Top 6 Topps Digital Holiday Cards 2025 (SWCT, Bunt, Marvel Collect)

Topps Digital has always created Holiday season cards much to my pleasure, but this year they seem quite exceptional.  So, a present from me to you to celebrate the Christmas holiday, here are my Top 6 holiday cards.  Like all other digital card top 5 collections, these are cards that I actually own in my digital collection.  This time I am also including the back art.  Let me know if you like seeing the back art too!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

6. Captain America  Holiday Heroes,  Series 1 - Happy Holidays - Blue,  Uncommon Card Count 15,481

Who would like a Holiday Greeting from Captain America?  Definitely me!  This card is as classic as they come, almost Currier and Ives classic.  

5. Tarik Skubal  Santa Archives,  Series 1 - Holiday Relic - Rare 

This is a fun card, and it doesn't hurt that the subject here is the 2025 AL Cy Young Award winner, Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.  There is lots to love about this card, but the relic patch of the Santa hat is pretty spot on, well played.  And seeing the fierce pitcher in a Santa hat is rather enjoyable as well.  

4.  Rogue and Gambit  Holiday Collection '25,  Series 1 - Base - Snow - Uncommon  Card Count 18,958

Adorable isn't usually the word I associate with the X-Men especially when it comes to these two fierce warriors and cursed lovers, but this card is about as cute as can be.  These two making a Wolverine Snowman is pretty funny.  Rogue appears to be having a good time while Gambit (Remy) has an ornery look on his face.  

3.  Jace Jung  Topps Holiday '25,  Series 1 - Green Signature - Super Rare  

This is a great card build.  I enjoy the holiday boarder with garland on one side and snow flakes on the other.  The team logo on the bottom left, team name in block letters going up the left side of the card along with the baseball diamond with the player's position highlighted.  Then it is a rookie card signature card and from a Detroit Tigers player to boot!  

2.  Zorii Bliss  Holiday Season 2025,  Season 20 - Characters - Uncommon  

Yep, the last two cards in this Top 6 are Star Wars cards.  Choosing the top 2 cards from Star Wars Card Trader (SWCT) wasn't intentional, it is just the way it worked out, and I believe you will see why. 

This Zorii Bliss card (and all the cards of this set) are stunning to look at.  Not because of bright pictures or action filled images, but the art is unique.  I love the sketch style art with the subtle holiday themed snowflakes in the background of the image.  This may end up on my top insert card list for SWCT.  

1. Grogu & The Mandalorian  12 Days of Topps - 2025, 12 Days of Topps - Uncommon 

This is about as Christmas and cute as they come.  We have seen images of Mando flying with Grogu in his satchel which is cute in and of iteself as Grogu's ears are flopping in the wind.  The Mandalorian with his Santa hat on while carrying a bag of presents over his shoulder and Grogu in the front just says Star Wars Galaxy holiday season.  This card won't show up on my top inserts list, but it is #1 on my Holiday list.  

Album Playthrough Project December 2024 and the New 2025 Project

The year has come to a close and the Album Playthrough Project wraps up its current format.  Before moving on, I need to share my December albums, reflect on 2024, and give my specific plans for 2025. 

Being December and the holiday season, the album list is quite heavy and almost exclusive to Christmas music.  Here is the list: 

The Andy Williams Christmas Album (1963) Andy Williams 12/2/24

Christmas Portrait (1978) The Carpenters 12/2/24
Christmas Caravan (1998) Squirrel Nut Zippers 12/3/24
Everyday is Christmas (2018) Sia 12/3/24
Into the Christmas Spirit (1966) Booker T &the MGs 12/4/24
Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1965) Burl Ives 12/4/24
A Very Kacey Christmas (2016) Kacey Musgraves 12/4/24
A Very Special Christmas (1987) Various Artists 12/5/24
When My Heart Finds Christmas (1993) Harry Conick Jr. 12/6/248
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (1964) The Beach Boys 12/7/24
Joy: A Holiday Collection (1999) Jewel 12/7/24
The Greatest Christmas Hits (2003) Pentatonix 12/8/24
Home For Christmas (1992) Amy Grant 12/8/24
Holiday Seasoning (2024) Jimmy Fallon (various artists) 12/8/24
Christmas in a Minor Key (2024) Milk Carton Kids 12/9/24
A Very Special Christmas vol.2 (1992) Various Artists 12/9/24
James Taylor Christmas (2006) James Taylor 12/9/24
A Charlie Brown Christmas (2012) Vince Guaraldi Trio 12/11/24
The Dean Martin Christmas.Album (1966) Dean Martin 12/11/24
A Crystal Christmas (1986) Crystal Gayle 12/15/24
Big Band Holidays III (2023) Jazz at the Lincoln Center, Wynton Marsalis 12/15/24
Big Bands Holidays II (2019) Jazz at the Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis 12/16/24
Elvis' Christmas Album (1958) Elvis Presley 12/16/24
Johnny Mathis Sounds of Christmas (1963) 12/17/24
Today is Christmas (2015) Leanne Rimes 12/17/24
An Oscar Peterson Christmas (1995) Oscar Peterson 11/17/24
Achtung Baby (1991) U2 12/2824
DAMN (2017) Kendrick Lamar 12/28/24
fruitcake (2023) Sabrina Carpenter 12/28/24
F-1 Trillion (2024) Post Malone 12/29/24
Good Together (2024) Lake Street Dive 12/30/24
Tuesday Night Music Club (1993) Sheryl Crow 12/31/24
Celebrate! (1980) Cool and the Gang 12/31/24

Best Listen of the Month: A Very Kacey Christmas, Kacey Musgraves

This was a huge surprise (maybe should have been in the category below) and quite the discovery for me.

Biggest Surprise: Into the Christmas Spirit, Booker T &the MGs

Ya ever want to just chill during the Christmas Season? This is the album.

Biggest Disappointment: Today is Christmas, Leanne Rimes

Seriously, this almost took me right out of the Christmas Spirit. It was flat.

Best Concert Memory: The Greatest Christmas Hits, Pentatonix

Saw the concert the day before I listened to this album. So talented and fun to listen.

Best Christmas Spirit: The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Andy Williams

It is the most wonderful album of the season.

Most Fun: Christmas Caravan, Squirrel Nut Zippers

Best non-traditional collection of holiday songs. They need to stop playing Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and the Christmas Donkey song and play (more) Squirrel Nut Zippers!

For a description of the Album Playthrough Project, click here

February

March

April  

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

This is the last post for the 2024 Album Playthrough Project.  In fact, it is the last post for the Album Playthrough Project; however from the Album Playthrough Project comes a new project for 2025: The Artist Playthrough 2025.  

As first heard on The Colby Cast, I have chosen 12 artists to focus on in 2025, one each month.  Below is the list of artists I have chosen, but I haven't necessarily assigned them to a month except for January and December which will be Cold War Kids and Bing Crosby respectively.  

Here are the rest of the artists I have chosen for the Artist Playthrough 2025: 

John Mellencamp
10,000 Maniacs
Taylor Swift
James Taylor
Hozier
Bonnie Raitt
The Doors
U2
Grateful Dead
Dave Matthews Band

I hope you join me in 2025 as I examine the albums of the above artists.

A Christmas Playlist for 2024

At the end of the holiday season in early January 2024 after the days of 24 hour Christmas music had

gone, I sat down and put together a playlist of my favorite Christmas songs.  I didn't have any criteria other than these are the songs that seemed to fill me with joy during the 2023 Christmas season.  

The playlist is on Spotify and it is a public playlist titled: A Pretty Good Christmas Playlist

Here are the songs that made the cut: 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year  Andy Williams

Candy Cane Lane  Sia

Santa Clause is Coming to Town - Live at C.W. Post College, Greenvale, NY - December 1975        Bruce Springsteen

What Christmas Means to Me (feat. Stevie Wonder)  John Legend

Winter Wonderland  Ray Charles

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Frank Sinatra, Cyndi Lauper

This Christmas  CeeLo Green

Christmas Song - Live at Wrigley Field, Chicago September 2010  Dave Matthews Band

Silent Night  Meghan Trainor

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas  James Taylor

Blue Christmas  Elvis Presley

The Christmas Song  The Stephen Kummer Trio, The Chris McDonald Orchestra

Christmas Wrapping (with Iggy Pop)  Kylie Minogue, Iggy Pop

A Reflection of the Peanuts Holiday Programs

We have entered the fourth quarter of the year which means the holidays are here!  What that means around our house is the trilogy of Peanuts Holiday DVD's make their appearance.  Perhaps your home has a similar tradition of bringing these programs out on October, November, and December.  

We just finished the first DVD as Halloween has come and gone.  The Great Pumpkin still didn't come
but the nostalgia and smiles did as they do every year.  I think our favorite moment of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown is when Charlie Brown is just finishing up raking leaves into a pile.  Snoopy encounters a leaf falling to the ground, but keeps it in the air by blowing on it.  He blows that leave over to the pile and Charlie Brown says, "Thanks old pal."  Then Linus with let sucker in hand, runs and jumps into the pile.  Leave go everywhere and Linus is left there with a leaf covered sucker and leaves stuck around his sucker-sticky mouth.  Linus gives the sage advice, "Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."  

The Thanksgiving DVD is up next in our house.  There are so many enjoyable moments in the Thanksgiving program.  One of these moments is when Snoopy and Woodstock are tasked with getting the chairs and table set up in the yard.  Snoopy ends up in a scuffle with one the lawn chairs.  This is very relatable if you have ever had to mess around getting the old lawn chairs unfolded, but when the chair takes on human characteristics and boxes with Snoopy, that is when things become quite

humorous.  I think my favorite moment is when Snoopy and Woodstock are dressed in traditional pilgrim outfits and report for cooking duty in the house.  When Charlie Brown opens the door, and Snoopy leads the march into the house, Snoopy is carrying a pop gun rifle as part of his costume.  This pop gun has a cork with string attached to the gun.  Snoopy and Woodstock come to a halt in the kitchen and Snoopy takes the pop gun off his shoulder and places the stock on the ground setting off the pop gun and sending the cork into the air.  The string keeps the cork from getting too far and causing it to bounce about eventually knocking Snoopy silly when it smacks him on top of the head.  Charlie Brown remarks that this is no time to be messing around.  I just find that moment to have lots of character and the slapstick humor just hits home for me.  

When Thanksgiving wraps up, it is time for the final DVD to rise to the top, A Charlie Brown Christmas.  While there are some humorous moments in this program, to me this program is all about the nostalgia

of Christmastime and the message that Linus delivers at the end.  "That is what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," Linus explains at the end of this speech to the cast of characters.  Charlie Brown is inspired by Linus's speech and takes his weepy little tree home with the thought that no one will ruin the spirit of Christmas for him.  When he decorates his tree with one single ornament, the tree droops over which is the final straw of disappointment for Charlie Brown.  He walks into his house when all of his friends show up to see the droopy tree.  Regardless of all the criticizing the cast has done to Charlie Brown, they build the tree up with decorations.  Charlie Brown comes out and to his astonishment, his little tree is standing proud with Christmas decorations.  Then Charlie Brown and the cast break out into song with Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  It is an amazing display of Christmas and the Christmas Spirit.  While it takes second in my ranking of the shows, A Charlie Brown Christmas definietly does what it sets out to do.  

I know there are many other Peanuts holiday programs, but these original three from the 1960's are by far the best in my mind.  I hope they are a part of your family's tradition, but if they aren't, it is never too late to begin a new tradition.  My kids are both teenagers now, but it is a tradtion still going strong and I have no doubt when they, someday, have families of their own, they will continue the tradition.  I know my wife and I will continue to watch even when my kids are gone from our home.  

Favorite Christmas Ornaments

When I was a kid I remember going to my piano teacher Mrs. Young's house for piano lessons.  The highlight of going to Mrs. Young's house was that they had a sod roof that included trees and bushes on what was an otherwise normal house.  It was so unusual.  There was one time of year when the sod roof wasn't the highlight; however, that time was Christmas.  Mrs. Young had the most amazing Christmas Tree every year.  It was so full of ornaments that one could barely even see that there was a tree underneath.  Every year, she let her students choose one ornament off her tree to take home and keep.  I remember sitting and waiting for my turn for lessons and just staring at the tree in a Christmas daze trying to decide which ornament I would call my own.  

Unfortunately, I don't think I still own any of the ornaments I received from Mrs. Young, but the memory is a good one.  It is one of the things I love about putting up the Christmas tree every year.  We get the ornaments out and most of them have stories that goes along with them. Over the years, like most others I presume, our family has collected Christmas ornaments; some are family ornaments and some are personal.  Here are a few of my favorite Christmas ornaments:

10.  Ornaments made by my kids.  I love these because as my children grow up these ornaments remind me of when they were younger.  One of my daughters learned to knit and was a part of a Knitting club at school when whe made the knit cup with hot chocoalte and marshmallows.  I thought and still do that this was so cool.  My other daughter made the art in the center of this ornament at school and then they mounted it on the silver backing.  

9.  Ornaments to remember those who we have lost.  One year when my wife lost her dad, we were given this ornament.  It is a nice reminder of  him, but also just a good reminder of all those who we've lost over the years.  I didn't get to spend many Christmas holidays with him, but the ornament reminds me of those times.  

8.  Ornaments that my kids will eventually take with them.  I don't know that I have ever bought an ornament for my kids with the thought that they will eventually take them with them when they move out, but that is what will happen.  There is something inside of me that looks forward to visiting my daughters' homes sometime in the future and seeing some of the ornaments that used to hang in my house.  I really like this one of Rapunzel from the animated film Tangled.  The scene in the movie that is depicted is is quite beautiful.  I also liked the symbolic nature that it is a lantern lighting the night.  I have always liked to believe that both of my daughters have bright futures ahead.  

7.  Ornaments that remind me of an accomplishment.  Not much to say about this one.  The ornament says it all, but I will never forget when I was about to complete my first marathon, a coach was running alongside me and to encourage me to finish strong, he said, "You are about to finish a marathon and no one can ever take that away from you."  This ornament that my wife bought me that year reminds me of that ever year.  

6.  Ornaments that show loyalty or allegiance.  I have several of these including an ornament from the college my wife and I graduated, the church I attended as a child, and an ornament from the town which I grew up.  I like those but they don't come close to finding a prominent spot on the tree as the ornament that lets everyone know my favorite sports team! 

5. Ornaments of Pop Culture.  Actually, my next four ornaments are in this category, and they have their own, special tree.  Number 5 is a new ornament to the collection this year.  It is a Funko Spider-man.  Spider-man has been my favorite comic book superhero since I can remember.  If you want a full explanation of why I love Spidey's comic book, you should become a patreon supporter of CWK Pourover and you can listen to several episodes where I discuss that topic with co-hosts Dan Zehr and Cory Club.  

4. Ornaments of Pop Culture.  This was my first Star Wars ornament from a Hallmark collection.  The Darth Vader tie-fighter comes from the 1999 collection.  The ornament has a cord that used to plug into an emply light socket, and it would light up the cockpit and laser cannons on the front.  It was a really dynamic ornament on my tree for years, but when I upgraded to LED lights, the plug was no longer compatible.  That is quite alright, as it is still in the top 5 of my favorite ornaments.  

3.  Ornaments of Pop Culture.  I have no idea when or where I found this Zeb Orrelios ornament.  I suspect I found it at a Hallmark aisle display at Kohls.  I always liked Zeb in the Star Wars Rebels show, and I always thought I would find other Rebel characters to hang on the tree with Zeb, but I never did.  So, he is a unique character to have on the tree which is why he is in the top 5 of my favorite ornaments.  It is also a really good sculpt and paint job; it looks great on the tree.  

2.  Ornaments of Pop Culture.  I received this ornament for my birthday this year, because it is no secret around my house how much I absolutely adore the character Grogu.  In fact, I'm not alone in this at my house; everyone thinks he is cute.  It is very possible that he has become the single most popular figure of my Star Wars collection.  As I look around my office, I have nine Grogu collectibles within sight.  This ornament is a Funko, and I love how it excentuates his already large ears, so cute!  Oh, there are already two other Grogu ornaments on the tree, so he has good company.  

1.  Ornaments that have family significance.  This is the ornament I look forward to seeing every year.  It holds such a significant memory for me that if it went missing, it would cause me some profound saddness.  My wife and I purchased this when we took our family on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation on a Disney Cruise.  I will never forget the emotional moment I had when my family was on the plane to fly to Florida for this wonderful adventure.  I sat there as the plane quickly gained altitude thinking that this was actually real.  It was the first trip I had taken my family that was more than two-and-a-half hours away.  It is a trip that we still look at pictures and recall the memories as if they just happened.  This ornament brings that entire trip back.  

I hope as you prepare for the Christmas season that you are able to pull ornaments out to hang on the tree and you have the same experience I do with all the stories and memories.  Hopefully, you have ornaments that remind you of people you love and places you've been.  If not, that's cool too as many ornaments are there to remind us of the joy of the season!  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  

Top 5 Chrismas Songs

 As heard on the CWK Pourover, here are my top 5 Christmas songs:

5. Santa Claus is Comin to Town performed by Bruce Springsteen (1985)

This song, besides being performed by the legendary "Boss," will always remind me of my childhood and the good times hanging out with my brother.  He introduced me to Rock and Roll and some of the greats like The Boss.  My brother would always get a kick out of Springsteen when he couldn't stop laughing at all the "Ho ho ho's."  Classic performance!

4. Christmas Time is Here by Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaralaldi (1965)

Who doesn't love the Charlie Brown Christmas special?  This program and this opening song to the show wrap up all the feelings of Christmas to me.  It makes me feel nostalgic, it gives me serenity, and it brings me joy.  When I hear this song on the radio, all those feelings come back to me.  

3. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams

The hot start to this song brings images of the city all decorated in lights.  I picture holiday shopping, and happy people carrying packages on a snowy night through the streets of the city.  It might be Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The title says it all with the uplifting performance of Andy Williams, when I hear this song, I know Christmas is here!  

2. Silent Night performed by Bing Crosby (1945)

Take one of the most beautiful songs of the holiday season and add one of the most memorable singers of the last 100 years, and you have a song that can change a life.  When I was young, WLS radio in Chicago would play Christmas music from noon on Christmas eve to Midnight on Christmas day.  This was

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas performed by James Taylor (2002)

There are certain songs that resonate with us all year round even though it is a "summer song" or a "break-up song."  This is my Christmas song that stays with me every year.  The lyrics "Let your heart be light, from now on our troubles will be out of sight" speak to me, because I am a person who tends to let my troubles stay with me.  In this Christmas time and anytime really, I need to "be light."  

I hope you all have a Merry Little Christmas and a Happy Holiday in 2020.  And as I think about all of you, I can't help think about the lyrics, "Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us, once more."  Let's use this time to come together in peace for the good of all of us.