Dial-a-Carol, a service that students in Snyder Hall have been running for over 47 years, is now open. The song playing is now high-tech, with the student operators playing requests from a computer. This begs the question: Why don’t we just cut out the middle man, get some Christmas music on our own computers, and play it? Well from 7:00 pm to midnight there will be live performances from the students, which are decidedly much better than pre-recorded professionals.

As in the past, some callers will be able to hear a live version of their requested song. Carrera said last year about one caller in 100 was treated to a live performance.

“We just can’t sing all the tunes,” he said. “Last year, people were losing their voices.”

Still, this year’s ratio of live to recorded songs will be much higher than in 2007. Volunteers will sing to every caller from 7 p.m. to midnight and every fifth caller the rest of the time.

Carols and carolers just a phone call away at the University of Illinois

Amazon.com is one of my favorite websites. They have everything from the latest novel to the latest music release to the latest piece of cutlery. One of Amazon’s newest additions is its MP3 download capabilities.

Through the Amazon MP3 Store, you can browse through millions of songs, and purchase completely DRM free music. The music is compatible with any music device and can be directly downloaded to iTunes or Windows Media Player. Using Amazon, you can find almost any song you are looking for. They also have a built in sampler for most music that will provide a 30 sec sample of the song before you download it. Most discs give you the option of purchasing the entire alum in MP3, or just buying a single song. The files can be downloaded without any additional software, but the Amazon MP3 Downloader is highly recommended. Don’t worry, this software is very simple and won’t try to take over your computer’s music. It simply downloads the music, files it on your computer, and does a really good job of doing it.

The best part of this whole site, however, is the Special MP3 Deals page. This page shows, not only special limited time pricing on select downloads, but also offers free music. Yeah, that’s right, I said FREE… and it’s legal. Check out the rightmost column on the deals page to see all the free music. Most of the specials last only daily, however, so get to it as soon as possible. You can even subscribe to the MP3 of the day through email.

If all this wasn’t enough for you, Amazon is currently offering 25 Days of Free Christmas Music:

Every day through December 25, we’re unveiling a new holiday song available to download free for a limited time. Check back daily to see what’s next.

So, go check it out. You can study later.

Tired of studying? Want an opportunity to waste time? Looking for a holiday movie to get you in the mood? Well, here you have it. A TV guide listing all the holiday classics:

— “A Christmas Carol” (George C. Scott), 9 p.m. Today on AMC
— “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” 6 p.m. Monday on ABC Family
— “Cranberry Christmas,” 6:30 p.m. Monday on ABC Family. A girl and her grandmother try to save an old man’s cranberry bog in an animated special based on a book (and sponsored by Ocean Spray).
— “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” 7 p.m. Monday on ABC
— “Santa’s Funniest Moments,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on MyNetworkTV
— “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,” 6 p.m. Wednesday on ABC Family
— “Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too,” 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC Family
— “Little Spirit: Christmas in New York,” 7 p.m. Wednesday on NBC. A special features the voices of Danny DeVito, Lucy Liu, Freddy Rodriguez, Brian Williams and Brenda Song.
— “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” 8 p.m. Thursday on ABC Family
— “Greatest Holiday Moments: Songs of the Season Countdown,” 7 p.m. Dec. 12 on NBC
— “A Miser Brothers’ Christmas,” 7 p.m. Dec. 13 on ABC Family
— “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” 8 p.m. Dec. 13 on Hallmark. Henry Winkler and Brooke Burns star.
— “Will You Merry Me?,” 8 p.m. Dec. 13 on Lifetime. Wendie Malick and Cynthia Stevenson battle over holiday traditions.
— “Snow 2 Brain Freeze,” 7 p.m. Dec. 14 on ABC Family
— “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa,” 7 p.m. Dec. 17 on NBC. Kermit, Fozzie and the rest of the gang mistakenly prevent three letters from making their way to Santa Claus.
— “Christmas in Washington,” 7 and 10 p.m. Dec. 17 on TNT
— “Christmas in Wonderland,” 7 p.m. Dec. 20 on ABC Family
— “Our First Christmas,” 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on Hallmark. Dixie Carter and John Ratzenberger star.
— “A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride,” 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on Lifetime. Joanna Garcia and Luke Perry star in a romance about finding love at any age.
— “Hilarious Holiday Home Video Countdown,” 7 p.m. Dec. 22 on NBC
— “A Home for the Holidays With Faith Hill,” 7 p.m. Dec. 23 on CBS. Inspirational stories about adoption mingle with performances by Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Gavin Rossdale, Jamie Foxx and others.
— “Frosty the Snowman,” 7 p.m. Dec. 12 on CBS
— “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and Dec. 24 on NBC
— “Christmas in Connecticut,” 3 p.m. Dec. 13, 9 p.m. Dec. 19 and 6:30 a.m. Dec. 24 on TCM
— “Remember the Night,” 5 p.m. Dec. 13, 10:15 p.m. Dec. 24 and 5:15 a.m. Dec. 25 on TCM
— “A Christmas Carol” (Patrick Stewart), Dec. 17 and 20 on TNT

— “White Christmas,” 8 p.m. Dec. 23 and 11 a.m. Dec. 25 on ABC Family
— “Holiday Affair,” 11:45 a.m. Dec. 24 on TCM
— “24 Hours of ‘A Christmas Story,’” beginning at 7 p.m. Dec. 24 on TBS

Also note that the Hallmark Channel is stuffing this month with made-for-TV holiday movies, while ABC Family again offers “25 Days of Christmas” and Lifetime revisits “Fa-la-la-la-Lifetime.” And many great Christmas films from the past will air this month on Turner Classic Movies.

Thanks to Gail Pennington from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for compiling this list.