I love the holidays. I tend to be foolishly sentimental about twinkly lights and special ornaments and bayberry scented candles. Each year I can hardly wait to pull out my collection of Christmas and holiday music, music that captures the mood of snow days, early sunsets, candlelight and winter naps.  Most of the Windham Hill winter solstice and Christmas albums are in my collection. Nothing quite captures the peace of a silent, snowy landscape or the glow of a Christmas mantle in a darkened room like the meditative sounds of these albums. I collected a new one each year for a while until sadly the label closed down a few years back. The first one that I bought was Winter Solstice III, and it’s been my soundtrack for decorating cookies and trimming trees for many years.  Here’s The Christmas Song from that album:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOwTPRPwtoE