HOLIDAY MUSIC FAVORITES

DEBBIE'S PICK: A man of simple tastes would claim any Nat King Cole LP as his all-time favorite Christmas album. Being a man of utmost refinement, I’m forced to claim Guns and Roses’ Use Your Illusion II as mine. While the standard holiday crooners urge us to “Hark, yon herald,..” and “Deck the halls,..” GNR reminds us to skip AA and wreck our Trans-Am’s. Featuring some of the more sumptuous tunes from Axl Rose’s arsenal, such as “Get In The Ring” and “You Could Be Mine”, UYI 2 teaches us that, even though rocking hard is key to becoming one with the forces of evil and getting laid, sometimes it’s just as important to rock tenderly. You think you’re gonna find loving wisdom like that in “Oh, Tannenbaum”? I didn’t think so.
VINNIE'S PICK: In my humble opinion, there is only one musical selection that can sum up the spiritual and emotional sensations Christmas brings, and that is Matt Lauer. You might know him as co-host of NBC's popular morning program The Today Show, but I know him as the voice of "the most wonderful time of the year." Though he may never actually sing, Lauer possesses a tender, soothing baritone voice that sends me walking in a Calgon-esque winter wonderland. With carol-ready quotables like, "Let's check in with Al for the weather," or, "Katie has the day off," Matt Lauer effortlessly reminds us of the true meanings of Christmas: to honor and cherish both the birth of the Gentile Lord and Savior, and being surrounded by family and friends.