HO HO HOLIDAY HARMONIZING!

The holidays are always a fun excuse to engage in public activity, whether it be toasting on New Year’s Eve, fireworks on the fourth of July, costumes for Halloween, or caroling at Christmas. As for the latter, there aren’t as many opportunities as there used to be to go caroling door to door as in the days of yore. This is why karaoke is the perfect place to prepare those pipes for some yuletide yodeling. Speaking of Halloween, that’s when this Holiday Hootenanny really starts. People begin to forsake their favorites for a tuneful transition to traditional. You’ll suddenly hear sonorous singers select the goofy but gratifying “Monster Mash” or go goofy with “Ghostbusters”. This is not to forget the perennial and popular “Time Warp” and “Thriller”, both scary yet silly treats for audiences in October. But let’s face it; Christmas is the season for singing with literally hundreds of songs to choose from. To be fair to all participants, December is also the time to celebrate other faiths. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many songs dedicated to hallow Hanukah or Karaoke Kwanza. Christmas kind of monopolizes the month, whether it be decadent decorating or the colossal collection of carols. There are the religious regulars, like “O Holy Night”, “Joy to the World” and “O Come All Ye Faithful”. You don’t have to be a bible banger to enjoy these deity-driven ditties as they have been perpetually played on radio stations and in movies for years. Sure, there are the homesick, holiday ballads that heighten a heaviness of the heart. Some people love to mire in the melancholy and others avoid it like the proverbial Christmas fruitcake. If this time of year gets you down, there are always silly songs to perk you up: “The Chipmunk Song”, “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”. The treasured televised traditions of our childhood are also a good choice for battling the blues. Those annual cartoons and corny Claymation favorites (“Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman”, etc..) are rife with rockin’ seasonal tunes and invoke many magical memories of more innocent Christmases. I, myself, prefer the Christmas classics, of which there is an infinite assortment, too many to list. Some widely well-received ones include “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, The Christmas Song”, “Jingle Bells”, and “White Christmas”. The first karaoke night after Thanksgiving I was up there singing merry melodies to start swaying the singing society into the spirit. There is also a voluminous variety of duets for this time of year to enjoy with friends or a romantic holiday harmonization with your significant other. Some popular perennial pairings to warm you up include “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “Winter Wonderland”. This is the perfect chance to go outside the box and crawl out of your comfort zone that safely swaddles you all year. I love singing (either solo or with a friend) “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree”, which is fun, festive and a crowd pleaser, especially if you’re like me and bravely add dancing at the mike to the mix. This is also an awesome occasion to dress up for the season, wear your reds and greens, silver and golds, or even a Santa outfit (girls, too!). Karaoke is an equal opportunity festive feast, so don’t give in to your inner Grinch just because this time of year can serve up some supplementary stress. Whatever it is you celebrate, it’s a tinsel & tuneful time to get out and get some Jingle Bell Rock!