Christmas Posts

Emily Haavik – “All is Bright”

Duluth native Emily Haavik released an original holiday song and music video today. A group of her friends recorded segments to help put the video together. Haavik performs the song with Phil Miller on cello and Dave Mehling on bass and guitar. The mix is by Mehling and the mastering by Eric Martin. Proceeds from downloads go to help Haavik’s friend Sonya Goins fight breast cancer.

Bentleyville 2021 Aerial Video

Videographer Adam Jagunich flies his Yuneec Typhoon H Plus hexacopter over Bayfront Park in Duluth during the Bentleyville Christmas light display while the bulk carrier Drawsko sails under the Aerial Lift Bridge and into the Duluth Harbor.

For ghosts of Christmas’ past, check out “A Perfect Duluth Christmas: PDD’s Holiday Video Showcase.”

PDD Bandcamp Playlist: A Holiday Sampler

Assembled here for your holiday listening pleasure, a sampling of Christmas or “Christmasish” tunes by artists in the Duluth music scene. It’s not even close to a comprehensive collection of local holiday music, just a sampling of a few tunes available on Bandcamp.

PDD Quiz: Christmas 1921

This edition of Perfect Duluth Day’s quiz looks back at holiday headlines from 1921. All articles were published in the Duluth News Tribune (images – -which may or may not be helpful with guessing — appeared in the paper between 1885 and 1922).

The next PDD quiz will look back at local newsworthy events from 2021; it will be published on Dec. 26. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Dec. 22.

When Wausau was the Christmas City of the North

This 70-year-old article from the Wausau Daily Herald, published Nov. 17, 1951, serves as a reminder that before Duluth had its parade and “Christmas City” song, a Wisconsin city more than 200 miles to the southeast had already branded itself the “Christmas City of the North.”

New Ingeborg von Agassiz album features ‘dark holiday music’

Duluth-based electro-folk artist Ingeborg von Agassiz is releasing an album of “dark holiday music” titled Coventry Carols. The album will be available digitally and on compact disc on Nov. 19. Discs can be ordered online at ingeborgvonagassiz.com/shoppe.

Selective Focus: A Very COVID Christmas

Select photos from Instagram of people from the Duluth area doing their best to keep spirits high and the COVID-19 infection rate low.

Merry Christmas from the archives …

On a cold Duluth evening back in 2013, a small crew gathered for a video shoot. Mark Lindquist wanted to give his children a Christmas video. Time got away. The footage wasn’t awesome. I set it aside.

It’s always bugged me that I never made that video for Mark and his children. Last night, I went searching through virtual piles and piles of material until I found what I was looking for.

Denfeld Jazz Band – “Up on the Housetop”

This video of the Denfeld Jazz Band’s arrangement of “Up on the Housetop” was created for the televised version of the Christmas City of the North Virtual Parade.

Dance Attic “At Christmas Time” Special

Jimi and Suzi of the guitar/accordion duo Dance Attic partake in holiday hijinks with music from their 2020 Christmas song collection (featured in the PDD Gift Guide).

Video produced by Andrew Stern.

Tanner Zahn – “Little Things”

Hermantown native Tanner Zahn, now of the Los Angeles group FuturePop, has released this Christmas music video. Locals will remember him as Tanner Zahn Hagen, performer in Duluth Playhouse productions and son of Jennifer Madill Hagen and Dusty Hagen, former owners of Madill Performing Arts Center in Duluth.

Video Archive: Gap ad with Low’s “Little Drummer Boy”

Few would expect Perfect Duluth Day to present a Gap television commercial as content, but it’s pretty Duluthy. Twenty years ago the global clothing and accessories retailer featured music by Duluth band Low in its holiday ad. The song appeared on Low’s Christmas EP, released a year prior.

Duluth East Choralaires – “Carol of the Bells”

Gaelynn Lea – “In the Bleak Midwinter”

Duluth’s Gaelynn Lea performs the Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” in this video shot live in her home. The song is on Gaelynn’s 2016 Christmas album Deepest Darkness Brightest Dawn, which features live-looped versions of traditional Christmas carols.

Santa Clutch is coming to town!

If the door drop is good enough for Amazon it’s good enough for Santa Clutch.

Uncle Clutch’s Video Horror Shop airs on Superior Community Television at 9 p.m. on Fridays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

The full Video Horror Show Christmas Special is now a part of “A Perfect Duluth Christmas: PDD’s Holiday Video Showcase.”