It's here! It's here! It's here! Christmas is tomorrow, and to celebrate and finish out our countdown of obscure Christmas music, here is our favorite one on our playlist! We discovered this on a bonus CD that came with our 4-disc special edition White Christmas. Bing Crosby is back on our list with Just What I Wanted For Christmas!
So, I missed yesterday! But, as it turns out, maybe that's okay. I had intended for this countdown to end ON Christmas Eve, and now it will! No thanks to my sorry math skill... Haha! Here is a Christmas favorite in our house, although, I must admit, this is the first time we have seen the video that goes along with it. Here is Gayla Peevey singing I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.
Mel Blanc is a very talented voice actor. You may know him from The Jetsons (Mr. Spacely, and others) or The Flintstones (Dino, and others) or, perhaps more famously, Looney Toons (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and others). This is such a fun, silly Christmas song! It gets a little weird, and not terribly Christmas-y towards the end, but I grew up listening to this, and so it's also really nostalgic for me. Here is Mel Blanc singing Yah Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree.
Christmas is in five days, guys. Five. That's it. So, bringing you some extra "yule cheer" as you frantically prepare for Christmas is Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby singing "We Wish You the Merriest".
This is from one of our favorite Christmas cartoons! It's a great version of The Christmas Carol. Here is Tom Bosley (Mr. Cunningham from Happy Days) as B.A.H. Humbug from The Stingiest Man in Town singing An Old Fashioned Christmas.
We just love the homey, romantic, Christmas spirit in this song! Ultimately, we both prefer this song by Frank Sinatra, but he already had a song, and will have another. So, on the off chance you don't adore him the way I do, here is a perfectly wonderful version of The Christmas Waltz by The Carpenters.
Ah, Dino! Here in Utah, we are feeling the chill, so here's a little something to "keep you warm". Dean Martin singing I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.
The Danny Kaye show ran from 1963-1967. You can't buy all the episodes, as far as I can tell, but you can buy two of the Christmas episodes, if you search hard enough. The two guests are Nat King Cole and Peggy Lee. I couldn't find a version of this without the opening to The Danny Kaye show, but I think it's kind of fun, anyway. You actually get to watch Danny Kaye perform in this video and he is just so charming! Here his is singing Waltz Round the Christmas Tree!
Brian and I were talking a few days ago about how so many people get sick of Christmas songs so quickly, and we just don't. We love Christmas! We live for it! But, even he has his limits and won't let me play it until after Halloween. (I could probably listen to Christmas music all the year through.) He suggested, finally, that perhaps people get sick of it because they don't have the variations in the music they hear that we do. We discussed how a lot of my Christmas music isn't really repeats. It's either lesser known songs, or, the songs that actually do repeat but by different artists are different types of the song. For instance, you hear Jingle Bells all the time. And, from one artist to another, Jingle Bells may not sound all that different. But, if you heard the version that Danny Kaye sang with either Nat King Cole, or Peggy Lee, you might feel differently. It's as though they have breathed new life into these classics.
These twelve days of Christmas will be about Brian and I sharing our top twelve lesser known songs. It will end on Christmas eve with our very favorite, a new one to us just this year. Some days, I might post a bonus song that is an old favorite but changed up a little. Let's get started!
Frank Sinatra is the main reason for the name of our company, and logo. I have been in love with Frank since I was five years old. So, I think it very fitting that the our first of twelve days of Christmas should be on his 100th Birthday! Happy 100, Ol' Blue Eyes! Here he is starting us off with Wouldn't Trade Christmas with his kids Nancy, Tina and Frank Jr.
We have our winners! This was a close race! But, we are pleased to announce the winners.
Judge's Choice: The Land I Love
People's Choice: Music To My Ear's
And, for the record, "A little to the left." was a reference from Gilmore Girls. Lorelai's boyrfriend, Jason (Digger) Styles, has a dog who only knows two tricks. One of them, is a little to the left.
Okay, everyone, voting time is here! Choose your favorite and place your vote. We will also be choosing our favorite. Please, only vote once. Good luck to all the contestants!
Our new photo contest is finally here! The theme of this contest is simple: A Little To The Left. (If you understand the reference in the title, send it in with your photo entry for a bonus 5 votes.) Take a picture of something to your left. This is a prompt, not a rule. If you have something specific you would rather take a picture of, than do it! We just want to start out simple to get your creative juices flowing. The only rules are:
1- It cannot be an old photo. It has to be taken after this post.
2- It is due Saturday, September 26th 2015 by midnight.
That's it. Send your submissions to blackhatphotographs@gmail.com with the title Photo Contest Entry: To The Left. Monday morning we will make a post with all the submissions, and you will have one week to get people to come and vote for your photo! There will be two winners this time. The one with the most votes, and a Judge's choice. The prize for each winner will be a $15 gift card to Amazon. Here is my example photo.
I had some fun with photoshop today! I took pictures of my sons action figures to use. I felt the Rat Pack was an appropriate origin photo, since they were the inspiration for our company name.
This little cutie is incredibly photogenic, just like her mother! I posted her Mom's maternity pictures recently, and I wanted to post these fun shots separately. I have a lot of fun with selective color, particularly with images of children. I don't know why, exactly, I just love the way it turns out! What do you think?
This family has become one of my regulars, and they are definitely some of my favorite people to shoot. We always have a good time! Such a cute family! Congratulations, you guys!
