Not to be confused with Ray Charles, the Ray Charles Singers put out a rather cozy, albeit run-of-the-mill holiday album for the winter of 1956 called, Winter Wonderland, where the music meets expectations, but the cover far exceeds them. Sure, all the hits are here (Jingle Bells, Let It Snow, etc.), but this cover, man, perfectly depicts the comfort and security of being inside with a warm, wood-burning fireplace roaring and sub-zero temperatures giving way to large flakes of devil snow outside. It’s that perfect mix of “I’m not going outside… I don’t care if the house is on fire” and “why the hell do we live in this part of the world again?”  That is… until you start to peep the couple on the other side of the large, corner window.

At first, I thought it was a touch of romance with the husband laying down and motioning his wife to join him. Upon further analysis, I’ve concluded that the woman is in fact the man’s concubine who has been double crossing on her double cross, and has poisoned the poor sod and disguised it to look like an accident. It’s the 50’s, kids. No Forensic Files. Look at the man’s body language. He’s laying flat on his back, staring straight up with a deadpan look plastered across his face. Now, look at the woman. With a slight, “I told you so” grin, she pushes the man’s hand away in his last attempt at wringing her quadruple crossing neck. Be careful out there, kids. The holidays can be deadly.