Since I got my turntable a couple of years ago, one of my new favorite Christmas traditions is playing Christmas vinyl. It’s one of the few things that can immediately connect me back to those childhood days on Fox Meadows Road in Memphis where Christmas music came to life by laying the needle down on the record groove.

My collection is a mix of old and new. I mean that I have the new remastered records that come in a variety of colors and patterns and the old records with the dusty jackets that basically only come in black, like the original Ford Model T cars.

I do think that music is one of the most powerful memory triggers there is. I can hear a random song at any point in my day and immediately remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard it. When I put on an old Christmas record, I can just about see the old den in my mind with the record player in the corner behind one of the La-z-boys we had back then.

I still have my immense collection of Christmas CDs and I will occasionally play a Classic Christmas station on Pandora, but best way to tangibly relive old memories is through vinyl, especially when it’s the old standards like Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby or Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra.

I hope you have traditions that will both reach out to the next generations and tie you back to your history all while reminding you of how blessed you are.