Anni Lam, founder of the Hong Kong Vintage Pop Radio station and the music site (www.hkvpradio.com)

THE ASIAN WALL STREET JOURNAL - The holiday season is yet again upon us. Don't panic. Personal Journal's Gift Guide Special helps take the guesswork out of giving.

For Music Lovers
Crooners - singers who reprise old standards made popular by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald - are the music industry's new darlings, the trend having been sparked by the smooth-voiced Norah Jones. But there's another singer at the top of Anni Lam's list: 29-year-old Canadian vocalist Michael Buble. On his album "Michael Buble" are old songs like "Sway" and "Moondance," and even if the listeners on your gift list aren't acquainted with nostalgic tunes, this album is still worth passing along to them. "He's updated [the songs] with a very modern sound that makes it a lot more acceptable for the younger generation," says Ms. Lam.

She also suggests giving tickets to the musical "Snow Wolf Lake," starring Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, which will have its Mandarin-language debut in Beijing this December. A hit in its original Cantonese when it opened to Hong Kong in 1997, the musical melodrama chronicles the many trials suffered by a well-born young beauty and the humble gardener with whom she falls in love. In addition to providing songs, sentiment and Cantopop king Mr. Cheung, the show is a milestone in Chinese entertainment. "It's really the first successful musical to come out of Hong Kong," says Ms. Lam.

"Michael Buble" is $13.49, www.amazon.com. Tickets to "Snow Wolf Lake" range from $22 to $276, available through www.piao.com.cn