Ring the bells! Colorado’s favorite Christmas carol has won a second straight year in our annual Carol Countdown.

The First Congregational Church was packed with supporters of the Out Loud Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus on Sunday. A friend spontaneously invited me to the holiday concert. It brought a mix of emotions less than two weeks after the mass shooting at Club Q six miles away.

Jessie Jacobs and Luis Antonio Perez, co-host of CPR’s podcast “Music Blocks here, with a Christmas adventure through Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico and more in “Feliz Navidad.”

You probably know all the words to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” but have you ever wondered why the same lyrics that “wish you a Merry Christmas” also demand “some figgy pudding”? Or why riding in a “one-horse open sleigh” has anything to do with Christmas? (Hint: it doesn’t).

CPR Classical is thrilled to welcome Kabin Thomas to the team as senior host and producer. You’ll soon hear him hit the airwaves. “I’m so excited to be here,” says Thomas. “It’s a dream to share classical music with folks every day and I look forward to meeting CPR Classical listeners.”

In Colorado, and indeed throughout much of the world, the holiday season is synonymous with stagings of the famous ballet.

The end of this year brings sad news from CPR Classical: we are saying goodbye to hosts David Ginder and Marilyn Cooley. Their voices have brought an informative joy and passion for classical music to listeners across Colorado for the last five years.

In the wake of the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, here is a guide for how to cope and resources for mental health support.