Christmas With The Rat Pack

Admittedly, this is a bit late, seeing as how it would've been Frank Sinatra's 96th birthday earlier this week- and you should read this rather lovely piece about Sinatra by JM DeMatteis - but, every year, it seems like a bit of a struggle to get into the Christmas spirit, but every year, I manage to do it with the help of one album: Christmas With The Rat Pack.

I make no bones about the fact that I love The Rat Pack. To me, they just encapsulate the gloss and glamour of the period; they are - or were - the coolest cats on the block, with a catalogue of songs that they simply own (I mean, really, is there anyone who can top Sinatra doing Fly Me To The Moon?). For me, Christmas With The Rat Pack is the quintessential Christmas album, the one record that, once it's on, will not come off until it's time to switch on the TV and veg out in front of it. Every single track on it just screams Christmas to me, and every time it goes on, it feels like a bunch of old friends have turned up for a visit, and I never want them to leave.

Without a doubt, my favourite track is Dean Martin's version of Let It Snow:

But, I really defy anyone not to listen to Sinatra doing Hark The Herald Angels and not feel ridiculously Christmassy:

And if that doesn't work, then how about Dean Martin doing Silent Night?

Forget your Michael Buble Christmas album or the latest re-release of Now Christmas, and go and buy this album. And then thank me later.