John,

When you mentioned your cabin it reminded me of your video you posted a few weeks ago. For me, it doesn't just look like a place I'd like to visit, ...... it looks a like a great place to live! (And no, I'm not asking to move into your cabin! LOL.) That's the kind of place where a person could actually get in touch with themselves. Christmas there would be a blast. Even with having to "stoke" the fire. That's the way I grew up, so it wouldn't be new to me. A fireplace in the living room and a coal burning stove in the kitchen. Outhouse out back and a well where you had to "draw" your water, one bucket at a time.

Now to Pat's post. While I find writing songs to be a pretty easy thing to do, writing Christmas songs almost seems to be "anathema" for me!

I know it isn't, and new Christmas songs should be written, but for me Christmas is all about "tradition". I want to hear the classics. And not "updated" versions of the classics with a new beat and "scatting" or whatever.

Just those wonderful old songs, sung the way they were written. Now if they're done as instrumentals, I'm open to different styles.

Think "David Grisman's Acoustic Christmas". Great CD. No vocals, but hearing it play in the background will really put you into the Christmas spirit!

Bob
................................
http://soundcloud.com/bobcflatpicke/music-in-the-mountains