I still remember the time my dad took me to K-Mart in Milton, Florida. The holiday season of 1985 was just beginning, and the store was filled with the typical festive K-Mart decorations and the sound of Christmas music. As we walked through the aisles, I spotted a record with Elvis Presley on the cover. He told me he didn't really like Elvis, but a couple of my cousins were part of an old gospel group that Elvis loved, and he became good friends with them. Despite his reservations, he bought the record for me. I honestly knew nothing other than the names of the songs, but I loved the color and picture of Elvis on the cover.
When we got home, I eagerly put the record on my old hand-me-down Emerson Disco 80 record player. As the first notes of "Blue Christmas" filled the room, I was instantly captivated by Elvis's voice. It was soulful and full of emotion, something I hadn't expected. I listened to the entire album, which included classics like "White Christmas," "Here Comes Santa Claus," and "Silent Night." Each song transported me to a different world, filled with holiday cheer and nostalgia.
Elvis's Christmas Album, released in 1957, was a mix of secular and gospel songs. It featured six popular Christmas songs, two traditional carols, and four gospel tracks. The album was a hit, spending four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and becoming the best-selling Christmas album of all time in the United States. Elvis's rendition of "Blue Christmas" became a holiday classic, capturing the bittersweet feeling of spending Christmas without a loved one. Though Elvis only recorded a handful of holiday songs, they have been re-released and repackaged in many different ways over the years. My album was one of the various re-releases.
That record became a cherished part of my holiday tradition. Every year around the holidays, and once in a while throughout the year, I would play it just because. It reminded me of that special day at K-Mart and the joy of discovering a new/old favorite artist. Even though my dad didn't like Elvis, he gave me a gift that brought me so much happiness. It's a memory I'll always treasure.
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