Christmas Family Reunion with Buddy Beaverhausen

I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Donnelly-Hamer family up in Jefferson Township, NJ. It's an almost two-hour drive and my cousin Linda generously took me there and back in her car.

My Aunt Ellen (my mother's sister) and my Uncle Walt had 11 children. Linda is one of the youngest.

The very youngest, Eleanor, was at Linda's Christmas dinner as was my cousin, Joe, the youngest son, as they all still live in Jersey.

It was really fantastic to see my relatives, their spouses and grown children. How time passes. I hadn't seen some of these folk in decades, but we were all assembled at Christmas night dinner at Linda's. There was a lot of love, acerbic wit and the Irish gift of gab on hand! And a delicious dinner and lots of wine and beer.

Linda's home.

I hope all my readers had a very Merry, too! And, so, I share with you in photos. Holiday love to all!

Cousin Eleanor with her husband and sons.

My cousin Joe & his wife Monica

Christmas Countdown 2015 with El Vez

El Vez is the latino comic impersonator of Elvis. He's also a very sexy dude, as you can see in the video!

Wishing everyone a very warm little Christmas and a Feliz Navidad from the bottom of my heart!

Christmas Countdown 2015 featuring Kaye Starr

Kaye Starr is waiting for the man with the bag. Hmmm...!

Wondering what was in it as Starr is surely twinkling!

Still, a rare, great holiday treat from a superb singer. A true blast from the past!

Wait no longer. Kaye, because here he is on Buddy Beaverhausen's Christmas Countdown!

Errr... May we check your bag?

Better watch out now!

Audio Beaverhausen: Sarah McLachlan's & LeAnn Rimes' Christmas Offerings

The divas are alive with the sound of Christmas this year. Buddy B checks out their offerings.

Sarah McLachlan's The Classic Christmas Album is pretty much recycled. Most have been issued before, many on her previous Christmas album. Doing this is, frankly, pretty tacky.

Nonetheless, there is no denying the sheer beauty of this songbird's voice.
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "Prayer for St Francis" are beauties. And her version of John Lennon's "War Is Over" is a wonderful cover.

But buyer beware: this album is a retread of songs you may have heard before. I was sorry she couldn't include her rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" that I believe was previously exclusively on a Starbucks collection.



More successful. perhaps, is Leann Rimes' Today Is Christmas that includes two songs written by the artist. The country/pop star's cover of holiday classics are all wonderful, ending with "Auld Lang Syne" for our New Year's Eve celebrations.

Ms Rimes is a belter who knows how to put a song across in true diva style. The album has been charting well at Billboard, who gave it a positive review. Her rendition of "Carol of the Bells" lends itself to dance floors and to remixes.



LeAnn's selection of songs is choice and includes Mitch Miller's "Must Be Santa," a spritely holiday classic I've loved since I was a kid.



So choose your dueling divas for your holiday entertainment this year! Available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and music shops everywhere.