Christmas is
only two days away. The shopping and
wrapping is finished, baking done, and house decorated and cleaned. It is time to nourish your weary body and
enjoy a good Christmas story, inspiring DVD, and/or listen to some holiday
stories and music. I’m sure that you
have your favorite, the ones you listen to each holiday. Well, I have mine too and I’d like to share
some of my favorites with you. A few of
these are old and in cassette format. If
you don’t know what an audio cassette is, you’ve missed out on some lovely
entertainment. You won’t find some of
these on ITunes or GOOGLE Play, but they are so worth seeking out.
In 1937 Glanville and Elizabeth Heisch
wrote a Christmas story that remained immensely popular with children for about
25 years, The Cinnamon Bear. Judy and Jimmy Barton’s adventures begin when
they go up to the attic to get the family’s silver star tree topper. The Crazy Quilt Dragon has stolen the star
and the siblings must search through Maybeland with friend Paddy O’Cinnamon to
recover the star. The series, consisting
of 26 episodes was later made into a 1950s TV serial. It was made available in the 80’s in a 6
audio cassette package. The Cinnamon Bear has always been a
favorite story, one that fills me with memories of my childhood Christmases.
Another radio
based treasure comes from a 1990s airing of “The Midnight Special” which was a
weekly show broadcast on WFMT in Chicago.
One special Christmas piece has stayed with me all these years. I call it “The Wonderfulest Christmas in the
United States.” If memory serves the
story was told to Studs Turkel who passed it on, but it is originally a John
Henry Faulks Christmas story of a young, poor Texas boy who tells a stranger of
the Christmas he and his family had with their neighbors the Jacksons joining
in. There wasn’t much “Christmas” to go
around in their town, but an organization was distributing some special food
and treats to poor families. The boy’s
dad heard about it and went to see if it was true. Sure enough he was able to get wonderful
holiday treats for his family. He asked
his neighbor, Sam Jackson, whether or not he, too, had gotten some of the
treats, but Sam said that he didn’t think that the bounty was meant for black
folks, so he didn’t go into town with expectations. The rest of the story reveals the joy the boy
and the two families had making the ‘wonderfulest’ Christmas together, young
boys laughing, mothers cooking and dads making a long table, covered with white
sheets, that looked like it “belonged in a cathedral or somethin’”. It is a simple story simply told about
unbounded joy—something mostly lost today in our over-commercialized
culture. I don’t know if this is
available anywhere, but seeking it out would be well worth the time.
Of course
there are easier programs and music you can find. I recommend Rick Steve’s European Christmas TV special.
This enjoyable program seeks out current, past, and pre-Christian
holiday traditions in places like Norway, England, and other European
venues. Perry Como’s DVD Christmas Around the World is a delight,
showing excerpts from Como’s Christmas specials in the ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Visit with the Boys’ Choir in Vienna, Colonial Williamsburg’s Town Crier,
schoolchildren in Mexico, and other places.
The DVD concludes with a visit to Bethlehem. Perry’s soothing voice and calm, pleasant
manner make the compilation a special treat for my family’s holiday viewing.
Although
audio cassettes are long gone from store shelves—for that matter store shelves
are in short supply too—I have squirreled away a few favorites, having the
equipment at hand on which to play the cassettes. The Christmas titles include Carols from Many Lands by The Choir of
Ely Cathedral, directed by Paul Trepte with organist David Price. It was
purchased from Past Times an English Company that may have gone the way of
store shelves. The company used to
publish a fabulous catalog and many hours were wistfully spent going through
its pages. My favorite seasonal cassette
is not necessarily for the Holiday Season, but it is certainly
inspirational. In a 1986 Angel Records
(Seraphim, Capitol Records, Inc.) Daniel Barenboim conducts The New
Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus in the finest performance of Bach’s Magnificat that I have ever heard. The
reverse side isn’t bad either: Bruckner’s
Te Deum.
Some of my CD favorites include the
more popular titles like The Glenn Miller Orchestra, In the Christmas Mood, Michael Bublé’s Christmas, a 2011 Reprise title, and a 1999 recording by The Irish
Tenors, Home for Christmas. In addition, we often listen to hubby’s
favorite, The Very Best of Bing Crosby
Christmas, 1999 MCA Records. Hubby is a sucker for Der Bingle. We watch the White Christmas DVD so much that I have two copies.
Some less
well known groups round out my favorite CD Christmas list. Altramar Medieval Music Ensemble is an
Indiana University group are a delight to listen to. The ensemble specializes in “sharing
historical repertory in the context of human experience…evoking the vibrant
tapestry of medieval culture.” Each
piece is carefully researched, and beautifully performed on period
instruments. I have several Altramar CDs
and they are wonderful. Their two
volumes of Iberian Gardens is
outstanding, but for Christmas I love Nova
Stella: A Medieval Italian Christmas, 1996 Dorian Discovery, Dorian Group,
Ltd.
Ensemble
Galilei with or without Maggie Sansone is a favorite of mine. Two of their Christmas titles are Ancient Noels with Maggie Sansone. The CD features “traditional carols, medieval
cantigas, and Renaissance dances (that) bring to life images of desert
landscapes and stone monasteries where the Christmas spirit was born” 1993, Maggie’s Music. A
Winter’s Night: Christmas in the Great Hall features classic medieval and
Renaissance carols from Galicia, Spain, Scotland, and Ireland as well as “original
compositions to mark the winter solstice.”
It was produced by Maggie’s Music, 2001 and 2002. The first title
features recorders, viola da gamba, Celtic harp, and hammered dulcimer. The second adds pipes, oboe, tin whistle,
flute, and Uilleann Pipes. Kick back and
enjoy!
What will I
be listening to this Christmas Eve?
Right now I have Bach’s Magnificat
playing on the stereo. In a while, when
hubby is asleep, I will re-enact my customary Christmas Eve activity which is
to watch the 1951, black and white, version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol starring Alistar
Sim. Although I have access to the
colorized version, it’s got to the the black and white tonight.
