Welcome to episode 28 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I talk about Criola’s spectacular 1992 album, “Criola Winter Songbook.” I heard this online a few years ago and fell in love with it the first time I played it. When I found they had another Christmas song on their third album, I knew I had to track it down as well. I love Criola’s sound. Pianica Maeda seems to bring a similar feel to everything he’s involved with. When I got “Winter Songbook,” the album “Cactus Man” by his band Piranians was included. If you enjoyed these last two episodes, it’s worth seeking out as well. As I mentioned in the episode, my favorite discovery while researching this album was the history behind the song “Tannenbaum.” It comes from John Simon’s 1971 album, “John Simon’s Album.” I might have to pick up a copy at some point. Here’s the video for his version of the song: John Simon's "Tannenbaum" Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoyed Criola as much as I do. Join me here next month as I cover a pair of more recent albums. “Happy Christmas from Shimokita” is a wonderful compilation produced and released during the pandemic, while Ohashi Trio’s “Magic” from 2015 is one of the best Christmas albums I’ve heard in recent years. I’ll also be doing a special patron-sponsored episode thanks to some recent Ko-fi donations. As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know. Remember, I've added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you'd like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. Any donations received will be put towards purchasing new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!