Christmas by the Bay, recorded at the Sail Loft in the Washington Navy Yard

Washington Navy Yard

The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...

, is Burl Ives's last original Christmas album. It includes only one new Christmas song by Ives: "The Sense of Christmas." The other songs are new performances of previously recorded songs: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"; "A Holly, Jolly Christmas"; "Christmas by the Bay" (cf. Christmas at the White House

Christmas at the White House

Christmas at the White House is a 1972 album with a lengthy subtitle: Burl Ives Sings the Favorite Carols and Hymns of America's Presidents. It purports to be a collection of thirteen presidents' favorite Christmas songs. It has not yet been released on CD.Some of the selections were apparently...

, 1972); "White Christmas" (cf. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas is a Christmas album by Burl Ives released in 1965.-Track listing:#"A Holly Jolly Christmas" – 2:15#"Christmas is a Birthday" – 2:42#"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" – 2:09#"Christmas Child" – 2:50...

, 1966); and "The Friendly Beasts" (cf. Christmas Day in the Morning, 1952). On all of these songs he is accompanied by the United States Navy Band

United States Navy Band

The United States Navy Band, based at the historic Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served the nation as the official musical organization of the United States Navy since 1925...

, conducted by Ned Muffley.

Ives had performed previously with Muffley and the Navy Band: at a Christmas concert in Washington D.C. in 1974 and at the Boy Scout Jamboree in 1977. On the basis of these encounters, Muffley invited Ives to participate in a 1977 Christmas Concert at the DAR Constitution Hall

DAR Constitution Hall

DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Memorial Continental Hall. Later, the two buildings were connected by a third structure housing the DAR...

: "The weeks that followed were busy indeed as a special production, the brainchild of Master Chief Jere Wallace, entitled For the Love of Christmas, was scripted, focusing around a musical adaptation of Burl telling the story of Christmas to a group of children ... the personification of Santa Claus himself." The concert was broadcast on national television.

The album represents a different product of their collaboration that year. The genres of the songs range from folk ("The Friendly Beasts") to pop ("A Holly, Jolly Christmas"). Classic Ives songs are given a new feel by the involvement of the Sea Chanters, the official chorus of the U.S. Navy.

Side 1

Track	Song Title	Performer(s)	Writer/Arranger	Time
1.	Christmas by the Bay Christmas on the Sea "Christmas on the Sea," also known as "Christmas by the Bay," is an old New England song with music by George Frederick Root and lyrics by Hezekiah Butterworth. Reportedly it was President Theodore Roosevelt's favorite Christmas song...	Burl Ives & Sea Chanters	Traditional/J. Chattaway	2:05
2.	Winter Wonderland Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a winter song, popularly treated as a Christmastime pop standard, written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith . Through the decades it has been recorded by over 150 different artists.-History:...	Sea Chanters, Evangeline Taylor, Jessica Farrow, Heidi Hunter	F. Bernard Felix Bernard Felix Bernard was an American conductor, pianist and a composer of popular music. His writing credits include the popular songs Winter Wonderland and Dardanella.-Biography:... , R. Smith Richard B. Smith Richard B. Smith wrote the lyrics to the popular song Winter Wonderland, which was composed by Felix Bernard. Smith was born in Pennsylvania, and was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1931. He succumbed to the disease on September 28, 1935.... /B. Kidd	2:00
3.	Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer	Burl Ives & Sea Chanters	J. Marks Johnny Marks Johnny Marks was an American songwriter. Although he was Jewish, he specialized in Christmas songs and wrote many standards, including "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" , "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" , "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" , and "A Holly... /J. Taylor	2:10
4.	I Sing Noel	Tom VanVranken	Medley/J. Brubaker	5:59
5.	The Sense of Christmas	Burl Ives & Kids	R. Chiles, J. Wallace/R. Gingery	4:00

Side 2

Track	Song Title	Performer(s)	Writer/Arranger	Time
1.	A Holly, Jolly Christmas	Burl Ives & Sea Chanters	J. Marks Johnny Marks Johnny Marks was an American songwriter. Although he was Jewish, he specialized in Christmas songs and wrote many standards, including "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" , "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" , "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" , and "A Holly... /R. Gingery	1:59
2.	Christmas Festival	The United States Navy Band	L. Anderson Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...	6:05
3.	The Friendly Beast The Friendly Beasts "The Friendly Beasts" is a traditional Christmas song about the gifts that a donkey, a cow, a sheep, a camel, and a dove gave to Jesus at the Nativity. The song seems to have originated in 12th-century France, set to the melody of the Latin song Orientis Partibus. The current English words were...  [sic]	Burl Ives	Traditional/Burl Ives	2:40
4.	Sleigh Ride Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a popular light orchestral piece composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946; he finished the work in February 1948. Lyrics, about a person who would like to ride in a sleigh on a winter's day with another person,...	The United States Navy Band	L. Anderson Leroy Anderson Leroy Anderson was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler...	2:37
5.	White Christmas	Burl Ives & Sea Chanters	I. Berlin Irving Berlin Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous... /J. Taylor	2:34