This one goes out by special request to the Burkemeister..The King of Delco..The Broomall Bad-A$..The Madman of Media.......lifelong supporter of Motown Christmas Soul...Keep up the good work!

The staff at Holiday Hijinks must acknowledge the 2012 passing of another Holiday icon. Sadly, we continue to lose entertainers who are linked to Holiday memories:

Dick Clark-New Year's Eve

Jerry Lewis- Labor Day (still alive but fired)

Like Nate King Cole and Bing Crosby before him, Andy Williams is forever connected to the magic of Christmas. (Johnny Mathis..please take care of yourself!)

Andy is all about comfort,sweaters and Christmas..He will live on forever as he continues to remind us that Christmas is,,,"The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

I wasn't planning on posting any Holiday Hijinks for 2012 but sometimes forces greater than us intervene..see below..This is like a great big Holiday Hijinks miracle served up on a silver platter..No, that is not Photoshop or a post-Thanksgiving hallucination.This is all too real, my friends..They are back..deal with it!

 

Listed below is my final Holiday Hijinks post from 2011. It was a old school, low-tech affair last year, I emailed wacky Christmas songs to friends and family on a daily basis during the Christmas season. I recently noticed that I still had last year's email in my sent bin so I decided to transfer them to my music blog...enjoy!


Last weekend, me and my lovely wife were in the car on the way to Boone, NC and I heard this song and remembered how much I loved it. I knew it would be the perfect song to end the Holiday Hijinks series. Bing Crosby/David Bowie..a very bizarre pairing.. 2 very different performers from different generations..but somehow it works.....proving that the magic of Christmas is timeless..


It has been a blast sharing these Christmas tunes with you the past month. Besides jamming up your hard drive, I hope some of the songs made you smile, or a slight chuckle..or legitimate laughter...or in some rare cases, the elusive, full-throttle belly snort!

Merry Christmas!

MT

 Bruce Springsteen and E-Street Band....Besides being one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time, Bruce and the boys delivered  a timeless rock and roll Christmas standard!..

I will always remember 2011 as the year that we lost 2 of my favorite people in the music world: Amy Winehouse and Clarence Clemons..

Amy was one of the few new artists that I could relate too. Her soulful style and powerful voice...gone way too soon..

Clarence Clemons... Bruce Springsteen's right- hand man and member of the E-Street Band. The music will live on..

OK..this is more authentic than the previous post featuring Canadian Reggae (Bryan Adams)...keeping it real with Bob Marley- White Christmas

Spark It!..Having a Reggae Christmas..down in Jamaica...by Bryan Adams

Is Adams really a authentic spokesman for Reggae Christmas?...Isn't he from Canada?..I'm just saying..

In my opinion, Elvis is a legend in the world of rock and roll Christmas songs. "Santa Claus is Back in Town" captures the raw energy of early rock and roll in the 1950's.

The last clip on this post is from one of my favorite Elvis moments: The 1968 Comeback TV Special. After being away from the "live- performing"  world due to being in the army and making movies..Elvis returned to reclaim his place in the rock and roll world.

 He struggles to remember the lyrics at first but when he sings "You gonna see me coming in big black Cadillac!" and you hear the squeals from the crowd..that is some great stuff!  classic moment!

I freakin love Elvis!

We have visitors from Canada today..The McKenzie Brothers..Bob and Doug...from SCTV in the 80's....

Holiday Hijinks double-shot!!

1. Grace Jones visits Pee Wee Herman

2. Tiny Tim..not the one from the classic story, "A Christmas Carol" , but the creepy singer who sneaked  onto the charts back in the 60's..Check out his picture..It is the stuff that Holiday nightmares are made of...

Something very old and something pretty new...

1. Mitch Miller- Must be Santa

I had totally forgotten about this song until I heard it a few years ago on the radio and a flood of happy memories from my childhood came back to me
.
This tune features that classic "question and answer" style....Who's got a beard that's long and white???..Santa's got a beard that's long and white!

If you have never heard this song...then listen, learn and embrace..then share it with the youngsters so this crazy little tune will last forever!

2. Lady Gaga- Christmas Tree

This song is from a few years ago and I just love the combination of naughtiness, crazy energy and addictive beat!....

...now..let's travel back to the roaring 80's!

featuring Billy Crystal's various characters and impersonations

Wow..Time for another entry in the Holiday Hijinks series..and quite frankly..the talent pool is quickly draining.....DOH!....so I present, former American Idol cult hero, William Hung...from his Christmas CD, "Hung for the Holidays"....no really..that is the title!

Here's the story......  of a family named Brady...

The Brady Family

.Christmas Magic!

Back to the 70's through the snow and mist..or is that smoke... I think it is smoke...

Cheech and Chong- Santa and his Old Lady

 Brenda Lee- I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus..

Brenda is responsible for one of the Christmas Standards, "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"

But this track is equal parts charming and alarming. The little girl threatens to lasso Santa, rein him in with her rope, shoot him (with a water pistol) and steal his toys. 
But her heart is in the right place..She is going to give the toys "to all the kids who don't have none".......precious!

In the early days of Holiday Hijinks, we featured a Jewish dude singing a Christmas song (Neil Diamond), here comes # 2 (Dylan)..with a voice as smooth as silk... ahhh not really

The music is from a Christmas song but the singer and lyrics are a tribute to our great Burger King employees! Thank you all!

Slackers ..part 2

HO HO HO  Jenny,Jenny

It is one thing to do another lame cover of a Christmas standard. But it is really weak when you take the melody from one of your hits and just throw in a few Christmas lyrics.

Tommy Tutone 1980's 1-hit wonder

Slackers ..part 1

HO HO HO  BTO!

It is one thing to do another lame cover of a Christmas standard. But it is really weak when you take the melody from one of your hits and just throw in a few Christmas lyrics.

"Taking Care of Business" becomes "Taking Care of Christmas".. by Bachman-Turner-Overweight...I mean...Overdrive...DOH!

It's time for some traditional holiday innuendo..the moment you have all been waiting for...well, actually not all of you...but the ones I am referring to..you know who you are  (Richie)

from Ella Fitzgerald..you naughty girl!

Welcome to the Holiday Hijinks  Dance Party!!

Are we ready..??

wacky lyrics about making a fruitcake?....CHECK!

infectious dance beat??..CHECK

Fred Schneider...vocalist from B-52's??..CHECK!..

It's "Fruitcake" by The Superions..

grab the family, crank it up!

You know I had to find a way to squeeze the Grateful Dead into this series...This is actually a song about Deadheads from Bob Rivers "Twisted Christmas"..  Spark it!