If you are familiar with Steve Siu’s Most Requested collections, you know that he brings an elegant and heartfelt touch to whatever he plays. This collection is made up of Steve’s arrangements of sixteen Christmas classics for solo piano. There are several secular songs as well as the traditional religious ones, but no Santa tunes, so this is a more reverent and spiritual grouping of Christmas pieces than many. Highlights include a very passionate arrangement of “O Holy Night,” a melancholy “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and an unusual and very clever version of “Jingle Bells.” Siu also has a haunting “What Child Is This?” and a jaunty “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Others in the collection include “Away in A Manger,” “The First Noel,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and “Silent Night.” This CD would be wonderful playing while decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, or even as a quiet and thoughtful backdrop for Christmas dinner. It is a gentle reminder amid the hustle and stress of the holidays that we need to slow down and think about what the holiday is really all about. Very highly recommended. It is available from stevesiu.com.