To go along with my reviews of 2015 Christmas and holiday kids music, here are some videos and singles for your further enjoyment. I'll be adding songs and videos as they're released, so feel free to check back throughout the season (or shout out the new songs I've missed).
First, let's hear from Laurie Berkner, who has a new video for "Children Go Where I Send Thee," a track which appeared on 2012's A Laurie Berkner Christmas and the just released Laurie Berkner's Favorite Classic Kids' Songs. Pretty simple -- it features Berkner and regular Berkner bassist (and kindie musician in his own right) Brady Rymer and a bunch of children dancing around happily.
Laurie Berkner (with Brady Rymer) - "Children Go Where I Send Thee" [YouTube]
Next is a song I've already posted the video for, but it definitely merits a repeat mention, and that's "L.A. Christmas" from Andrew & Polly featuring Mista Cookie Jar. It's a sweet, sunny groove with just enough bells and holiday spirit to make it a nice alternative to a lot of holiday music.
Andrew & Polly and Mista Cookie Jar - "L.A. Christmas" [YouTube]
Of course there are Christmas-themed bands. The Yule Logs from California have four holiday albums under their belt, and have just released their fifth such album, Up All Night. The title track is a jangly bit of celebratory nonsense. The band isn't really a kids band, but this song and video passes the parental test.
Moving from L.A. to N.J., Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam offer up a little bit of The Boss -- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band -- in their appealing single (and track from their forthcoming 2016 album) "Summertime Santa." Apparently the West Coast isn't the only coast that can offer up a beach-based Christmas celebration.
Speaking of songs featuring Santa mashups, Montana's The Salamanders move out from the beach onto the sea with their holiday single "Pirate Santa." As with "Summertime Santa," this is hardly a serious take on the holiday season, but combining "Yo Ho Ho" with "Ho Ho Ho" is a pretty good idea. (The last line, is also a darn good pun.)
And there's no reason why we can't have multiple versions of the same song in a single year, right? Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem offer up their own take on "Children Go Where I Send Thee" that's a little more pensive and rootsier than Berkner and Rymer's take. Gotta believe that one of these will be to your family's taste.
We're in the midst of Hanukkah as I add this track, the latest from Jewish-themed rockers The Macaroons. This year's sing-along track, "Jews All Over the World," does give a shout-out to Hanukkah, but it's got an advantage in that it'd probably sound just as good in May as it does now. Try saying that about "Last Christmas."
This last embed isn't kindie, but as with most Christmas streams, it's certainly family-friendly. It's a Spotify playlist from Universal Music's vast library. At more than 4 hours (!) in length, there's plenty of room for the classics (just look at the first 5 songs in that embed stream) and new songs (e.g., Carly Rae Jepsen's take on Wham's "Last Christmas").
Other Songs/Videos/Album Streams
The Big Cheese Band - "The Christmas Crocodile" [YouTube]
Rockin' Robin & the Magical Tree - "Sparkly Christmas Things" [YouTube]
The Little Ditties - "S'no Day Like It" [Bandcamp]
Andrew & Polly - Other Days [Bandcamp]
Rain for Roots - Waiting Songs [Bandcamp]
