do you hear what i hear?

I'm ear-deep in holiday CDs, and my round-up of new yuletide sounds appears here:

Ghosts of Christmas Past: Surprising new holiday albums from Bette to Bootsy

People just getting to know me tend to be surprised when they hear about my obsession with Christmas music.
Secretly, it's all an exercise in creating my own annual holiday compilation, sent out with Christmas cards to close friends and family. This year's edition is nearly finished: I'm about 90% done with the cover art, and the playlist itself (always the hardest part) may be complete. As always, I struggled and sweated over the final cut, and there are still a couple of tracks that could get axed before the ultimate mailing. But overall, I'm pleased. To be this far along by Dec. 5 is unheard of — and a nice change from years past.