Merry Christmas 2025, babies! Here's hopin' you enjoy these virtual stocking-stuffers...
- Letters To You
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
December 25, 2025
It's Christmas morning here on the East Coast of the U.S., which is probably the most appropriate time for us to wish all of our readers celebrating around the globe a Merry Christmas, Happy Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël, etc. Season's Greetings from the Letters To You home-office, located just a snowball's throw away from the town where the special Nugs/Live Archives series Christmastime 2025 50th-anniversary remaster/re-release of Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 was recorded five decades ago this month, on The Born to Run Tour's New Year's Eve 1975 show. That town, however, isn't officially Philadelphia, PA but Upper Darby, PA, a smaller suburban town located just outside the city. So let's start our dive into our virtual Christmas stocking with these two photos taken early last night outside and around the currently shuttered Tower Theater, on the same Christmas Eve that brought us the new Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 50th-anniversary remaster/re-release.
The new remaster/re-release sounds great, of course. Below you can listen to one major highlight of this legendary show, the one-off arrangement of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out:"
And you can click here for more info on the new Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975Â 50th-anniversary remaster/re-release, including Columbia/Nugs archivist Erik Flannigan's essay on this recording - finally embedded right on the page without having to click anything else to access it - along with all necessary links for ordering/streaming.
Speaking of the fiftieth anniversary of all things Born to Run this year, here's a fun Yuletide take on the album's iconic cover, featuring the return of our old pal "Boss-ty The Snowman," accompanied this time around by his plushy, sax-playing pal Rudy:
Letters To You editor/publisher Shawn Poole first reported on and produced a video featuring "Boss-ty" for Backstreets.com back in December 2016. Check out the archived video below:
In addition to Born to Run, another one of Springsteen's greatest classic albums - Nebraska - also got more than a bit of extra attention this year. Nebraska fans, check out the images of this rare document that we recently stumbled across during our visit to The Kris Kringle Archives and Center for Christmas Music at North Pole University:
And speakin' of ol' Mr. Kringle, it's the perfect time of year to click here and re-read our contributor Greg Drew's fun, moving, and excellent archived essay "The EXPANDED Adventures of 'Santa Dave' and His 'Head Elf' (featuring 'that nice boy' from NJ.)" Since we first published it in 2023 and then expanded upon it last year, Greg's essay has become a bit of a holiday tradition in certain circles. We hope to continue and extend that growing tradition this year, and in the years to come. Please also click here to donate whatever you can to The Kristen Ann Carr Fund.
Another annual holiday tradition that we're pleased to see return and continue is our beloved Christmas Queen Darlene Love's yearly late-night television performance of the classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home.)" If you haven't yet seen this year's version, or even if you have, you can click below to watch or re-watch it right now. Once again this year, Darlene was accompanied by Paul Shaffer, as well as Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul:
Finally, Nils Lofgren's 2025 holiday release is a beautiful new song reminding us of another important cause to support: the life-saving work of animal-rescue organizations. Click below to watch Nils' loving, life-affirming, and - we can assure you - NOT depressing/disturbing music-video for "World Through Your Eyes." Also be sure to check out the listed links of various animal-rescue groups in the video's info/comments section:
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, no matter how much fur or how many legs you have, and best wishes to all for a peaceful, hopeful, and happy 2026.