One aspect of Christmas I enjoy is getting to hear all of my favorite Christmas songs with soul.
Whether it's Nat 'King' Cole's classic version of The Christmas Song, Eartha Kitt's diva Christmas anthem Santa Baby (one I rewrote in 2006), Merry Christmas Baby by Charles Brown, This Christmas by Donny Hathaway, a pint sized Michael Jackson singing about mommy kissing Santa Claus or Kurtis Blow's Christmas Rappin', it's four and a half weeks of auditory pleasure and repeated trips down the memory lane of Christmases past.
Those classics have been joined by albums from newer artists such as Destiny's Child, Christmas albums by my favorite gospel singers such as Yolanda Adams, or new renditions of the classic Christmas songs by old and new school artists.
To me it just isn't Christmas unless I'm hearing these songs in heavy rotation on my fave R&B-classic soul station, be it Majic 102 or KYOK (before it got bought by Disney, boo hiss) in Houston or Magic 101 here in Da Ville.
It's a reassuring sign that no matter how old I get, how much the world changes for better or worse, or how the words 'some assembly required add a new layer of terror and stress to my holiday, I can flip on the radio or stereo and hear Christmas songs that not only reflect my culture, but take me back to those carefree days when my only worries were would the toys I wanted be under the tree when me and my brother got up at 4 AM to open Christmas presents.Now I'm up until 4 AM wrapping presents instead of opening them.
