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World Christmas Party
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Dan Storper Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.
While people around the world celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve in different ways, we all share the common desire to enjoy a festive holiday season with family and friends. After all, “‘tis the season to be jolly,” so Putumayo has assembled some of our favorite upbeat seasonal songs to get you rockin' around the Christmas tree. So get ready to deck the halls with a world Christmas party!
(Read on for a chance to win a CD collection of Christmas music.)
I’ve always enjoyed looking out for compelling versions of Christmas music recorded in other parts of the world and how different cultures celebrate Christmas. On a trip to New Zealand last year, I found one of my favorites, a Maori recording of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” We also asked two of our favorite international musicians, José Conde and Maria de Barros, to record new versions of “Winter Wonderland” and “Deck the Halls,” which turned out really well. And, among the many other appealing recordings, legendary Poncho Sanchez provides a Latin jazz twist to the Christmas classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
This holiday season, enjoy a fresh spin on Christmas classics in reggae, samba, ska, Cape Verdean coladeira and other musical styles while enjoying Coquito, a Puerto Rican eggnog drink — recipe included in the CD.
So, what are your favorite non-traditional sounds of Christmas? Let us know by December 7th in the comment section below. One comment post will be selected at random to receive a Putumayo Christmas collection of 5 CDs: World Christmas Party, Christmas Around the World, A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas and A Family Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
While people around the world celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve in different ways, we all share the common desire to enjoy a festive holiday season with family and friends. After all, “‘tis the season to be jolly,” so Putumayo has assembled some of our favorite upbeat seasonal songs to get you rockin' around the Christmas tree. So get ready to deck the halls with a world Christmas party!
(Read on for a chance to win a CD collection of Christmas music.)
I’ve always enjoyed looking out for compelling versions of Christmas music recorded in other parts of the world and how different cultures celebrate Christmas. On a trip to New Zealand last year, I found one of my favorites, a Maori recording of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” We also asked two of our favorite international musicians, José Conde and Maria de Barros, to record new versions of “Winter Wonderland” and “Deck the Halls,” which turned out really well. And, among the many other appealing recordings, legendary Poncho Sanchez provides a Latin jazz twist to the Christmas classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
This holiday season, enjoy a fresh spin on Christmas classics in reggae, samba, ska, Cape Verdean coladeira and other musical styles while enjoying Coquito, a Puerto Rican eggnog drink — recipe included in the CD.
So, what are your favorite non-traditional sounds of Christmas? Let us know by December 7th in the comment section below. One comment post will be selected at random to receive a Putumayo Christmas collection of 5 CDs: World Christmas Party, Christmas Around the World, A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas and A Family Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
318 Comments
Comments
I love Mary's Boy Child by Boney M
11/30/2010 1:21:37 PM CST
Mariah Carey-”All I Want for Christmas is You”
11/30/2010 1:57:01 PM CST
It ain't the Christmas season until we have listened to everything we have by Loreena McKennitt and Medieval Babes! Merry Christmas, everyone!
11/30/2010 2:29:01 PM CST
Chanukah songs! How non-traditional is that? =) But I still like listening to Christmas music, it puts me in a good mood for the holiday season.
11/30/2010 3:02:25 PM CST
I moved here 3 years ago from Germany, so all German Christmas songs are my real favorites because they bring back all the childhood memories of celebrating christmas with my parents, grandparents and brother.
11/30/2010 3:12:08 PM CST
I love all non-traditional holiday music. It is always nice to mix it up a little.
Always fun to hear the classics done by newer artists.
11/30/2010 3:44:06 PM CST
I love "My Christmas Prayer" CD by BeBe & CeCe Winans. They do an excellent version of "My Sweet Lord" on this CD. It gives me chills, it's so beautiful. This entire CD is great and has a mixture of artists on it like Rob Thomas as well.
11/30/2010 4:37:54 PM CST
I REALLY ENJOYED MY CHILDHOOD SPANISH MUSIC.MY MOM IS FROM CENTRAL AMERICA. AND EVEN THOUGH I WAS BORN HERE IN THE USA I LOVE TO LISTEN AND REMEMBER THE YOUNGER YEARS.FUNNY THING IS AT AGE 41 I STILL DONT SPEAK SPANISH BUT STILL LOVE THE MUSIC. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!
11/30/2010 5:09:31 PM CST
I was born in Venezuela, and though gaitas will always have their place in my heart, I have to admit I have fallen in love with the voice of Ella Firtzgerald in her Christmas CD!
11/30/2010 5:11:04 PM CST
My favorite is "O Tannenbaum" sung in German. It reminds me of my childhood.
11/30/2010 9:14:08 PM CST
I love-love-love traditional spanish villancicos, like: "el tamborilero"
11/30/2010 9:31:56 PM CST
I love to sit by the fire and listen to christmas music with a Jazz flair...makes my heart happy :o)
11/30/2010 9:34:34 PM CST
Hi,
My favorite holiday music of all time is a typical latin american song called "mi burrito sabanero" every region often personalizes it by adding local elements. :)
11/30/2010 9:35:52 PM CST
I love Hawaiian slack key guitar Christmas music. It's so sweet and reminds me of a different kind of holiday, warm and bright.
12/01/2010 4:35:44 AM CST
I really like up-beat Christmas R&B songs. Something I can sing and dance too while working in the kitchen or having guests over.
It's fun to groove while making food.
12/01/2010 4:04:43 PM CST
Love Putumayo music! I just bought two from the "Playground" series, one for each of my friend's daughters. I would love to heard these holiday-themed collections.
12/01/2010 4:17:23 PM CST
The chants and drones of Hildegarde von Bingen place you in that mystical mood in preparation for Christmas!
12/01/2010 4:25:56 PM CST
love to hear the traditional christmas music but with different sounding arrangements, sometimes with an upbeat rhythms sometimes slow arrangements, but with great strong singing.
12/01/2010 4:28:11 PM CST
From black Friday through the 12 days of Christmas, I listen to Christmas music as much as possible. . .what a great sounding collection this would be!
12/01/2010 4:32:14 PM CST
I love any Christmas music or sounds that just include instruments - no voices and from any country or part of the world!
12/01/2010 4:40:46 PM CST
I love both world and Christmas music, so it is really great to find new combinations of the two!
One of my favorites off the top of my head is steel drum Christmas music! It reminds me of the year I spent Christmas in Hawaii, my first time visiting that state. The novelty tune "Mele kalikimaka" has since held a special, sentimental value to me.
I also enjoy the "Christmas in Bossa" collection I found a couple years ago--- various American Christmas songs (including Wham's "Last Christmas") done in Bossa Nova style. Wonderful for a holiday cocktail party, or whwen you just want a nice, relaxing change of pace from the pop music on the radio :)
12/01/2010 4:41:11 PM CST
I LOVE James Brown's collection of Christmas music! God bless the hardest working man in show business (belatedly, of course).
12/01/2010 4:42:10 PM CST
Hi! I used a sample CD of Putumayo that was available in WholeFoods for my Pilates class and they loved it!!
12/01/2010 4:46:05 PM CST
I shop at Whole Foods all the time. It would be nice to win this cd for the upcoming holiday season!!
12/01/2010 4:46:40 PM CST
I love instrumental religious music of all kinds. It takes me back to my childhood days at church. Also, reminds me of elementary school music class. Love this especially during the holidays.
12/01/2010 4:47:06 PM CST