A visual and auditory celebration.

This one is for Phil Hartman. (I always knew you had an evil twin.)

Just the thing for a busy Saturday.

I have run across some interesting and unexpected Christmas duets. For example, Julie Garland and Mel Torme , Bing Crosby and David Bowie, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. The selection that I ultimately chose to complete Duet Week is Cyndi Lauper & Frank Sinatra. Enjoy!

Duet Week meets Throwback Thursday. In an earlier post I observed that a good singer can make all the difference with a song I’m not crazy about. Unfortunately the reverse is true as well. Even so, this selection is enjoyable in its own nostalgic yet cringe-worthy way.

Hanna and I were waiting in the car for Laura to finish up basketball practice one particularly frigid December night four years ago when I popped in an Awesome 80s Christmas CD (doubtless acquired during a post-holiday clearance sale the year before) to try to keep our minds off of our frozen toes. The CD contained the expected Wham!, Bangles, New Kids on the Block, Pat Benatar – plus this delightful version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” by Bob and Doug McKenzie.

Two highlights from this selection: the always hysterical Rick Moranis as Bob, and “tuque” – a particularly handy Scrabble word – used in context.

There is a whole album of posthumous Christmas duets with Elvis. It almost makes me want to open up Audacity and record my own, except that it would be cruel to subject you to that.

Instead of a song from the aforementioned album, today’s duet selection features Elvis and Susan Boyle. I have been touched by her story since I saw her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent.

It’s Duet Week at Sara Hartman Presents Fun with Christmas Carols!

That reminds me of Big Band Theory which makes me think of Barenaked Ladies, who did a duet of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen/We Three Kings” with Sarah McLachlan. I’m sure that Sheldon Cooper would be quick to point out that this is not technically a duet, but I’m invoking creative license to consider the band as a singular unit. (And yes I realize that is redundant. More creative license.)

BTW when I polled my family about holiday songs, the first one featured in this medley turned out to be my son’s favorite. God rest ye merry, Joseph.

Early in the month, Hanna suggested that I share this selection. It is a perfect follow-up to yesterday since (a) it is a different rendition of the same song and (b) Jim Nabors got his start on “The Andy Griffith Show.” Surprise, surprise, surprise . . . scatterbrain Gomer Pyle has a beautiful baritone singing voice.

Confession time: if I were to list Christmas carols from most to least favorite, “Go Tell it on the Mountain” would be in the bottom half, probably due to overexposure during my childhood. (We probably sang it at every girl scout outing and youth retreat that I attended.) But I must admit it makes all the difference hearing it sung really, really well.