Christopher J. Hoh: Christmas Divertimento | Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra | Jirí Petrdlík (Conductor)
- Wenceslaus Carol
- Gesu Bambino
- Shepherd's Echo
- Greensleeves Reverie
- Glad Day Melody
Sarah Wallin Huff: Cradle Song (Of Mary's Beloved) | The Crossing | Donald Nally (Conductor)
Gary Schocker: Twas in the Moon of Wintertime | Emily Mitchell (Harp)
Gary Schocker: We Three Kings | Emily Mitchell (Harp)
Gary Schocker: Carol of the Birds | Gary Schocker (Flute), Emily Mitchell (Harp)
Phillip Rhodes: The Shepherds & Epilogue | London Voices, Members of the London Symphony | Ben Parry (Conductor)
Michael Roush: The Flurries - Parts 1,2,3 | Brno Contemporary Orchestra | Pavel Snajdr (Conductor)
Josef Suk: Pohádka, Op. 16: II. Intermezzo. Hra na labute a pávy | Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra | Stanislav Vavrínek (Conductor)

When I reviewed Volume 1 of this series back in 2016, I opened the review with the following comment which I believe bears repeating: "I spent a good 30 years of my life working in music retail and every year we had to play Christmas music for at least six weeks leading up to the holidays. I worked in the store on average six days a week so you can imagine how repetitive and monotonous the music got to be. So one of my Christmas wishes was always hoping that some record label would release something new, something different, that I could throw into the mix to prevent losing my mind from listening to Bing Crosby, Pavarotti, and the King's College Choir over and over again. Were I still working the music retail floor this year, this new release from Navona Records would certainly have seen more than its fair share of turns in the CD player as this is definitely one of those different discs featuring holiday fare."

And by different I certainly don't mean something commercial or trivial like say Taylor Swift singing carols. Hell no. But traditional and familiar Christmas songs and pieces dressed up in unusual garb. Ear catching orchestral arrangements of familiar tunes as heard in the Christmas Divertimento, or single harp instrumentation of carols like We Three Kings. Also in the mix are contemporary works like the beautiful choral piece Cradle Song by Sarah Wallin Huff, and the captivating ballet story of a Snowflake within Michael Roush's The Flurries.

And despite all the tracks being different from each other and/or the fact that some of them were recorded during the spring and summer months as well, there's a Christmas spirit shared by all the performers, running through it all that makes for a warm touch of the holidays from start to finish, which makes for a pleasant and cozy Christmas Day musical backdrop.