Winter Music to Enjoy

Is there any cool seasonal music to play in December that isn't... Christmas music?

Want music that sounds like December music, but isn't Christmas music? How about an album of music that captures the season of winter, including through December? Is there such an album? Yes, there is. "Jammin' Through December" is a jazz-themed album of wintertime tunes that I love anytime I've had enough of the Santa-type songs and songs telling me what I need for Christmas. I enjoy traditions, but most of the December music available are Christmas songs from the 1950s either as originals or updated arrangements of those songs. Sometimes, I feel I can't take another one of those songs! Today was one of those times.

It was my turn to cook dinner for a friend sick with cancer. A bunch of her friends created a meal train to help encourage our rather isolated friend. Being in December, there are so many viruses in the air and she was being careful to not expose herself to the colds, flu, and COVID. So we brought nightly meals to her. But this afternoon, I was getting distracted from getting started with my meal plan. Sometimes getting started is my highest hurdle to accomplishment. I decided I needed music to help me get focused and being mid-December thought some Christmas music would help get me into the cooking mood. I went to Apple Music and selected Christmas Essentials and within minutes was discouraged by the updated songs of yesteryear. I just didn't want to listen to songs telling me about Santa or what I needed to do or to buy or how to be happy, etc. The Essential Christmas, as Apple called the station, did not motivate me to cook so I turned off the music and wondered: What is out there for music of the season that is not that regular pop type of Christmas songs?

I remembered the album, "Jammin' Through December." A jazz-themed album of arranged cover songs and originals by Caleb Murray and the Blue Horizon. I had downloaded the album onto my phone several years ago. I scrolled to the album and tapped "Shuffle." What I enjoy about this album is that the tunes match the season! This album is not meant just for December but for Winter. What a relief to have in my music library!

While the arrangement of Skating in Central Park started to play, I skated across my kitchen floor to measure oil and begin cooking onions for a wintery-warming Beef Stew. By the time the jamming title song Jammin' Through December was playing, I was putting my rolls into the oven to bake. I'm not sure which is my absolute favorite tune on the album, like Snow Angel, On Hanget Korkeat Nietokset (you remember that one, right? LOL. This arrangement is super engaging), or Snowfall (so peaceful, like snow gently falling). 

The album cover is cool, too. Forest critters are seen spending their winter time jammin' together with a snowy scene outside the cabin window (Original art by Lacey Kay Cowden), illustrating the point of Jammin' Through December. If you've read to this point, I owe it to you to include the album cover for you to see! 

I hope you get a listen to this very nicely done not-Christmas-but-Winter album. I think you'll be glad you found the answer to the question, Is there any cool December music that isn't pop Christmas music. And you'll be able to answer, too: Yes! "Jammin' Through December." 

And, my friend got her dinner served on time.