i take the tree down” from Forgotten Carols. As my brother puts it, some carols SHOULD be forgotten!!
How could I forget the Muppets?!?!? I LOVED listening to that!
Piggy pudding? Also the best version of the 12 days of Christmas.
I love that one too. In fact, I think I’ll pull it out and make the kids listen to it. (Baw-Ha ha ha)
Well, the “season of wonder” for me was, in fact, the 80’s. And, yes, my Mom was a big WHAM! fan then, so “Last Christmas” while being a song that I never much cared for, brings back a TON on childhood memories. My wife fondly remembers “Christmas with Kenny and Dolly”. OF COURSE, Alvin and the Chipmunks was played nonstop in our home. After all, it was me and my two brothers at the time, and our personalities eerily resembled those of the Chipmunks. I plead the Fifth if you ask with which one I was most closely associated. You have 33.3% of being correct.
In general, I don’t mind Nat King Cole, in fact I enjoy one of his Christmas albums completely (you may perforate your eardrums as you please), but it’s that one song that ruins the Christmas mood for me whenever it is played.
Not a fan or country music but I liked the Alabama and Dolly Parton Christmas tapes growing up. (Shhh…) I remember a Pac-man Christmas one too. Elvis was a staple along with most of the 1950-1960’s stuff. Can’t beat Ella. I like the Charlie Brown Christmas music too, but can not stand Manheim Steamroller. (Unfortunately, DH likes it…) Never heard Christmas Shoes. Guess it’s another Christmas miracle/blessing. Dislike “Last Christmas” too.
Oh my heck!! I am dying…and showing my age. I was just listening to my copy of Mitch Miller with my mom the other day while we were making chocolates to give to the neighbors…and singing along at the top of our lungs! The other personal favorite was the Osmond Christmas album…pinecones and hollyberries!! Thanks MMM for a good laugh and a lovely stroll down holiday lane!
*Barbra Streisand: A Christmas Album (the 1967 one — not the new one)
*The Carpenters: A Carpenters Christmas
These played endlessly on my parents record player. Loved Barbra’s lightning-fast version of Jingle Bells. Still do.
I grew up listening to Roger Whitaker’s Christmas album, along with The Carpenters, and Amy Grant. I still enjoy it now, although I acknowledge the cheesiness. Whitaker even had a Christmas song about a dragon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxydYWw9tLQ Nothing trumps childhood memories.
Christmas polka? That’s hilarious. That Rise Up Shepherd song would sound awesome in a big ol’ southern baptist choir. I can just hear it in my mind.
I totally remember Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Carpenters Christmas music from my childhood. Even back then, I think I was sick of the Little Drummer Boy.
Funny how different we are. I would rather self-perforate my own eardrums that listen to either Manhaeim Steamroller or Vince Guaraldi.
Nat KIng Cole was awesome.
I can’t listen to Nat sing anything besides Christmas music because for me, his voice is the sound of Christmas. We had one record (I’m not that old, my parents were just nostalgic about those kind of things) and we nearly wore it out. My husband recorded it for me and burned it to a CD and now I can listen to it with the record-player crackles and everything, just how it was when I was a kid.
My Mom always played Andy Williams Christmas Present before we came out each Christmas morning. I also love Bing. My husband made me a soundtrack to my favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas, so I can listen to it all year long.
And I do…
My husband was just talking about this subject last night and as a result, I had to listen to Nat King Cole sing “The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot.” Ick. I knew it was coming and yet I did not leave the room. Shows you just how much I love my husband that I did not divorce him after the first time he played it. Play that song and Christmas Shoes right after it and I just might throw up the contents of every single meal I have ever eaten.
Mannheim Steamroller and Vince Guaraldi’s soundtrack for Charlie Brown Christmas, and my own mother on the piano playing Rudolph and Frosty, and hymns in Sacrament meeting–that’s my Christmas music.
Oh yeah.
In college we listened to a lot of Motown Christmas and somebody better mention Garth Brooks silent night/Christmas in the trenches song.
We had the Alcoa singers record…the stingiest man in town. Wish I could get ahold of a remastered version! My grandparents worked for Alcoa so that was the connection.
Other than that peter Paul and Marys holiday concert which aired on PBS one night while my patents went to a Christmas party. Mom made us sing ppm in the car.
Then there’s the Christmas music played at Rave where I worked as a teenager. You wouldn’t approve!
I too grew up in the 60’s and love that era of music. Great reminiscing .
For me I’d say Mannheim Steamroller Christmas = Christmas. I found the Firestone Vol 3 on Grooveshark. With my kids we usually listen to Pandora or Grooveshark and alternate between “Children’s Music” and Classic and stuff. Totally different from the days when you’d actually have to own the music.
Paige
We have more Christmas music in our music library than any other kind! And its a lot! I grew up on Rockapella and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Not to mention the Chipmunks. Thankfully my husband broadened my tastes to include a lot more. I’m still trying to get him to go for some Josh Groban but its not working.
My kids’ lists will probably include Mannheim Steamroller and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but they will remember being scarred forever this year by hearing (for the first time) “Grandma Got Run Over By Reindeer”.
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I don’t remember a specific album or song growing up. “The Hallelujah Chorus” sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is my Mom’s “guaranteed cry” song because as she puts it “It’s amazing that anyone could write something so wonderful but then to have it sung as beautifully as they do is amazing”. So that too has become an auto cry song for me (My Mom has a neurodegenerative disease now) and it’s mostly sung at Christmas so it’s become a new favorite. Before that my favorite was Ave Maria followed a close second my Mary Did you Know.
Christmas in the Stars
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-In-The-Stars-Album/dp/B0000033VG
Hey, child of the 80s.
I am pretty sure that I had heard that polk song before today – but not in YEARS! I am a big fan of Country Christmas music – and that got me thinking that my kids will likely have a large repertoire of music to recall from their childhoods due to the fact that instead of any one “album” at all – they get PANDORA…specifically the “Christmas channel” and the “Country Christmas” channel where they will hear everything from Alan Jackson to Alabama to Amy Grant to Mo-Tab and even Mercy Me. I HEART technology!
I am not very old but I remember listening to the Chipmunks Christmas record. It feels like I listened to it hundreds of times during the season. I am always taken back to my childhood a bit when I here the “Christmas Don’t Be Late” song. I also remember well listening to Elvis. “Blue Christmas” sticks in my mind the most. I wish I had a record player. There was just something totally awesome about them.
There are the definite Christmas song no goes around here. My husband HATES the “Christmas Shoes” song. Christmas songs are supposed to make you happy, not all sad and feeling down. Also not fans of “Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys and there is another song that comes on the radio we can’t stand. Can’t think of it now though. It’s bad enough we block it from our memory every time.
How could I forget Chipmunks Christmas! ALVIN! My kids went to sleep to that music during the holidays.
Actually, I love listening to my son and received this from a member yesterday who recorded my missionary singing in the Stake Christmas program. I think you’ll like it. =)
http://www.allaboutbecoming.com/uncategorized/mary-did-you-know/
And besides him, I love Amy Grant and Forgotten Carols. There’s so many songs. I love the Christmas season and music!
1961….you are only 5 years older than me. Huh.
For Christmas was Johnny Mathis, Elvis Presley, Carpenters….
And yes, now it’s Amy Grant since she was big when my boys were little. FOr them, SHE is th Christmas sound.
Oh yeah, and Mo-Tab – classic
We sang Rise Up Shepherd and Follow in choir in High School. Awesome, huh?
Jealous.
Seeing as how I, too, was born in 1961, My Christmas music memories are similar. I bet my 97-year-old dad still has his Firestone albums in his basement…
My kids LOVE the silly songs at Christmas time. One of their favorites being Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. Who wouldn’t, really.
I wore out 2 different tapes of Kenny and Dolly Christmas. I have a CD of it that I am still surprised plays because it has so many scratches.
Alabama made a Christmas album that my mom played over and over and over and as a result, I LOVE it! I still play it as it is a favorite.
There are too many to remember them all, but we play a few on repeat, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Polar Express, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. The list goes on.
Thanks for reminding me what fun Christmas music is. Happy day MMM!
Christmas music can certainly be sublime or torturous–no accounting for taste. I spent the 60s in college/on a mission, so I remember John Gary and Mitch Miller. Christmas Music: The Heaven and Hell of It (on my blog, “The Write Stuff” pamwrite.blogspot.com, December 2008) gives my take on the subject.
So you’re on the young end of baby boomers right?
http://xkcd.com/988/