No Day Like Today

Began the morning with breakfast and The Busy World of Richard Scarry. Kittens Abe and Babe think they've been so bad, they got coal for Christmas. They learn "Abe and Babe's Christmas Lesson" when the electricity goes out in Busytown and they find a use for all that coal. "Sally Cat's Christmas Dream" takes her to the North Pole, where she helps a familiar-looking Santa and Mrs. Claus The kittens and Lowly get "The Best Christmas Present Ever" when they awaken to see no tree, but Grandma tells them their parents have an extra-special surprise for them at the hospital. 

Made the bed and worked on the inventory while watching Rent Live! I go further into this TV version of the popular 1996 rock opera at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musicals On TV - Rent Live! (2019)

Oh, and I got started on the seasonal CDs today. Added the soundtrack from Easter Parade, George Winston's Summer, and the two summer-themed collections I picked up earlier this year. None of these go very far back. I've had Summer the longest, and I got it from the Audubon Goodwill in 2021. I've had a hard time finding spring and summer seasonal albums. 

Went to work after Rent ended. I had to sweep and do the carts after the head bagger ended up spending most of the evening in a register, and I fell behind on the carts at one point after having to find a box to dump the remains of a broken candle in. Thankfully, I managed to catch up by the time I left, and there were no other problems. 

Watched Match Game Syndicated while eating dinner. Former Miss World and future hostess Marjorie Wallace joins Robert Donner, Bill Daily, and Marcia Wallace here. Brett jokes about how Marjorie's wide white beauty pageant smile keeps blinding her, while Bill Daily ogles an attractive 19-year-old contestant.

Finished the night after a shower listening to Christmas music as I worked on the Rent review. Christmas With Andy Williams and the Williams Brothers is by far my favorite of the two Williams holiday albums I own. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is probably the best-known song here, but I equally love the two numbers Andy did with his brothers, "The Holiday Season" and the rollicking "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells." 

A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra was his first Christmas album, and it too debuted a standard now associated with the singer, the ballad "Mistletoe and Holly." The other songs are all more familiar carols, but there's some good performances among them. I especially like his "The Christmas Waltz" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."

Although The Christmas Song is probably the holiday number most associated with Nat King Cole, it's not my favorite song on the album of that title. That would be the touching "A Cradle In Bethlehem." His "Caroling, Caroling" is also a lot of fun.

I've had Peggy Lee's Christmas Carousel for almost 30 years. Bored on Christmas Eve 1995, I joined Mom for some last-minute shopping at the liquor store and North Cape May Acme. I got my first ever mini-bottle of Coke from the liquor store, while Christmas Carousel was the most interesting of the holiday titles on  the racks of CDs the Acme had for sale then. There's some really charming material here. "The Christmas List," "The Christmas Riddle," "Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer," and "I Like a Sleigh Ride (Jingle Bells)" are a lot of fun. She also has a nice version of "Happy Holidays," and the whirling title song is lovely.

Christmas Island was Jimmy Buffet's first holiday album. As much as I enjoyed his rendition of the title song, my favorites were his "Happy Xmas (The War Is Over)" and "A Sailor's Christmas." And don't turn off the CD after the last song ends. If you let track 10 continue, you'll get to hear Buffet's reading of "The Night Before Christmas."