Episode 13: The Sound of Mid-Century Christmas - Ray Conniff’s Holiday Legacy

Ray Conniff’s Christmas albums are everywhere once you start listening for them. Living rooms, department stores, car radios, and childhood memories you did not realize were soundtracked until much later.

In this episode of Who Ordered the Pie?, Christopher revisits the warm, brassy, harmony-heavy world of Ray Conniff’s holiday records. The ones that sat somewhere between background music and full-on seasonal event. We talk about why these albums felt so different, how Conniff’s arranging style brought Broadway energy into the home, and why songs like Ring Christmas Bells could feel dramatic, fast, and almost theatrical compared to the softer crooner classics of the era.

These records may be a little old-fashioned and a little corny, but they are also deeply woven into family traditions, late nights, and the feeling that Christmas had officially arrived.

This week’s cocktail is designed to match that mid-century holiday mood. Clean, classic, and just clever enough to feel special.

The Peartridge Martini

Ingredients

•  2 oz vodka
•  1/2 oz dry vermouth
•  1/2 oz cranberry juice
•  1/2 oz St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur

How to make it

1.  Add all ingredients into a shaker and shake well.
2.  Strain into a chilled coupe or martini glass.
3.  Garnish by expressing a lemon peel, then add a single cranberry

Crisp up front, with pear and gentle spice underneath. Exactly the kind of drink you would expect next to a turntable and a stack of Ray Conniff records.

Merry Christmas!