In a recent post, I explained that I wanted to share with you all of the wonderful cultural treasures that make my Christmas special each year. Of course, music is major part of celebrating Christmas here at bradenbell.com and there are so many wonderful choices. For me, this song, by this group is possibly the most essential, fundamental song of the whole season. The richness and warmth of the sound, the balance of the vocal lines and the full, round tones are aural comfort food, the musical equivalent of pumpkin pie for me.  One note: it was written, of course, by Irving Berlin. Berlin's family survived a pogrom in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. They lived in a crowded tenement on the Lower East Side, as did so many of the newly immigrated Jews from Russia and Eastern Europe. Young Irving began work as a singing waiter, worked up to song plugger and then, finally, achieved stellar success as a composer. Only in America could one of our most iconic Christmas songs have been written by a Jewish immigrant from Russia!