Enjoy the singing traditions of winter holidays with Songs to Make Winter Bright, a Soundscapes feature from Smithsonian Folkways.

Also consider supporting our nonprofit mission this holiday season by purchasing a CD or download. All orders above $50 automatically qualify for free standard shipping (U.S. only) until December 16th. Electronic Gift Certificates are also available.

JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology, a new 111-track, 6-CD, 200-page compendium of the great American musical invention, traces the turning points of this 20th-century tale through its legendary innovators and notable styles.

JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology will be in stores March 29, 2011, but you can pre-order directly from Smithsonian Folkways at a special price and package including an exclusive JAZZ poster and T-shirt.

Curious about the 111 songs on JAZZ: The Smithsonian Anthology? Before you peek at the track list, visit the popular quiz-site Sporcle.com to see how many songs you can recognize! There is a 25-song version and the full 111-song ultimate challenge. Post your scores to the Smithsonian Folkways Facebook page.

December 15 is the last day to enter the Sunny Day Mask Contest. We’ve had some great entries so far and a few lucky mask artists had their picture taken with Elizabeth Mitchell at a concert.

Elizabeth Mitchell and You Are My Flower wrap up their tour in support of Sunny Day with a concert this Saturday, December 11, at 1 p.m. at the Rams Head in Annapolis, Md. Wear your masks!

• Music of Central Asia Vol. 9: In the Footsteps of Babur: Musical Encounters from the Lands of the Mughals was named “Best of 2010” by Songlines Magazine.
• Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways received the Bronze Award for Best Documentary film from the Peer Awards.
• Smithsonian Folkways and Visual Dialogue won the 2010 Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) Interactive Award in the Nonprofit and Government category.