Merle Haggard - Merle Haggard's Christmas Present (LP)

Limited vinyl LP reissue of this 1973 holiday album from the late country music great. While Merle keeps the mood light with selections such as "Santa Claus and Popcorn" and more traditional fare, he also has some bite with the high and lonesome "Daddy Won't Be Home for Christmas." His matter-of-fact tale about layoffs at the factory, "If We Make It Through December," has become timeless in tough times. When it was originally released, it was the #2 song of the year on Billboard's Hot Country Singles 1974 year-end chart. Merle Haggard's Christmas Present was the 18th studio album by Haggard. The original LP release of the album carried the subtitle Something Old, Something New. First released in 1973, this C&W holiday evergreen has not only held up well but also gained stature with time. The Hag's aching, mellifluous baritone is in as fine a form as it was at any point in his long, prolific career, and his grumpy, blue-collar heart betrays the soft and sentimental core he's battled