Listen to this: "Winter's Crossing"

If you’re anything like me, I’ll jump out of my skin if I hear Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” or Bon Jovi’s “Please Come Home for Christmas” one more time. It seems like these two songs – and a handful of other tired old Christmas songs – are the only tunes in the playlist at the two Boston-based radio stations that are now playing holiday music 24 hours a day.

If you need a break, might I recommend my favorite holiday CD? It’s called “Winter’s Crossing”, released in 1998 by James Galway and Phil Coulter. As it states on the back of the CD, it’s “An inspiring collection of seasonal music…from spirited jigs to touching melodies, Winter’s Crossing tells the tale of the men and women who braved a rough ocean to come to America from Northern Ireland, full of hope and strength.”

I’ve enjoyed this compilation for several years now, and even bought the accompanying piano songbook, so I can play along with the CD. Check out Winter’s Crossing on Amazon.com and let me know what you think.