Pandora is an online radio service that recommends a steady stream of songs matched to the characteristics of a favorite song or artist, which you enter to create a unique radio station. Only a year old but gaining steady popularity, the service will turn you on to a new collection of holiday music by typing in the word "holiday" after favorite crooners like Harry Connick Jr., Ray Charles, Nat King Cole or even Johnny Cash.
If you have a Squeezebox at home to stream Internet radio through multiple rooms in the house, Pandora could be a pipeline for an instant holiday party. That is, if you're willing to rejoin the family.
Or make new friends online with the same musical tastes. LastFM lets you stream music from a preferred artist or genre, and then socialize with those who share your tastes.
