Album Notes

Fourteen months ago, I started this trek to record a Christmas album. I did so because of my lifelong love of the Christmas holidays. They bring so many memories, so many joys and hopes that I wanted to capture those emotions firsthand in the traditional, classic Christmas carols we sang as children. Even now, those songs easily take me back to simpler times that held so much meaning for me.

In this yearlong project, I began with a list of the most memorable songs and to my surprise, into my head popped some of the old Polish Christmas carols we sang in 1st and 2nd grade. I had not remembered those songs for over 40 years! As kids growing up, we did not know what the Polish carols meant, but they were pretty melodies that when heard by our parents and grandparents, made them smile and shed many tears of joy and remembering. They were a joy to arrange and record.

This was a labor of love. It was ironic arranging and recording Christmas tracks during summer weekends and throughout the entire year's seasons-challenging too, but much fun and a feeling of accomplishment. With this album, I truly captured the emotions I wanted to convey. I invite you to enjoy "Joy to the World" as much as I have enjoyed doing it. Merry Christmas to all!

Mike Boelter