Christmas in Europe

As aspect of Christmas that has interested me since I was a child is how the holiday is celebrated throughout the world.  I remember learning about Christmas in other countries in church as a youngster, and it seems that we even covered this in public school, which would, sadly, never be allowed now.  What was Santa Claus called in other lands?  How and when did he arrive?  Reminiscing as I write, this is one of the earliest Christmas memories I have.

My interest in Christmas traditions around the world has not waned.  I have a few books that compile stories from many cultures and traditions, such as "Christmas Stories From Many Lands".

Used record stores and the other Christmas Music sharity sites have provided a bounty of recordings highlighting the musical celebrations from other countries.  Christmas in France, Germany, Sweden, England, Poland, and many others have graced the blogs of the sharity community.

So, I was very pleased to find the record I am sharing today, "Christmas in Europe".  This is an excellent collection of Christmas songs from across Europe.  Spain, France, Italy, Denmark, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and England are all represented in this 17 song album.  The music is terrific, and the album back cover gives us a snippet of the Christmas traditions from each country.  For me, it hearkens back to my childhood, learning about the traditions of Christmas around the world.

There is more noise on these rips than I would have liked, but it's the best I could do without losing too much of the range.  Even with a bit of noise, this is still a very enjoyable record.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

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