A Near Thing -24

Time travel time! Let’s listen to old times stuff about being close to the day of Christmas.

Reeking of ’60s TV specials, Larry Nestor’s “Christmas Day” claims to be not so far away, but the retro best buy date here was somewhere in the ’90s. Room temp pop.

Old World is the same as old, right? So let’s bask in the sad Irish family chanty “Christmas is Just Around the Corner” jigged by Finbar & Maura Dennehy. God bless you and keep you far away.

While we’re on the international subject, a quieter strummer allows for a more intimate moment. So “Almost Christmas Time” by The Bluegrass Brethren scores higher on the novelty-o-meter here. Still cheesy though.

The Celtic quality of the kidsong “Almost Christmas” here by Elizabeth Hanney brings a haunted, understated happiness to the repetition of joyous well wishing. Simplify thy carols!