Customer Reviews

Goin Home for Christmas

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I originally bought this on vinyl, but after selling that copy (at a price), I had to wait many years before the album was finally released on CD. As it was always among my favorite Christmas albums, I was very pleased to buy it again. This time, it comes with a bonus track - a 1986 recording of White Christmas.

Originally released in 1982 with ten tracks, the album contains a re-recording of If we make it through December. Merle never intended this to be a Christmas song, but it clearly has a Christmas theme so it inevitable became identified as a Christmas song. It's certainly among the best country Christmas songs ever written. Fellow country singer Alan Jackson and jazz singer Holly Cole are among the notable artists to have covered the song, Alan's version being a faithful cover while Holly's is an interesting re-interpretation.

Elsewhere, the album as originally released contained just three familiar standards, these being Santa Claus is coming to town, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and Blue Christmas, although the tune of a fourth (O little town of Bethlehem) is used as the backing track for a spoken narrative, Grandma's homemade Christmas card. Apart from that track and If we make it through December, Merle wrote the title track and three other songs (Santa Claus and popcorn, Daddy won't be home again for Christmas, Bobby wants a puppy dog for Christmas) and they are all brilliant. However, it's worth remembering that Christmas isn't usually the best time to introduce a puppy dog into a family. Much as I love Merle's song and understand why Bobby wants a puppy dog, I really think it would have been better to buy that puppy at a different time of year. The closing track on the original album is Lonely night, which Merle didn't write but which I don't remember hearing elsewhere. It is also a great song, though not quite up to the best of Merle's own songs.

This is a superb traditional country Christmas album that might just appeal to some people who wouldn't normally like traditional country, but such people would be wise to listen to samples first. Meanwhile, traditional country music fans should have this high on their list of Christmas albums to buy, if they haven't already got it.

An outstanding holiday album, with Merle crooning over a tasteful bed of strings'n'pedal steel; he was admirably suited to the cornball spirit of the holidays, and really put his heart into each of these tracks... Most of the songs are Haggard originals, ranging from tearjerkers like "Grandma's Homemade Christmas Card" and "Daddy Won't Be Home Again For Christmas" (he's in prison...) to a sleighbell-bedecked remake of "If We Can Make It Through December" and the cheery "Santa Claus And Popcorn." Plus, his spins at older tunes like "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" and "Blue Christmas" are pretty rich and resonant -- Merle's version of "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a welcome addition to the hillbilly holiday repertoire.  (The CD reissue also includes a bonus track from 1986, a jazzy acoustic version of "White Christmas..." It doesn't match the tone of the other tracks, but it's also kinda cool.) This is a really nice album.

This was our first Christmas LP and we bought it 27 years ago. It is The family favorite. Some of the songs may be a little different but I think you will like it. The song "If We Make It Through December" became our theme song. This is the first time I have found it in a cd so I bought it.