Saturday, December 12, 2015

Get all the Christmas music you need with Hoopla & your MPL card

Do you need some Christmas music to set the mood for your all-day gift-wrapping marathon?

We have you covered.

With Hoopla and your Mentor Library card, you can stream up to 10 different albums for free each month. And they have an enormous catalog of Christmas music from which you can choose.

Here are some of your favorites, but feel free to browse around the Hoopla site and see what they have.

(By the way, if you don’t know how to use Hoopla, you can check out this video tutorial that one of our librarians made.)

1. White Christmas (40 Unforgettable Classics)

There are hundreds of Christmas compilations with different legends singing different standards. This is one of the best. You want Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday? You want Peggy Lee and Elvis? You want "White Christmas" and "Ave Maria?" This album has you covered—40 classics from the artists you want to hear sing them.

2. The Ultimate Motown Christmas

The Jackson 5 singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," Stevie Wonder singing "Ave Maria," The Supremes singing "Joy to the World," Four Tops, Johnny Gill, Marvin Gaye, even the Funk Brothers playing "Winter Wonderland"—after all, it's not Christmas without some soul. Speaking of which,Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle also have Christmas albums you can stream via Hoopla.

3. Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs

For a generation, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" is the Christmas song, but Bing has more classics than that in his catalog. Hear him sing everything from "Adeste Fideles" to "The Christmas Song." And if you're in the mood for a Rat Pack Christmas, check out holiday albums from Frank Sinatra,Dean Martin and the whole gang.

4. Muppet Christmas Carol: Special Edition

I'm not saying the Muppets own Christmas, but you could make a pretty awesome holiday playlist just using Muppets soundtracks.

5. A Charlie Brown Christmas

The only downside to listening to Vince Guaraldi's classic soundtrack is you won't be able to get "Linus and Lucy" out of your head for a couple of days. You're probably humming it already. If you're looking for other kid-friendly Christmas albums, try Veggie Tales' A Very Veggie Christmas.

6. Christmastime in Larryland

Meanwhile, this one's definitely not for the kids. But sometimes you just want to hear Larry the Cable Guy fart "Jingle Bells." If you need more blue-collar Christmas, Bill Engvall has you covered.

7. Christmas with the Ray Brown Trio

Ray Brown's one of the greatest jazz bassists of all time, and this album's perfect for jazz fans who will snap if they hear "Run, Run Rudolph" one more time. For more Christmas jazz, check out Ray Brown's old bandmate Oscar Peterson.

8. This Is Christmas (Elvis Presley Performing Timeless Christmas Classics)

If Bing owns "White Christmas," then nobody sang "Blue Christmas" like the King. He also has a beautiful version of "Peace in the Valley."

9. Bach: Advent & Christmas Cantatas

For lovers of classical music or for those who need background music during Christmas dinner. More classical Christmas: The Royal Philharmonic take on seasonal standards.

10. Christmas Grass Too

A sweet compilation of bluegrass Christmas songs that includes Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels, the Larkins and more. For more Christmas country, try Alan Jackson's Let It Be Christmas.

11. Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites

"I Really Don't Hate Christmas" is probably my favorite Christmas song. Thank you, Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

12. An All-4-One Christmas

What? Sometimes, you just want a New Jack Swing Christmas.

Hoopla also streams video. Check out 12 Christmas specials you can watch on Hoopla right now for free if you have a Mentor Library card.

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