Despite the fact that it occurs every year, I am always flabbergasted when Christmas products hit shelves as soon as the Halloween candy has left them. However, in this spirit of planning in advance, I am laying out my Chanukah playlist. Chanukah starts earlier this year, December 12 to be specific, so I have about a month to get Maia excited for the “festival of lights” and some of the tunes that go with it. Since we celebrate the traditions of both December holidays in my house, we try to select songs that match this festive, but not particularly religious, spirit. While it is fairly obvious the quantity of tunes will never measure up to those of Christmas, there are a few kid-friendly jewels to keep the flame burning.

As a quick editorial note (and I realized this is actually a hotly debated topic), I have chosen to go with the “Chanukah” spelling.

Mama Doni – Chanukah Fever (13 Macca-Beats For The Whole Family!): Set to be released November 24, I had a chance to preview this comical take on the holiday from Mama Doni, aka Doni Zasloff Thomas. Filled with Jewish humor and a novelty-spin on the holiday, Mama Doni takes a multi-genre approach with her music, covering hip-hop, swing, dance, Latin-pop and even the self-described “Jewgrass” genre. Titles sure to get the kids singing, and giggling, include “The Funky Gold Menorah,” “La Vida Dreidel,” and “I Say Chanukah (You Say Hanukah!).” Sure, this CD is “shticky,” but Doni seems to embrace this point and run with it. Unlike some of the Chanukah titles, this one is “kid-safe” from start to finish. Doni is currently touring JCCs around the East Coast to promote “Chanukah Fever.”

She’s got the fever for the flavor of fried potatoes

Indie pop that will melt your gelt

LeeVees – Hanukkah Rocks: Released several years back, this project is a collaboration between Adam Gardner of Guster and Dave Schneider of hockey-loving band the Zambonis. Like many Chanukah music projects, the LeeVees were inspired by the lack of original holiday tunes. While some of the indie-pop style songs may not be kid- apropo (not so ready to play Maia a song called “Goyim Friends”), there are some true gems on this. “Latke Clan” should be the true token Chanukah radio song, wiping Adam Sandler’s tired tune away, with its Beach Boys-inspired melodies and witty lyrics. The fist-pumping “Gelt Melts” is a punk-rock ode to the chocolate money ever-present at this holiday. The indie pop tune “Applesauce vs. Sour Cream” brings up the classic debate about the best topping for your potato pancake. There is even a slow-groove song mourning the healthy makeover of Jewish noodle pudding dish “Kugel.” The CD is especially notable for its production, with Peter Katis (Interpol, The National) behind the decks.

Erran Baron Cohen – Songs in the Key of Hanukkah:  Another album inspired by lack of quality musical product for this Jewish holiday, this album takes a less humorous approach. Erran Baron Cohen, brother of actor Sacha Baron Cohen (“Borat”), is already an accomplished musician, scoring soundtracks for his brother’s projects and releasing albums under his ZOHAR band. “Songs In The Key Of Hanukkah” combines multiple genres, including klezmer, reggae, electronica, and hip hop, as well songs in English, Hebrew and Ladino. For this album, I cherry-picked out a few of my favorites that were more kid-friendly and more tradition-based vs. religion-based. Cohen completely reworks classic songs “Hanukkah oh Hanukkah” and “Dreidel” to re-inspired klezmer/hip-hop mash-ups that take the songs seriously. “Spin It Up” has a reggae feel, and despite minimal lyrics, seems to be a celebration of dreidel time.

Chanukah gets mashed up

Danny Adlerman, Kevin Kammeraad, and Yosi - “…and a Happy New Year”: A superstar team of well-known kids’ recording artists have gathered to create a holiday album that fit several faiths. The collaborative “…and a Happy New Year” is a mix of original tunes, and remakes of classics. Chanukah-specific tunes include the Danny Adlerman-fronted remake of novelty tune “I’m Spending Hanukkah in Santa Monica,” a song Maia instantly got a kick out of even if she didn’t understand the context. Adlerman also fronts “Tikkun Olam,” a song about “repairing the world” during the holiday season. “Yosi & the Superdads” do a unique (and much-needed) bluesy rock rework of “I Have A Little Dreidel.” There is even a future Chanukah kindie classic from Yosi, “She Just Doesn’t Get It,” a modern day tale about a “baby sister” who can’t quite figure out the holiday. This collaboration is another stellar effort from a team of musicians that know their demographic.

Kindie crew covers all the bases

Barenaked Ladies – Barenaked for Hanukkah E.P.: This three song E.P is actually pulled from their Barenaked for the Holidays album. Always willing to dabble in family music, the ‘Ladies serve up the classic “Oh Hanukkah” with a klezmer twist, a fireplace-ready version of “Hanukkah Blessings” and their version of that famous Dreidel song.

Have any Chanukah songs you like? Send your recommendations along in the comments!

Halloween is my holiday. As a horror movie junkie and a lover of all things creepy, crawly and spooky, I absolutely delight in a day of the year where everyone of all ages accepts a little macabre into their manor.  Sure, it has to be down-aged for the little ones, but as soon as the decorations appear in stores, I am ready to celebrate.

G-Rated Boos from Schnitzer

As my blog clearly demonstrates, I also enjoy celebrating quality and entertaining music with my daughter. So when All Hallows Eve comes around, it is an essential to find songs that match the season. As Maia is only three, I have to be somewhat selective in fright-themed tunes, but with wonderful sites like  Zooglobble.com, Kidsmusic.about.com, gooney bird kids, and Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child to guide me, we can get quite the playlist going. Here are a few songs to add to your mix this season.

Kindie Blood Curdles

“Howling at the Moon” by The Hipwaders -  This California kindie trio offers a fun werewolf tale that will inspire some backseat howling.

“Boo, Cackle, Trick or Treat” by Sue Schnitzer - A fun folk ditty from Sue’s full album of Halloween songs for kids.

“The Day After Halloween” by The Sippy Cups – We fell in love with this song last year, as well as its accompanying video. Another kindie superstar band, the song comes from their EP One Day Soon.

“The Edison Museum” by They Might Be Giants – This song is on their No! album. A spooky ditty  about a haunted mansion, this track will be creeping the kiddies out all year.

Give them something good to eat

“A Monster Goes Rrraargh!” by ScribbleMonster & His Pals – This hard rocker from Chicago-area kindie quintet ScribbleMonster will have the little ones practicing their best monster growls well past the season of scares.

“Moogie Monster Man” by Kevin Kammeraad and Friends – Off Kevin’s 50+ track collection The Tomato Collection: The Big Album, this is less a Halloween song and more a celebration of make-pretend monsters.

“Monster Face” by Roger Day- Doing his best Pee-Wee Herman voice, Day demands all the kids make their best monster face and then dance, dance, freeze.

“Skeleton Song” by Mary Kaye – Maine-based Mary Kaye has created a delightfully quirky Halloween song with some fun xylophone instrumentation and mouth sound effects.

“Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet” by Monty Harper – Oklahoma-based children’s performer Harper tells a (kid-safe) creepy tale of a troll who exacts revenge on a house with no candy left.

Assorted Halloween Songs from Yo Gabba Gabba – In case you missed the  Halloween-themed episode, it features some great music, both from the regular cast of characters, as well as musical guests Shiny Toy Guns and I Monster. We love these songs so much, we had to find a way to extract and save the songs from the episode after we purchased it on iTunes.

Adult Supervision Recommended

Zacherley cooks up Halloween fun in the lab

“Ghoul Bash” by Eban Schletter featuring Dave Gruber Allen – This composer/songwriter has brought a team of talent on board for his more adult-skewing album Witching Hour. Jill Sobule, Dave Foley, Paul F. Tompkins, Grant Lee Phillips and Tom Kenny (aka Spongebob Squarepants) all show up on various Halloween-themed tracks.

“Halloween Dance” by Reverend Horton Heat , “No Costume, No Candy” by The Swingin’ Neckbreakers – Both of these songs are from the Rob Zombie-produced compilation Halloween Hootenanny. While his adult efforts (both film and music) aren’t exactly family fare, these hard rocking songs are safe for your Halloween shuffle mix.

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson – ‘Tis the season to appreciate all things MJ.  Like most people in my age bracket, I was a bit traumatized by this video as a kid. Regardless, the song is relatively harmless, as long as the Vincent Price voice-over doesn’t unnerve any young ears.

Classic Cuts

“Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and “The Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley - As a kid, these songs drove me crazy. Now, it is with tongue in cheek that I share them with my daughter..

“Which Witch is Which” from Walt Disney Record’s Halloween Songs & Sounds - Pulled f

Disney scares

rom a Disney novelty record, this track will entertain the Mickey lovers in the minivan.

“This is Halloween” by Danny Elfman (Nightmare Before Christmas OST) – While the accompanying images from the film may be a bit too intense for younger kids, the song itself has become a seasonal classic.

“Zombie Jamboree (Back To Back)” by Harry Belafonte – The “King of Calypso” sings about the undead in one of my favorite songs from these picks.  While you are at it, pick up the whole Belafonte collection for the rest of the year.

Halloween Detox (Or,  how to “unspook” your child through the power of music)

“Under My Bed” by Recess Monkey – Seattle kindie band (and teachers by day) turn the monster-under-bed story on its side with this not-so-scary story song.

“Soaper the Scaredy-Bot” by The Jimmies – Let Ashley Albert and co. remind your little ones not to be afraid of silly things with this irresistible kids’ tune that will distract them from that evil ghoul in the closet.

“Maybe the Monster” by Justin Roberts – This song, from the popular Chicago children’s singer-songwriter, is just one of the many songs out there to help kids remember that monsters are “make pretend.”

Happy Halloween!