TOP TWELVE CHRISTMAS SONGS OF ALL TIME (TLR LIST)

by Don Rose

In honor of the 12 days of Christmas (and of course the 12 disciples, and the fact that 12 is the last innocent year before the teen years kick in and many kids stop believing in, well, the power of believing), and in honor of the 12 hours after 12 noon that make up Christmas Eve on December 24 (12 + 12)), we humbly present the 12 songs that The LA Report considers the greatest Christmas tunes of all time (where "all time" means since the modern musical era began with Handy's "Memphis Blues" in 1912, which happens to be 12x8 years ago).

Now before you write in complaining or contributing (both of which we encourage): sure, there are hundreds of other Xmas ditties out there, and dozens of other great classic songs we could have chosen, but we at The LA Report feel the delightful dozen below stood out most. When we say "greatest" we mean that hard-to-define blend of concepts that mixes "most memorable", "most recorded/covered", "most played on radio", "most popular with a crowd of diverse people", and "most likely to be part of a desert-island dozen" if one had to pick only 12 tunes to live with on Gilligan's Island (once the Professor fashioned an iPod out of coconuts, of course).

Next to each of the twelve tunes below is the person who did the version we like best. Here goes:

WHITE CHRISTMAS (Bing Crosby)
BLUE CHRISTMAS (Elvis Presley)
ROCKIN AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE (Brenda Lee)
JINGLE BELL ROCK (Bobby Helms)
IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR (Andy Williams)
THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Nat King Cole)
THE CHIPMUNK SONG (Christmas Don't Be Late) (The Chipmunks & David Seville)
CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (The Carpenters)
JINGLE BELLS (Frank Sinatra)
SLEIGH RIDE (Ventures)
HAPPY XMAS (War is Over) (John Lennon and Yoko Ono)

Any alternate/dissenting opinions out there? Write in and let us know: info@thelareport.com.

DEC 21: FREE MINI-BURGERS AT ALL MORTON'S RESTAURANTS IN LA, 5-6PM

Like burgers? Like smaller, bite-sized food items? Like free stuff?

Then today is your lucky day. All MORTON'S locations in Los Angeles are offering free mini-burgers, between 5pm and 6pm today, Sunday, December 21, 2008. The event is not only meant to show off their mini-meal deals, but also new drinks on the menu, according to the friendly woman I talked to at the Morton's in Beverly Hills. She said the promotion takes place in their Bar area. Advice: go early, since this freebie deal is only for one hour.

There are three LA-area locations: Downtown, Burbank, and Beverly Hills.

Here is some info for Beverly Hills, from the Morton's website: "Morton's The Steakhouse in Beverly Hills is now open and serving dinner 7 nights a week. Our new renovations include Morton's widely popular Bar 12-21 concept with its special Bar Bites menu and a new temperature controlled wine room, along with a significant renovation of our main dining room. Address: 435 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. Phone: 310-246-1501."

DEC 20-21: WEST LA MUSIC OFFERS GREAT DEALS ON GEAR

In particular, look at the FENDER ACOUSTIC GUITAR PACK. Great price!
Two nice freebies listed in the ad as well. Check it out below. (Posted by: Don Rose)

DEC 12-14: ECO GIFT FESTIVAL RETURNS TO SANTA MONICA CIVIC AUDITORIUM (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, BEST BET)

Featured Event Listing - Posted by Don Rose

It's Holiday Shopping For The Soul! A one-stop shopping experience, the Eco Gift Festival presented by Tommy Rosen and the LA Times is the largest green holiday shopping event in the world, taking place December 12-14 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Eco Gift showcases 150+ vendors with earth-friendly gifts, 15 live eclectic musical performances, the Visionary Speaker Series including Arianna Huffington (Founder - Huffington Post), Michael Brune (Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network), Shallom Berkman (Founder - Urth Caffe), Josh Tickell (award-winning filmmaker, "Fuel"), Millika Chopra, Eco Designer Linda Loudermilk, Susan Olsen (aka Cindy Brady-"Brady Bunch") at the Children's Stage, delicious food from top organic chefs and much more.

Shop It! Wrap It! Ship It! All on site for your convenience.

The LA Report attended this expo last year, and the vibe is simply amazing. Just being in their expo space makes you feel calm, and you will not only pick up great deals on wonderful gifts, but also learn important new ideas as well. The people attending are another reason to go -- you will meet smart, eco-conscious folks in an inspiring, inviting setting.

December 12-14, 2008. The annual Eco Gift Festival, featuring exhibits of products from 150+ environmentally oriented companies, music, speakers and organic foods. Tickets start at $10 daily, children under 12 & seniors are free. Location: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, at Pico and Main in Santa Monica. Visit www.ecogift.com for more info, or call (310) 399-3097, or see details below. TLR BEST BET

Ticket Info

Tickets are $10 per day and $20 for a weekend pass.
Children under 12 and Seniors over 65 get in for free.

Location

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
1855 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Dates and Show Hours

Friday, December 12th 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, December 13th 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday, December 14th 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Parking

Parking is $8.00 at the venue lot.
Overflow parking available at the corner of Colorado and Main.

Public Transit

There are many ways to get to Santa Monica Civic Center without driving. Eco Gift Expo encourages you to explore the public transit options.

Directions to Santa Monica Civic Center

The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium is located just south of downtown Santa Monica at 1855 Main Street, on the corner of Pico Blvd. and Main Street, in Santa Monica California 90401. Parking at the Civic is $8.00 per car. From the Westbound 10 "Santa Monica" Freeway: take the 4th Street exit. Turn left (south) on 4th Street to Pico Blvd. Turn right (west) on Pico Blvd. to Main Street. Parking is off Main Street. From the Southbound Pacific Coast Highway/ Eastbound 10 "Santa Monica" Freeway: take the Ocean Avenue exit just before the transition to the Eastbound 10 "Santa Monica" Freeway. Turn right (south) on Ocean Avenue to Pico Blvd. Turn left (east) on Pico Blvd. to Main Street. Parking is off Main Street.

Musicians

(see Eco Gift Musicians page)

Speakers

FRIDAY, DEC 12
12:00 pm Felicia Tomasko
1:00 pm Seane Corn
2:00 pm Robyn Griggs-Lawrence
3:00 pm Dr. Andrew Dattila
4:00 pm Compton Rom
5:00 pm Michael and Bianca Alexander
6:00 pm Rob Kramer
SATURDAY, DEC 13
12:00 pm David Crow
1:00 pm Josh Tickell
2:00 pm Arianna Huffington
3:00 pm Blake Mycoskie
4:00 pm Shallom Berkman
5:00 pm Scott Badenoch
6:00 pm Waylon Lewis
SUNDAY, DEC 14
11:00 am Tom Szaky
12:00 pm Dr. Edison De Mello
1:00 pm Linda Loudermilk
2:00 pm Sherry Beall
3:00 pm Michael Brune
4:00 pm John Marshall Roberts
5:00 pm Mallika Chopra

DEC 4: THREAD SHOW RETURNS TO LA AT PETERSEN MUSEUM

Featured Event of the Day - Posted by Don Rose

We at The LA Report have heard great things about Thread. December 4th their fun fashion event returns to Los Angeles at the excellent Petersen Auto Museum (catch all the cool cars while you're there), then Thread heads to San Diego on December 14.

Shop 100 emerging fashion designers at discount prices - a nice thing in a tough economy! Plus, it's much more fun that shopping at some boring store.

Click the invite below for more details and ticket info (five bucks off online, or $15 at the door), or go to http://www.threadshow.com/.