The Holiday Music Fest

Until recently, this was a fairly little-known song, though it's started to get a little bit of attention the past five years or so.  However, I think it still qualifies as "lesser known."  And since tonight is the first night of Hanukkah, I thought it was proper to post it today.  It's Tom Lehrer's wonderful, "Hanukkah in Santa Monica."

Even if you've heard the song, though, you might not be aware of it's background.  Well, in fact, Tom Lehrer -- who had largely been in retirement from performing for many years, and sticking with being a mathematics professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, was invited to make an an appearance in 1990 on Garrison Keillor’s show, American Radio Company, (which was basically what Keillor renamed A Prairie Home Companion after he stopped and before he brought it back).  And for the occasion, he wrote "Hanukkah in Santa Monica."

As a bonus, here's the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles with their lively version.  The fun is their goofy hand choreography, for which not all members are equally adept, but they throw themselves into with the full abandon of the season.