“CHRISTMAS COMETH CAROLING” – 26 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

I listen to a lot of holiday music – even in the “offseason,” looking for unusual, interesting stuff.

And, even though there are still some who believe I should wait until Sunday (December 1), I’m going to start this year’s holiday song countdown today, the day after Thanksgiving.

The first song is “Christmas Cometh Caroling,” the first of the 15 Christmas songs written by Alfred Burt, a brass player from Michigan who worked with various orchestras.

His father, a minister, had a tradition of writing a holiday song for his church’s annual Christmas card. In 1942, after Burt graduated from the University of Michigan, his father asked him to write the music for the songs.

Burt did that until his death, at age 33, of lung cancer.

“Christmas Cometh Caroling” is one of my favorites – given Burt’s affinity for chord changes, one of the least complicated to try to play. Here is a version recorded by Kenny Loggins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUKCzezNBxA