doin' alright/Christmas of white

It's finally December. Not a moment too soon. This year has seemed like the longest ever. With December comes obnoxious holiday deocrations in my old 'hoods (wow, I hate living in the 'burbs with all these matching white lights!), lots of very unhealthy treats, and, of course, schmaltzy Christmas music on the radio (I swear, if that Mariah Carey song comes on KGSR just once, I'm never listening again.).

Luckily there are other options. I've already talked about this, but still want to make another plug for For Kate's Sake, a fantastic alt.country-does-Christmas compilation CD. It benefits a great cause and features several great moments. I'm particularly partial to John Prine's cut of "I'll Be Home for Christmas," Steve Earle and Allison Moorer's "Nothing But a Child," and Raul Malo's version of "Pretty Paper." But it's Buddy and Julie Miller's "Away in a Manger" that's quickly become one of my favorite-ever Christmas recordings. It's just beautiful, in the way that only the Millers can record.

For Kate's Sake is available all over the place, from Waterloo to amazon.com, and right here.