Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings celebrate that other big holiday in December – with two very groovy tracks that rival some of the best Christmas soul classics from years back! "8 Days Of Hanukkah" is wonderfully upbeat and swinging – with a vibe that's totally great and positive, and which has Sharon vocally making her way through the eight different days of the holiday! The flipside is more of a "part 2" to the cut – which is more than groovy enough to be worth flipping over the record! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Lovely Christmas sounds from the McGuire Sisters – a trio whose sweet style was always a big hit on TV, and which brings a perfect "Holiday Special" vibe to this seasonal album – which also includes a fair bit of unusual tunes! Most of the tracks are arranged by Dick Jacobs – with the kind of lush backings the group often received on the screen – and their unified style of vocalizing does a nice job of keeping things sprightly in all the right moments, especially on the more upbeat tunes. Titles include "If You Believe", "The Cactus Christmas Tree", "He", "Give Me Your Heart For Christmas", "Without Him", "Christmas Alphabet", and "Honorable Congratulations". CD features three bonus tracks – "Be A Santa", "Peace", and "Ave Maria". CD

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A very cool collection of Holiday tunes from the postwar years – lots of special, unusual tracks that go way past the hits – served up in a mixture of styles that includes work in the vocal group, early rock, jazz, and pop modes! The package definitely lives up to the standard we expect from Bear Family – with a great sense of depth, and an ability to really read between the lines when it comes to musical history of this period – on titles that include "Nuthin For Christmas" by Eartha Kitt, "Happy New Year Baby" by Jo Ann Campbell, "Snowshoe Thompson" by Tennessee Ernie Ford, "Snow" by Rosemary Clooney, "White Christmas" by The Four Lovers, "Christmas Twist" by Charlie Starr, "North Pole Rock" by Cathy Sharpe, "Christmas Spirits" by Julia Lee & Her Boyfriends, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by The Cadillacs, "I Want Elvis For Christmas" by The Holly Twins, "Rockin Santa Claus" by The Moods, "I Want A Beatle For Christmas" by Patty Surbey & The Canadian VIPs, "Santa Claus Meets The Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley, "Silent Night" by Frankie Lyman, and even a spoken "Christmas Greetings" by Ann Margret! CD

Great Christmas tunes from the early years of soul music – tracks that have their roots in the R&B Christmas modes of the 50s, but also burst out in great new directions too! Some of the tracks feature harmony groups, others feature single artists – and in addition to some of the bluer sounds of the season, there's lots of titles here that sparkle with a newly festive vibe – that upbeat style that you'd also hear on dancefloor soul singles of the period. There's plenty of unfamiliar numbers here – which makes the set a delight to our ears – and titles include "Santa Claus Is Coming" by The Midnighters, "Don't Cry For Me This Xmas" by The Marcels, "New Year Greeting" by Gene McDaniels, "I'll Stay Home" by The Jaynells, "Wish You A Merry Christmas" by Kim Weston, "I Wish You A Merry Christmas" by Big Dee Irwin & Little Eva, "Mr Santa Claus" by Nathaniel Mayer, "Merry Christmas Darling" by The Uniques, "White Christmas" by Darlene Love, "Drive Slow" by Johnny Flamingo, "Christmas Time" by Jan Bradley, "Blue Holiday" by The Shirelles, "Merry Christmas Darling" by Poppa Hop, and "Christmas Greeting" by Gene McDaniels. CD