I was a kid in the 70’s and a lot of my experiences and memories of Christmas were formed then–for good or bad. That’s probably why my tastes in Christmas are notably kitschy. And while most people find kitsch to be insincere and enjoy it ironically, for me it has meaning. I didn’t experience an old fashioned country Christmas and so, while that has great appeal to me, it doesn’t resonate as personally.
So here is some music that reflects the unique flavor of that weird decade. While some songs and artists may be familiar, lots of them may be new to you. While I didn’t hear most of these at the time, they capture the flavor of what I did hear.
And now you can hear it too. So get out your red and green lava lamp and jingle your bellbottoms to the groovy sounds of the 70s.
- Alan Moorehouse & The Sound Stage Brass – Festive Noel (02:13)
- Floral Pops 70 – Jingle Bells (02:53)
- The Osmonds – Pine Cones And Holly Berries (02:12)
- Waldo De Los Rios – O Tannenbaum (02:37)
- The Golddiggers – I Just Want You For Christmas (02:32)
- Martin Mull, With The Sondra Baskin Glee Club – Santafly (02:39)
- The Singers Unlimited – Caroling Caroling (01:14)
- The Music City Singers – Jingle Bell Rock (02:05)
- Mike Sammes Singers – Winter Wonderland (03:05)
- Alan Moorehouse & The Sound Stage Brass – The Feast Of Stephen (02:08)
- The London Sound 70 Orchestra and Chorus – Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (02:23)
- Anita Kerr Singers – The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle (02:25)
- The Soulful Strings – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (03:02)
- The Rhodes Kids – Santa Loves Rock ‘n Roll Music (02:48)
- Frank Pellico – God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (03:02)
- Homemade Theatre – CB Santa (02:19)
- Johnny Farnham – The Ringing Reindeer (03:12)
- The Williams Brothers – The Holiday Season (02:20)
- Harry Simeone Chorale – A Holly Jolly Christmas (02:06)
- Bing Crosby – A Time To Be Jolly (02:05)
- The Salsoul Orchestra – Sleigh Ride (03:03)
- Living Strings & Living Voices – The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (03:28)
- Impressions – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (05:50)
- Raindolls – Disco Santa Claus (03:33)
- John Davidson – Winter Wonderland (02:14)
- John Denver & the Muppets – Twelve Days Of Christmas (04:22)
- Carpenters – Merry Christmas Darling (03:05)
- Mike Douglas – It’s O.K. To Be A Kid At Christmas (02:30)
- Donnie & Marie – Winter Wonderland (02:22)
- Julius Wechter – Partridge In A Pear Tree (02:45)
- Alan Moorehouse & The Sound Stage Brass – Joyful And Triumphant (02:24)
FaLaLaLaLa Jingle Bellbottoms – Christmas in the 70s by Falalalala on Mixcloud
Thank you King! What a great playlist. As a kid growing up in the 60’s and 70’s I can relate to all this music. You have some great finds that I have not seen. Once again thank you for everything you do for us Christmas music collectors and enthusiasts!
Thanks, Greg. I like to share…
Love this playlist, thanks King! I’ll listen to this a few more times over the Holidays. Thanks again for putting this together.
this is just pure awesomeness. Love it. I lost my copy of Alan Moorhouse, nice to hear those horns again!
yo love it…Is this available as download….Id love to add these gems to my mix…still loving the golddiggers I got from you years ago
cheers Jc
Sorry, Joseph. Strictly streaming through Mixcloud.
Groovy!
This is fantastic. Love it!
Just stumbled onto this – but have loved the blog for many years! I agree 100% about ’70’s Christmases – they were the coolest, and the tunes were amazing!
Pretty much exactly what Ron said. The not being able to download is a bit of a sad face, but if this comes off at all as a complaint on my part ‘ll chip in the money for a plane flight to come groin punch me. Thanks so much for taking the time to upload all of these, just fantastic.
You ARE indeed, the King! This is brilliant. I love it! Thanks so much.
Just amazing. By chance is it available to download anywhere?
Unfortunately, no. But I’ve had a number of requests and am considering it.
Yes. Please make downloadable!