Since I first heard this record, I assumed it was an effort to cash-in of the then-exceedingly-popular Mexican Brass fad of the mid-60’s ushered in by Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass.

And why shouldn’t it? Herb Albert’s Christmas Album was one of the best selling Christmas albums for several years following it’s release in late 1968.

But when I was looking up this album so I could pop a year next to the title, I discovered Tijuana Christmas by The Border Brass was released in 1967! Turns out this seemingly wasn’t an attempt to cash-in on the Mexicali-Christmas trend but may have been the trendsetter itself!

Either way, I think this album absolutely buries the more popular effort from Herb Albert for sheer volume of holiday cheer and enjoyment. While those things are totally subjective, we think if you listen to both of these albums back to back, you’ll agree that Tijuana Christmas is the one you’ll choose to give a yearly festive spin.

And to help you do that, we’ve added it to the Christmas Mini-Playlists here on Halloween Shindig. We know you can listen to this on YouTube, but that’s kind of annoying. Similarly, the only copy on Spotify is the alternate version with vocals, and that version is whack.

So, here it is, for your holiday enjoyment, is the one in only Tijuana Christmas from Bugs Bower and The Border Brass! Get your harpsichord on!