Blake Shelton Offers a Very Country Yuletide Album With Cheers, It's Christmas

Blake Shelton is not an artist I know much about, but based on my first impression of him with the recently released Cheers, It’s Christmas, I would certainly not be opposed to checking out some of his other music. This is an album firmly within the country genre, so that could be a turn-off to some, but for those who enjoy country or are at least open to it, Shelton has created a holiday treasure.

Several of the songs on this album are extra-peppy Christmas classics like the Miranda Lambert duet Jingle Bell Rock, the short, tambourine-laden Winter Wonderland, and Blue Christmas, which is unusually chipper and features a nifty saxophone solo. On the slower side of things are the piano-driven White Christmas, the leisurely Christmas Song and I’ll Be Home for Christmas and the mellow acoustic guitar-driven Silver Bells, a duet with Xenia. Right in between is Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, which is upbeat but cozy.

Impressively, nearly half of the songs on this album are new or at least not the standard Christmas fare. There’s a New Kid in Town isn’t original to this album, but it is a newer song, and a lovely one at that. This duet with Kelly Clarkson is reverent and slow-paced as it speaks of the wonder of Christ’s arrival. Michael Buble joins Shelton for a Christmasized version of the Canadian crooner’s hit song Home; with just a few adjustments, the mellow ballad becomes such a natural cozy Christmas tune that it seems a wonder it didn’t start out that way.

Oklahoma Christmas is a charming duet with Reba McIntyre. Fiddles add to the down-home feel of this song about longing for an Oklahoma holiday while being stranded in a snowstorm in Tennessee. Time for Me to Come Home, a duet with co-writer Dorothy Shackleford, is romantic in tone, having to do with the yearning to return to a loved one at Christmas. As with Oklahoma, the fiddle really adds to the homey feeling of the track.

On the whimsical end of things, we have the fun Santa’s Got a Choo Choo Train. With fast-paced guitar to simulate the rhythm of the rails and a train whistle as a more overt reminder, it’s an old-fashioned story-song about Santa using a train instead of a sleigh and is one of my favorite tracks. Finally, there’s The Very Best Time of Year, a low-key track he performs with Trypta-Phunk. Its domestic images of comfort radiate general goodwill for all as the album closes.

All told, this is a solid Christmas album with a nice mix of new and classic, sacred and secular. Anyone who doesn’t mind such an unapologetically country album should be able to find something to enjoy here.

Cee Lo's Magic Moment Lives Up to Its Title

I know next to nothing about Cee Lo Green aside from the fact that he released a foul-mouthed but oh-so-catchy kiss-off song that I’ve heard several times with altered lyrics. Considering the bleep-worthiness of this song, I wasn’t at all sure I’d like his Christmas album, Cee Lo’s Magic Moment, so it ended up being one of the sweetest musical surprises of the season for me.

Cee Lo has a deep, soulful voice that makes him well suited to R and B-style Christmas classics such as What Christmas Means to Me, first recorded by Stevie Wonder; Donny Hathaway’s funky This Christmas; and Charles Brown’s soul-stirring Please Come Home for Christmas. There’s a sense of passion and sincerity in his delivery that really grabbed me and held my attention.

Songs of romance are plentiful here, and he fares similarly well with those. His rendition of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is peppy and includes some vocal acrobatics, as does the duet Baby It’s Cold Outside; while it starts off fairly sedate, he and Christina Aguilera soon let their voices go wild as they sing over top of each other. Meanwhile, the brass-heavy Merry Christmas, Baby is a fun number that ties into the Christmas album of Rod Stewart, who guests here alongside Trombone Shorty.

The smooth but percussive Christmas Song is warmly relaxing, while The River is melancholy without being morose and his version of White Christmas is one of the bounciest I have heard. The rollicking keyboards are the real stars of Run Rudolph Run, but the vocals are great in a retro rock kind of way.

Silent Night has a truly reverent Gospel feel to it, with faint choral backing to a gorgeous lead vocal. After I listened to the album, I watched the video, which features a lanky Santa and several scantily clad women in red and white running in slow motion; the bizarre spectacle certainly detracts from the beauty of the music and the sense of sincerity, which is a shame. Thankfully, there is no such video for Mary, Did You Know?, which has rich instrumental backing and an even more soulful sound to it.

Cee Lo’s two most unusual tracks still are not wholly original, but they are a lot of fun. He teams up with the brilliant Straight No Chaser for a hugely entertaining rendition of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch that is loaded with harmonic surprises. His recitation of several lengthy passages from the book adds to the enjoyment as well.

All I Need Is Love is weird and wacky, drawing from the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love with a beat straight out of Mambo No. 5 and a strong sampling of Muppet classic Mahna Mahna. Several Muppets have a solo line or two, so picking them out is a lot of fun, even though it takes a few listens to catch everything. Make sure to listen through to the end to allow perpetually cranky Statler and Waldorf their opportunity to weigh in, even though their assessment naturally differs from mine. This isn’t an easy track to sing along with, but it’s loads of fun, and it also has some nice sentiments about the joy of togetherness this time of year.

I’m still not entirely sure where Cee Lo is coming from, especially after seeing that Silent Night video, but his album is a joy to listen to nonetheless. If you’re into soulful renditions of Christmas classics, you should give it a spin too.

Christmas with Scotty McCreery is Cozy Indeed

Last year, I got more excited about American Idol than I have in years. That was because of Scotty McCreery, the sweet-mannered teen with a deep, old-fashioned country voice who wound up taking the crown. I enjoyed his debut album last fall, and I was thrilled to find out that he had a Christmas album out this year. As I expected, I found Christmas With Scotty McCreery to be a delight.

McCreery includes a good mix of the sacred and secular. Among the more lightweight tracks are the two-minute-long, fiddle- and piano-heavy Let It Snow; the bluesy Jingle Bells; the fast-paced, electric guitar-backed Holly Jolly Christmas; and the jazzy, piano-driven Winter Wonderland. These are fun, lively and ideal for clapping or even dancing along. So is the less familiar Santa Claus Is Back in Town, a rockin’, bluesy Elvis cover for which he adopts a different tone in imitation of the King of Rock and Roll.

On the solemn end of things is the reverent The First Noel, which is backed by acoustic guitar and occasional vocal harmonies and is marvelously mellow; Mary Did You Know?, a sincere if slightly too fast-paced rendition of this thoughtful examination of Mary; the leisurely The Christmas Song; and the nearly five-minute-long O Holy Night, which is very sedate and is augmented by the presence of the harp, not to mention my favorite, often-omitted verse.

Happily, this album also includes two originals. Christmas in Heaven, a lovely duet with Jenifer Wrinkle, is written from the perspective of someone recently bereaved who is observing the sights and sounds of the season and wondering what the departed loved one is experiencing. A gentle song backed by acoustic guitar, this would work well alongside Ryan Kelly’s Not Far Apart, which takes the perspective of the one in Heaven.

While that track is very sweet, I prefer Christmas Comin’ Round Again a peppy four-minute-long song about the tendency of Christmas to inspire reconciliation. With its heartfelt harmonies and its array of instruments including mandolin, accordion and tambourine, it’s a joy to listen to, and its point that “It’s time to let go and let the love in,” exemplified by several anecdotes about mended fences, is well taken.

I’ll admit I’m a little prejudiced when it comes to Scotty McCreery, as he’s one of those singers whose voice just melts me after a couple of notes. I think it’s clear, though, that this is a young man with a bright musical future, and I’m glad he didn’t dilly-dally in putting out his first Christmas album. I’d be happy to invite that low voice and bright spirit onto my stereo anytime, especially during this festive season.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John Reunite for Christmas

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John made a great pair in Grease, so it stands to reason that they might do well to team up elsewhere too. Still, it surprised me to see that they had decided to collaborate on a new Christmas album. This Christmas is not an album I would listen to repeatedly, but it is fun to listen to these two sing together and imagine them as Danny and Sandy decades into the future.

The album consists mostly of traditional Christmas songs, a couple of which, unsurprisingly, have a predominant romantic theme to them. Baby It’s Cold Outside makes for a fun duet, particularly since Newton-John is the one imploring Travolta to stay rather than the other way around. While the pace feels overly slow to me, the flirtatious bickering fits these two well, while the brass-heavy This Christmas, which features a lengthy piano solo, presents a more united expectation of a cheery Christmas.

Several of the songs have a jazzy feel to them, particularly the peppier numbers such as the two-minute-long Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, which includes a smooth sax solo by Kenny G, and Winter Wonderland, which includes Tony Bennett and the Count Basie Orchestra. Slower songs include the melancholy I’ll Be Home For Christmas, which is augmented by the presence of Barbra Streisand, and White Christmas, which includes the often-omitted introduction and resolves with some lovely harmonies.

Of the two, I would say that Travolta’s voice has held up much better than Newton-John’s, and his sounds particularly strong on Rat Pack-style numbers like The Christmas Waltz, which he performs by himself, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, in which he sounds much better in his solo lines than she does. Together, however, they fare very well, particularly in the cozy The Christmas Song, which concludes with them wishing each other a merry Christmas.

They also sound quite nice in conjunction with others. With James Taylor in Deck the Halls, they make a terrific trio, and they complement choruses of children and adults well on the Celtic-flavored Silent Night and the intriguing medley of Auld Lang Syne and Christmastime Is Here. While I don’t think the blend entirely works, the focus on nostalgia is present in both, and it makes for a memorable album closer.

OF course, given the parties involved, I was hoping there would be a song specifically written to emulate the feel of Grease, and that comes with I Think You Might Like It. This bouncy number does have a rockin’ 50s style to it, but it focuses on a couple who have already found domestic bliss and have just been separated from each other a while. It’s a nice song, but it doesn’t really stick out in my mind, and I doubt it will become a big radio hit.

Ultimately, this album delivered about what I thought it would. Sometimes it comes across as pretty campy, though it also is quite nice in places. If you’re looking for a true fusion of Grease and Christmas music, you’ll be disappointed, but as a sweet reunion between two old friends, This Christmas is worth a listen.

Originals Augment Colbie Caillat's Christmas in the Sand

My familiarity with pop songstress Colbie Caillat has mostly been limited to her effervescent hit single Bubbly, but that one song is fun enough that I was eager to see what her Christmas album would sound like. Entitled Christmas in the Sand, it’s upbeat and bouncy, and at least one of the four original songs seems like it has the potential to make a splash. If you’re looking for a sunny alternative to all of the wintry albums out this time of year, this isn’t a bad option.

Of course, that’s not to say that winter weather doesn’t come up in several of these songs. We’ve got the playful Baby, It’s Cold Outside, a duet with Gavin DeGraw; the leisurely The Christmas Song, which features Justin Young, a mandolin and sleigh bells; and the bouncy, choir-backed Winter Wonderland.

We’ve also got traditional Christmas elements like Santa Claus. Given the unfortunate fondness female pop singers seem to have for the avaricious Santa Baby, I’m not surprised to see that here, though I always consider that one skippable. More enjoyable is Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, which has an interesting rhythm, starting out slow and then becoming much more of a rock tune halfway through.

Other familiar tunes delve into the cozy elements of Christmas. I really like her take on Silver Bells, which features some nice music box-style accompaniment as well as harmonizing with herself, and the changing of the line “Christmastime in the city” to different locales such as “the country” and “Hawaii” adds to the sense that this is an album for those who don’t connect as much with the most prevalent Christmas images. Auld Lang Syne, with its acoustic guitar, fiddle and choral backing, makes for a nice end to the album, while the peppy, romantic Merry Christmas, Baby, a duet with Brad Paisley, is a fine beginning.

Most interesting, though, are the original songs, and I was impressed that Caillat included four, a full third of the tracks. The title track includes sleigh bells but discusses Christmas on the beach, proclaiming, “I saw Santa in his bathing suit!” The tone seems rather risque to me, and it’s probably my least favorite of the four because of all the innuendo, but it’s also fun to think of these figures commonly associated with snow hanging out on the beach. Also on the slightly naughtier end of things is Mistletoe, a plea for romantic reconciliation which isn’t strictly new but which Caillat co-wrote.

I prefer Every Day Is Christmas, a four-and-a-half-minute-long love song along the same lines as Neil Diamond’s You Make It Feel Like Christmas. “Every day is Christmas as long as every day you are mine,” she declares in this choral-backed pop-rock ballad. My favorite track, though, is Happy Christmas, which lists of all the stuff associated with Christmas before taking an opposite stance to Santa Baby. “Maybe we worry too much about wishing and not enough about giving,” she muses. This endearing track espouses random acts of kindness and general goodwill, and for its refreshing message, it’s the one I most hope to hear on the radio.

Caillat has a unique voice that just seems to exude happiness, so I’m glad that she decided to release an album in a genre so marked by happy music. The fact that her father produced the album adds to the sense of authenticity that particularly comes from her self-penned songs. While I would have liked to hear a more personal touch on some of the other songs, this would make a charming gift for those who already enjoy her laid-back style.

Disney Offers a Nice Mix of Christmas Classics With a Few New Tunes

We've moved into full-on Christmas mode in my house this year, so when I recalled that yesterday was Mickey Mouse's birthday, a Disney Christmas album seemed like a good way to celebrate. So it was that we stumbled upon Disney's Family Christmas Collection, a group of 20 songs befitting the season.

Many of the songs here just have a pleasant, generic feel to them. Some have a peppy kid's chorus and sometimes an adult soloist in the tradition of many classic Disney recordings. Songs in this vein include Frosty the Snowman, Joy to the World and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Most of the tracks are quite short, ranging from about a minute to two and a half minutes, which keeps things moving along quickly and almost guarantees that if you don't like the current song, you'll soon find a song that you do like.

The album isn't especially well mixed, as the first batch of songs generally has a much more upbeat feel, while the second batch is more sedate. Still, this could be handy, as kids might prefer the first half and adults the second. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and Winter Wonderland are both tracks that appear earlier on the album but better fit the tone of the second half, as they are short choral arrangements with plenty of harmony. Other tracks in this style include the serene Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabella, the madrigalesque Carol of the Bells and the reverent O Come All Ye Faithful.

Then there are the traditional songs that highlight individual singers. My favorite of these is probably Jolly Old St. Nicholas, which is performed by Anndi McAfee, whose childlike voice is sweet, strong and perfectly suited to the innocence of the narrator. Though I didn't realize this initially, she voiced Cera the triceratops in several sequels to The Land Before Time, a staple of my childhood.  Catherine Lucille's lovely version of Silent Night, backed by an "ooh"-ing chorus, is one of the album's longest tracks at nearly four minutes in length. Another is Chris Martin's slightly Celtic-tinged What Child Is This? Meanwhile, Terry Wood's a cappella rendition of Away in a Manger is just over a minute long.

Other songs seem to be new. The album concludes with Martin's touching Angel Time, which has to do with the idea that we are all observed and protected by angels. On the sillier end of things is Rayvon's Santa Rap, a beatbox-heavy rap that deals with the distribution of toys to kids. My definite favorite song along these lines here is Rare Old Christmas, an old-timey, pipe-laden song performed by Ed Miller, who sounds like a charming elderly Irish pub denizen as he offers a benediction to listeners, wishing them laughter and the joy of music.

Of course, it would be disappointing to listen to an album in honor of Mickey if the mouse himself didn't put in a few appearances. He, Minnie and Goofy are an integral part of the bouncy Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls, and they also chime in on Here Comes Santa Claus. Donald is a bit quieter on this album, perhaps because of his poor enunciation skills, but he's right in the thick of things on the sound effects-laden Sleigh Ride. The more prominent duck, however, is Ludwig Von Drake, who sings the only unique Christmas song that involves the Disney characters. That would be the very entertaining The Science of the Season, which attempts to explain such phenomena as flying reindeer and Santa squeezing into chimneys but ultimately chalks much of it up to magic.

This album includes 20 tracks but is only 45 minutes long, so it really is fast-paced. Plenty of certified Christmas classics appear here, though, and most of them are quite straightforward. While I generally prefer a little more personality and comedy in a novelty Christmas album, the more general tone of most of these tracks makes it fitting for background music at a party, and if anyone listening closely happens to recognize Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald or Drake, that should just be more reason to smile.

Lady Antebellum Emphasizes the Harmony of the Season in the Lustrous On This Winter's Night

My familiarity with the country group Lady Antebellum is pretty limited, but I have heard the trio on various awards shows and the like, and I’ve loved the tight harmonies and the bluegrass-tinged instrumental accompaniment, so I was eager to give their new Christmas album, On This Winter’s Night, a listen. I was not disappointed; thus far, it is my favorite of the Christmas albums I have heard for the first time this year.

Hillary Scott, the only woman in the group, takes the lead on several tracks. Her pleasant voice is the most prominent on the brief, big band-sounding A Holly Jolly Christmas and the mellow All I Want for Christmas Is You, which highlights an uncharacteristically merry-sounding mandolin. The First Noel begins as her solo, but it soon incorporates some lovely vocal harmonies, and she alternates with Charles Kelley and a choir for Silent Night (Lord of My Life), a beautifully reverent track whose descant pleading for Christ’s presence is its most memorable feature.

Given my limited familiarity with these singers, I wasn’t as sure of the identities of Kelley and Dave Haywood, though I understand that of the two, Kelley usually takes the lead. Male solos – albeit usually with some harmony here and there – include the plaintive I’ll Be Home for Christmas; the brass-heavy This Christmas; and the electric guitar-backed Silver Bells, which is the longest track on the album at five minutes long.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) ultimately feels more like a duet, though it starts out as a male solo. It’s livelier and less morose than I’m usually accustomed to hearing it, which is also true of Blue Christmas, which actually includes some whooping, along with electric guitar and brass. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas alternates soloists, who are accompanied by gentle acoustic guitar and later piano, while the short but charming Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow is a true group effort that incorporates some cheery piano and fiddle.

On This Winter’s Night is the title track, and it’s also probably my favorite. Aside from the descant on Silent Night, it’s the only song unique to the album, and it manages to touch on romance, general goodwill and the birth of Christ all in one song. Nearly four minutes long, it starts as a mellow male solo and builds to a full, rich sound bolstered by an angelic-sounding children’s choir. Particularly potent is the bridge, which declares, “The king became a child a long, long time ago, and the child became a king so the whole wide world will know what Christmas really is.”

The intricate harmonies of these three singers underscore the sense of harmony that Christmas is meant to bring about, and the rich instrumentation adds to the beauty of this collection of 12 songs. While it will probably appeal most to country fans, this sometimes reverent, sometimes playful album is suited to anyone who loves harmonious Christmas music.

Rod Stewart Delivers a Long-Overdue Yuletide Album with Merry Christmas, Baby

I have never counted Scottish pop star Rod Stewart among my favorite entertainers, but his raspy voice has a certain appeal by mere virtue of its unusual sound. I’ve also enjoyed several of his hits over the years, particularly the tender benediction Forever Young, which ran on repeat alongside a slideshow of photos of me that my dad put together for my college graduation party. When I saw that he had a new Christmas album out, my interest was piqued.

What really surprised me was the fact that this is the first Christmas album to be released by the seasoned recording artist, who has recently turned to crafting albums of standards. Granted, I’d never associated him with any Christmas recordings, but it was hard for me to believe that in his long career, he’d never come up with the almost-ubiquitous Christmas album. That knowledge just made me all the more eager to enjoy the David Foster-produced Merry Christmas, Baby, is a nice jazzy backdrop to a cold winter’s evening.

As is typical for albums of this type, many of the tracks have a similar sound to them. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and Blue Christmas share a leisurely pace and prominent piano, with other instruments coming in during instrumental sections. The little hint of Jingle Bells that concludes Merry Little Christmas is a nice touch, as is the bit of scatting toward the end of Santa Claus, but none of these tracks is particularly distinctive.

Guitar is more the standard for White Christmas, which is distinguished by a groovy riff at the beginning and end, and Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, in which the guitar ripples nicely and is ultimately joined by the saxophone. When You Wish Upon a Star doesn’t really offer anything new, but it is a nice relaxing track, even if I always scratch my head a bit when it appears on a Christmas album.

Stewart changes things up a bit more with several collaborative tracks. Merry Christmas, Baby is a fun duet with up-and-coming master brass man Trombone Shorty. The electric organ and jingle bells add to the exuberance of the track, as does the backing chorus, and the addition of the line “May the good Lord be with ya” both recalls Forever Young and gives the secular song a touch of a gospel flavor. Another romantic track is What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?, which is peculiar in that it is spliced together with an old recording of Ella Fitzgerald, creating a virtual duet. Of the duets, this one struck me as the least dynamic, and once I realized the way it had been compiled, I understood why.

By contrast, I found Winter Wonderland, the duet with modern-day crooner Michael Buble, a vibrant delight. The two alternate lines then harmonize on the chorus, and both seem to have fun playing around with melody. It’s especially enjoyable when one starts and another starts a few seconds later, creating an almost round-like effect. The burst of snow-like noise that concludes the track is the perfect icing on what probably ties for my favorite track. The other is We Three Kings, a duet with Mary J. Blige. While the two of them sound very good together, it’s the instrumentation that really knocks me out on this one, with spooky pipes and pounding drums giving it a very mystical feel and making it one of the neatest versions I’ve heard.

I always hope that any given Christmas album I listen to will include at least one song I haven’t heard elsewhere, and this album did not disappoint me there. Trombone Shorty returns for the boisterous Red-Suited Super Man, a lively song that begs, “Santa, bring some love to us all.” The sound is fun, but the message is fairly serious as it expresses a desire for peace and brotherhood throughout the world. Hence, it reminds me quite a bit of “My Grown-Up Christmas List,” though the tone is peppier and less earnest. It’s not a song I see becoming a favorite, but it is an enjoyable track.

The album ends on a very traditional note with the final two tracks. Silent Night begins with simple acoustic guitar accompaniment, but by the third verse, he is joined by an angelic-sounding children’s choir, and adults backed by an organ join in for the grandiose repetition of the first verse. Finally, given Rod Stewart’s heritage, it seems particularly fitting that he chose to conclude with Auld Lang Syne, the traditional New Year’s blessing crafted by lauded Scottish poet Robert Burns. The flutes and pipes add to the Celtic flavor of this song that ends the album on a note of wistful gratitude.

There are times when the album gets a bit snoozy for my taste, but the tracks are nicely arranged so that the bouncier tracks punctuate the slower ones before there is much danger of nodding off. While it’s not the most dynamic or original album out there, Merry Christmas, Baby is a finely crafted Yuletide treat that should please fans of Rod’s distinctive voice and Christmas music in general.

Super-Cool Saxophonist Charlie Brown Plays a Sweet Serenade

Poor Charlie Brown is the perpetual underdog. His beagle may be Joe Cool, but “cool” is not a word I would usually associate with the round-headed kid in the jaggedy-striped shirt. However, in this year’s Wireless Peanuts Band from Hallmark, he’s lookin’ super-smooth as he cradles his saxophone.

Like the other three figures in this series, Charlie Brown is sturdy plastic, and he stands atop a brown base with a wooden floor pattern on the top. That base is just over an inch high, just under three inches wide and about three and a half inches long. The contrast of the darker brown with the light brown on top adds to the attractiveness of the figure.

Charlie Brown wears brown shoes, but everything else about him is vibrant and Christmassy. His pants and scarf are green, while his coat and Santa hat are red. Against all that bright color, Charlie Brown’s skin looks paler than usual. On his face, two tiny black eyes gaze out, one on either side of his bulbous nose, while the black mouthpiece of his golden saxophone is inside his mouth.

Press the small brown button near the front of the platform, and you will be able to hear Charlie Brown play The 12 Days of Christmas, along with It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, one of only two religious songs the band plays. He bobs forward and backward as he plays, giving the impression that he is putting all of his soul into this performance. If you press the button again mid-song, the music will stop; press it once more, and he will begin to play the alternate tune.

Of course, what makes these decorations so very fun is the fact that they communicate with each other. Charlie Brown can play by himself even if you have all four figures; all you need to do is turn off the power on the other three. You can also turn off the power on one or two of them and experiment to see which accompaniment sounds best with him. I would say the player who stands out least when Charlie Brown is in the spotlight is Lucy, whose flute is higher in pitch but somewhat similar in tone to the saxophone.

If another character is playing, Charlie Brown will jump right in after a few seconds, provided he is on. When we first brought Lucy home, we took her out of the bag and pressed the button. Charlie Brown was in the kitchen, near my brother, and he started playing out of the blue. As he had never seen the interactive quality of these figures before, that startled him. It’s a nifty way to be taken by surprise.

Charlie Brown was the second of the figures that Hallmark released. Like the others, he costs $29.95 if you buy him and nothing else, but I don’t know why anyone would do that. He’s $14.95 with another purchase, and that purchase can be something as inexpensive as a greeting card. He comes with three AAA batteries loaded into the bottom of his base, and unless he’s in display mode, which is activated by holding the play button down for several seconds, he shouldn’t need to have his batteries replaced before the season is over.

Whether Charlie Brown is the lead instrumentalist or the beguiling back-up, he is an undeniably awesome part of this quartet, which is one of the cleverest promotions I’ve ever seen from Hallmark. I always thought Charlie Brown was a jolly good fellow, and it’s great to see him here as a nice guy who doesn’t finish last – except when it comes to providing that long, last note that lingers in the ears when the song concludes.

Schroeder's Piano Playing Helps You Deck Those Halls and Jingle Those Bells

If there is one set of characters I identify most readily with Hallmark, it’s the Peanuts gang. Every year, Hallmark releases all sorts of cute Peanuts figures – plush, ceramic, plastic, you name it. It happens throughout the year, but it’s always most pronounced at Christmastime. This year was no exception, and it brought a charming quartet I found it impossible to resist.

The Wireless Peanuts Band consists of four Peanuts characters, each resting on a brown plastic platform, the top of which resembles a wooden floor. The figures were released gradually, the first in October, the last in December, encouraging multiple visits to collect them all. Each is priced at $29.95, but that cost is cut in half with the purchase of another item. I can’t imagine that anybody would buy one for regular price; even a single greeting card is sufficient to bump the price down to $14.95.

The first figure in the series was Schroeder. His base is three inches wide and four inches long, making him take up more space than any of the others. That’s because he’s seated at his baby grand piano, and the elegant instrument is rather large. Like the rest of the figures, he is dressed in red and green. Specifically, he has a green sweater, while his pants and scarf are red. He also wears a traditional red and white Santa hat. The only part of his attire that is not particularly festive is his footwear, which is brown.

Schroeder is seated with his pudgy hands poised over the keyboard. A shock of yellow hair pokes out from under the white brim of his hat, and he wears a big smile. He doesn’t even seem to mind that he is performing in the same band as his abrasive admirer Lucy. In fact, they sound smashing together as a duo. With him on the piano and her on the flute, it’s a nice blend of earthy and celestial sounds.

It’s the interactive nature of these figures that makes them so fun. Play one, and everyone else joins in – unless you’d rather they didn’t. Hence, Schroeder can play alone or with one, two or three bandmates. If you don’t want to hear a particular character, just flip that switch on the bottom to OFF. It’s fun to experiment with different sound combinations and move the figures around to determine what placement will produce the most pleasing effect.

Schroeder plays jazzy versions of Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells. Naturally, these are fairly short, basically combining the beginning and end of the verse or chorus. He slows the tempo down a bit to allow his fingers the opportunity to roam freely. Of course, they’re not actually touching the keys, but they hover so close to them as he rocks back and forth that it’s easy to maintain the illusion.

To activate this, simply press the brown button near the front of the platform. Once the song is finished, press the button again to hear the other one. If you only want to hear the other song and are impatient, press the button as soon as the song starts. This will stop the song. If you press it again, it will start over with the other song.

Meanwhile, if Schroeder is on but is not the primary musician, he will chime in with his piano accompaniment after a few seconds. For instance, after Lucy plays the opening phrase of Up on the Housetop, Schroeder jumps right in and tickles those plastic ivories, making it sound considerably livelier than it would if Lucy were playing alone. Among the four musicians, there are eight songs, and Schroeder plays back-up on six of them.

These are much heavier than ornaments and are best suited to sitting on a shelf side by side, though if you place them in different corners of the room, they will most likely still work together. Mine have worked at distances exceeding 20 feet. Each comes equipped with three AAA batteries; if you need to replace them, you can do so via the bottom of the platform.

While Schroeder isn’t quite as integral a character as his bandmates Lucy, Snoopy and Charlie Brown, he is the first character I associate with music, so it makes perfect sense to feature him. Right now, I have this little pianist sitting on my piano, leading his friends in a celebration of Christmas cheer. “Oh, what fun” indeed!

Stopping in the Wood on a Snowy Evening With Pooh and Piglet

Every year, I add at least one or two Winnie the Pooh Hallmark Christmas ornaments to my collection. I usually wait until after Christmas to buy any for myself, but this year I decided to go ahead and splurge on Hello, Snow!, my favorite of the 2011 Pooh ornaments.

This ornament, crafted by Hallmark artist Tracy Larsen, is a magic ornament, and it truly has a magical quality about it even before you activate the light and sound. Pooh, clad in a turquoise scarf and festive Santa hat, is trekking his way through the Hundred-Acre Wood, lantern in one orange paw. The other holds a string, which is attached to a sled on which Piglet, all bundled up in a sea green scarf and hat, is taking an exuberant ride. Pooh obviously does not mind tugging his very best friend along; both of them wear enormous smiles.

Pooh’s ear almost brushes one of the limbs on the stately birch that takes up a good portion of this ornament. They stand on a platform that is flat on the bottom and mostly flat but somewhat lumpy on the top, to give the appearance that they are walking in freshly fallen snow. The front of the round platform reads “So much Christmas wonder to discover!” in blue, with blue snowflakes as accents, and the ground up top is dazzling white and covered with glitter, as are the birch branches.

The tree has five main limbs, each of which has two or three branches forking out. This makes Hello, Snow! an especially delicate ornament, and given how nicely it stands on a shelf, I won’t be taking the chance of one of those branches breaking by hanging it on the tree. However, for those inclined to try it, there is a brass ring on one of the limbs, roughly in the middle of the tree.

Meanwhile, hanging from a branch on each of the limbs is a small plastic snowflake attached with thread. These are cute and covered with glitter. Four of the snowflakes, at least on the one I have, look very similar to each other, while another is quite distinct from them, which makes me wonder why the others aren’t more strongly differentiated. They’re so tiny, though, that you don’t really notice what they look like unless you examine them closely.

Having these tiny dangling objects also makes me reluctant to hang the ornament on the tree, where it would be easier for one of the flakes to come off and get lost. While I love the snowflakes, I’m also enchanted by the cardinal who perches on a branch directly above Pooh’s head and gazes down at him. This handsome red bird stands out particularly well against all the white branches with their occasional black stripes.

I love the little poem printed on the box here. Its eight lines capture the wonder of a wintry landscape combined with the warmth of friendship. I especially love the last three lines of the eight-line poem: “The friends kept gazing at the sky, / So warm with wonder and delight, / they didn’t feel the time slip by.” When you’re a bear of little brain and a plush pig, chances are that you have neither promises to keep nor miles to go before you sleep, so there’s nothing to deter you from stopping in the Wood on a snowy evening.

Once the three button batteries have been inserted in the bottom of the ornament, pressing the small white button directly in front of Piglet will activate the “magic,” which means the lantern lighting up and a lush, flutey orchestration of Let It Snow playing. The music and light goes together; both end at the same time, and the lantern light seems to ebb and flow with the melody. It’s really quite lovely, especially in a darkened room.

I know not everybody finds snow as magical as I do, but on an ornament like this, where its beauty can be enjoyed with no plunging temperatures, it’s easy to get caught up in the enchantment of a winter wonderland, especially in the company of such grand pals as Pooh and Piglet.

The Peanuts Gang Has a Snow Day in the Christmastime Is Here! Ornament

A Charlie Brown Christmas, the first of many Peanuts specials, includes plenty of iconic moments: the kids dancing as Schroeder debuts Linus and Lucy, Linus explaining what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown bemoaning the apparent demise of his bedraggled Christmas tree. Before any of that comes along, however, we have the blissful scene of the children basking in the pristine beauty of a winter wonderland to the tune of the wistful Christmastime Is Here.

That scene is the subject of the 2011 Hallmark ornament of the same name. One of this year's most expensive ornaments at $35, it is also one of the largest and most complex. On a circular sky blue base about 1.75 inches high and 3.75 inches in diameter, a scene of glittery enchantment unfolds. "Christmastime is here!" declare the words on the base, making it obvious which way the ornament should be turned, though the placement of the landmarks suggests it as well.

In the back, we have Snoopy's red doghouse, its roof covered in snow, toward the right and a snowman in a green scarf toward the left. Snow-covered trees rest to both the left and right near the front, and an especially tall one stands directly in the middle with the loop for the ornament hook at the top, looking almost like a traditional tree-topping star. The snow is white and thick, with a generous sprinkling of sparkles.

Five characters appear on this ornament, none of them standing much more than an inch in height. On a round track circling the central tree, we have Charlie brown in his brown cap, red coat and black pants stretched out on a wooden toboggan. In front of him is Linus in a green cap and black sweater, happily seated inside a cardboard box, and leading the procession - at least, depending how you look at it - is Snoopy cruising along in his red supper dish, with Woodstock perched on the fuzzy brim of his Santa hat. Finally, Lucy, clad in a pale blue dress and matching cap, has a tiny pond to herself, and she looks uncommonly graceful as she stands poised with one white skate on the ice and another in the air.

Each of the characters is smiling, though Snoopy and Woodstock's cheerful expressions are difficult to decipher under their large snouts. Clearly, though, this is a very placid scene, and it becomes even more charming when you pull the string dangling from the bottom of the base with a small plastic snowflake at the end. At this point, Lucy twirls in place, while the four characters surrounding her circle her as the first verse of Christmastime Is Here plays. The string lasts longer than the song does, so after the children's voices fade, you will most likely still see some movement before it winds down entirely.

Each of the figures is intricately detailed, making this ornament gorgeous to look at but not one that is ideal for tree-hanging. The ornament on the whole is heavy and bulky, likely to weigh down a typical evergreen branch, while the tiny figures might get dwarfed or damaged as they hang on the tree. This battery-operated ornament created by Hallmark artist Tracy Larsen seems much more suited to shelf-sitting; while you will have to pick it up in order to pull the string and get the magic going, it works fine if you immediately set it down on the shelf again afterward.

Every year, Hallmark releases oodles of ornaments that I would readily snatch up if I had an inexhaustible supply of money and tree space. The Peanuts ones are harder for me to resist than most, and Christmastime Is Here! is one of the most enchanting of those ornaments yet.

A Christmas Band Tackles Disney in Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse

When I hear the name Mannheim Steamroller, I immediately think Christmas. After all, this is the group whose distinctive electronica arrangements of Christmas classics are inescapable come December, particularly at retailers. However, seasonal music is not all they do. I was surprised to find that one of their more unusual projects is Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse, a collection of Disney songs.

If I were to listen to these songs out of context, I would most likely be able to guess that they were the work of Mannheim Steamroller, since they have such a unique sound. Several of the selections, most notably the peppy Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, actually seem like they would fit well in the Main Street Electrical Parade. They're fun, funky takes on Disney classics. The drawback is that the compositions sometimes have extended openings veering so far from the original that it takes quite a while to recognize the song. I especially found that to be the case with the rather gothic opener, Chim Chim Cher-ee, and the adventurous-sounding The Ballad of Davy Crockett.

Of course, if you're going to have an album of covers like this, it's generally better to do something unique with them. It seems like the group had a lot of fun with these arrangements, particularly in terms of ambient noise. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, for instance, has warbling birds in the background, while Heigh-Ho includes several interesting percussive instruments meant to evoke digging in a mine. I think the coolest track may be Under the Sea, which incorporates seagulls, surf and bubbling noises, to say nothing of the reggae-ish instruments that tackle the melody, though Reflection, the longest track, gives it a serious run for its money with its Asian instrumentation and gently running water.

One of the most experimental tracks is When You Wish Upon a Star, which weaves itself around the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I'd never really noticed the similarities between the tunes, but they complement each other quite well. The other is Hakuna Matata, which bears only a passing resemblance to the actual song and basically just turns the title phrase into a sort of ceremonial chant accompanied by tribal rhythms.

More straightforward are You've Got a Friend in Me, which has a rather bluesy feel to it, and Go the Distance, which feels appropriately epic without including any really unusual instruments. The saxophone surprised me a bit, but it works well for the fairly brief segment in which it appears. Mickey Mouse March, which closes the album and is only the second to include vocals, is probably my least favorite track; I like the song, but this rendition sounds so mournful that it ends the album on a bit of a sour note.

Still, the album on the whole is lots of fun. I know there are some who find the musical stylings of Mannheim Steamroller annoying; if you don't like their Christmas music, I doubt you'll like this. However, if offbeat renditions of familiar classics appeal to you, meet Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse. You'll be glad you did.

Michael Buble Creates a Classic Christmas Album

I’ve been vaguely aware of Canadian crooner Michael Bublé for several years, but it wasn’t until I discovered his exuberant Haven’t Met You Yet last year that I really became a fan. When I heard he was releasing a solo album, I was quite excited to hear what he would come up with, and the David Foster-produced Christmas is just as fun as I hoped it would be.

The album includes plenty of classic standards, starting off with It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, which isn’t recognizable as such until half a minute in because of the lush instrumental introduction. From there on, it’s a smooth, straightforward rendition that sounds like it could have been recorded in the 1950s. The most interesting variation here is the slight uplift on the second syllable in “Christmas” toward the end of the song. Holly Jolly Christmas is similarly traditional and upbeat with a fun guitar solo in the middle making me feel like getting up and dancing like the kids in A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The Puppini Sisters join Michael for a rather annoying version of Jingle Bells. It’s similar to the Bing Crosby / Andrews Sisters rendition that always makes me cringe a little when it comes on the radio. I’m not sure why it bugs me so much; I just find some of the women’s harmonic contributions grating, and that’s the same here. Lots of scatting that just starts to sound cacophonous. It’s a very energetic track, and some will probably find it very entertaining, but I’m not a big fan. Michael has another guest on Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad, with Thalía joining him for a mostly-Spanish song. This guitar-heavy track is a lot of fun, even when I have no idea what they are saying. The chorus of joyful voices that joining toward the end adds to an already harmonious merger.

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is nice and jazzy with a brassy, big band-style instrumental break partway through. The steady percussion and bass gives the remainder of the song a lounge quality that is enjoyable and distinct. His spoken line toward the end about “the big fat man with the long white beard” is especially fun. Speaking of the big guy with the beard, he’s the addressee in Santa Baby, one of my least favorite songs this time of year because of the unbridled avarice that is Christmas materialism at its most galling. That said, Michael’s version is a lot less irritating than, say, Madonna’s, which always makes me roll my eyes. This one is so slow and quiet, with few of the obnoxious inflections typical to this song. I also like some of the lyrical changes, such as calling Santa “buddy” and “dude” and requesting Canucks tickets.

Michael’s rendition of White Christmas seems to have been modeled after the Drifters version, which was featured in Home Alone. Shania Twain joins him for this peppy, doo-woppy track. This is a song that usually comes across as sentimental and rather woebegone, but there’s none of that sense here until perhaps the very end. The brass and pounding drums make it sound like this is a parade coming through town to announce that snow is on the way just because the majority demands it. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, on the other hand, sounds just as wistful as when Judy Garland sang it. Violins are particularly prominent here, while guitar is just as effective at conveying heartache in I'll Be Home for Christmas, which starts off drenched in despairing homesickness but sounds much more optimistic on the second repetition.

It’s no surprise that Michael would tap into the subgenre of romantic Christmas songs here, and I really like his mostly low-key take on All I Want for Christmas Is You. Backed by piano, he sounds quiet and sincere, and the outburst late in the song feels genuinely emotional. In most versions of this song, I’m a bit worn out by the exuberance by this point, especially since the lyrics are so plaintive. He really does sound mildly melancholy – lonely without the one he loves but optimistic that she will appear soon. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) has the typical mix of anguish and pep. The jingle bells, electric guitar and backing vocals add to the energy of the track, which he sings the heck out of. I also find it fun that the backers echo the Beatles’ “love, love, love” chorus that Michael used in Haven’t Met You Yet. Blue Christmas sounds a bit odd with the clanging tambourine and the ostentatious brass section, and with him whooping and hollering in the background during the instrumental portions, he sure doesn’t sound blue to me. Maybe he’s trying to sound sarcastic? An interesting track, but it doesn’t quite do it for me.

My favorite Christmas albums tend to be those with a hearty mix of sacred and secular songs. This album features only two spiritual songs, and as the first one doesn’t show up until the tenth track, by the time I got to it the first time around, I figured that Michael must have decided to stick with the Santa side of Christmas, along with the cozy domestic end of it. Perhaps the album would feel a bit more balanced if Silent Night had been a few tracks earlier. It’s a lovely, reverent version, mostly because of the children’s choir, but it seems very strange to encounter it after nine tracks that don’t mention Jesus at all. The other track is Ave Maria, which is mostly about Mary and is in Latin. This song seems to be best tackled by those with operatic voices, but Michael does a nice job with it, and the austere chorus in the background is especially nice. While the fact that there are only two makes them seem a tad perfunctory, he does pull out all the stops with the production here.

Cold December Night is the only original track on the album, and it’s along the lines of All I Want for Christmas and all those other songs about romantic Yuletide proposals. It’s an upbeat song, so the implication I get is that he thinks he has a pretty decent shot of being accepted, though “fall in love with me” suggests that at this point, he is probably more invested in the possibility of romance than she is. In any case, it’s a chipper way to put his personal stamp on the album, which he also does at the very end with a five-second-long spoken “Merry Christmas” message.

While there are a couple tracks that haven’t entirely won me over yet, this is a nice album and precisely the sort of thing I would expect to hear from Michael Bublé. In the acknowledgments, he talks about how Christmas is his favorite time of year and how he wanted this album to be a throwback to the days of the crooners, particularly Bing Crosby, whose Christmas music so inspired him as a kid. Although this album includes a few fairly contemporary songs, it has a very old-school feel, so it should be warmly welcomed by those who fill their Christmas turntables with the likes of Bing, Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis. With Michael Bublé’s Christmas, it feels like we’ve stepped back in time, and it’s a very pleasant trip.

If You Like James Taylor and Mellow Christmas Music, Check Out Ricky Fitzpatrick's Acoustically Christmas

Around this time last year, I bought In Time, the debut album of Celtic Thunder’s Ryan Kelly, from the folks at CD Baby, an online music store focusing on indie artists. Because of this, I started getting e-mails from them, and one that I received late last year caught my attention. Although I’d never heard of Ricky Fitzpatrick, I was intrigued by their description of him as a James Taylor sound-alike, and since his MP3-format-only album was being offered for a mere three dollars on Black Friday, I decided to check him out. Acoustically Christmas is a nice, mellow collection of songs that make for pleasant Christmas listening, especially since Fitzpatrick does indeed sound remarkably like James Taylor.

Fitzpatrick, a devout Baptist based in Georgia, focuses on the spiritual side of the season with quiet guitar-based arrangements of traditional carols. Ten of the tracks feature familiar favorites presented in a reflective manner, several with choral elements. What Child Is This is slow-paced with a gentle chorus mingling with the guitar in the background; O Come Emmanuel, a pure a cappella track, is even slower and plays with the melody a bit as the deep voices blend, almost chant-like.

Other songs are more upbeat, like the warmly cheerful Joy to the World and the strummy Little Drummer Boy. I love the guitar work and some of the harmonies on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, and the largely instrumental Silent Night has a rather unusual sound to it. The First Noel, the only purely instrumental track, is up-tempo with a bit of a jazzy flavor, and Will Taylor (no relation to James) joins in on Angels We Have Heard on High. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear and Little Town of Bethlehem are pretty straightforward without any really distinguishing features.

Whenever I pick up a Christmas album, I’m especially interested in songs that are unique to it. We have three tracks like that here. Fitzpatrick wrote O What A Song, a song of praise imagining the celestial and earthly chorus greeting Christ’s birth. This duet with Nathan Sheppard, who, like Will Taylor, is a Georgia musician, has a very joyful quality to it. The tone in Lullaby for a King, also by Fitzpatrick, is quieter and almost a bit muffled; it’s a little hard to catch all the words the first couple of times around. Similar in theme to O What a Song but more on the contemplative side of things.

God's Song - Twice as long as any of the others, this final track isn’t actually a song but is rather a reflection on the idea of God singing: “The song of God is a simple song; it starts with God and it ends with Jesus.” As Fitzpatrick gives what amounts to a sermon that turns into an altar call of sorts, guitar plays in the background. There’s no particular melody; it’s just rambly ambient music that acts as a nice mellowing agent, though at times it’s a bit distracting. Overall, it’s a nice message that closes with a Merry Christmas greeting. It’s neat to hear where he is coming from, though it’s probably good that he put this track on the end, since you probably don’t really want to listen to a nearly nine-minute-long meditation every time you’re in the mood for some acoustic Christmas carols.

The album’s liner notes are a bit vague, so I’m not sure in what respect some of the musicians he mentions were involved in the recording process, but he acknowledges several, including Michael Card, my favorite singer-songwriter in the Contemporary Christian Music genre, and Livingston Taylor, the brother of James Taylor. Acoustically Christmas doesn’t offer a whole lot of variety, but if you’re looking for a reverent collection of Christmas Eve service standards, this is a great collection.

The Night Before Christmas Caps Mary Travers' Legendary Recording Career

Few poems have captured so many imaginations as Clement C. Moore’s A Visit From St. Nicholas. Nearly two centuries after its first publication, it remains ever-popular, particularly in the realm of picture books. Last year saw the release of The Night Before Christmas, a lavish Imagine Publishing book with paintings by Eric Puybaret and a three-track CD by Peter, Paul and Mary. Indeed, this bonus album – particularly the second track – appears to have been the main reason for this edition.

I received the book for Christmas last year, but I heard about it earlier in December when Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey were making the morning show circuit talking about the book, which they dedicated to Mary Travers, who died in 2009 of complications from leukemia. While the first and third tracks on the CD are, as best as I can determine, gleaned from the trio’s live Holiday Celebration concert in the 1980s, the second track features Mary reading the story, with background music added later by Peter and Paul. It was her final recording, making this a very special keepsake for Peter, Paul and Mary fans.

I’m certainly one of those, having been introduced to the group by an aunt determined to make an enthusiast out of me. At least, that was the first I recall being specifically aware of them as a trio, though I know I first heard Puff the Magic Dragon as a toddler, and while I might have been mostly familiar with kiddie versions, I find it hard to believe I made it to the age of eight without hearing their original rendition. In any case, could the gal who loved the soothing harmonies and intricate lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel fail to fall for the grassroots power and vocal majesty of Peter, Paul and Mary? It was only a matter of time.

In Mary’s recording, her voice teeters on faint; it’s plain that she is not as robust as she once was. Nonetheless, her reading sparkles with warmth and enthusiasm, and the playful background vocalizations of her old friends are an affectionate tribute to their bond. In the first track, Paul sings the song to guitar accompaniment, filling the melody he co-composed with expressive nuances. He sings with such laughter in his voice that smiling along is practically inevitable. The third track is A-Soalin’, a complex acoustic song about carolers singing for their supper. It doesn’t have a very direct connection to the book, but it is a harmonious song of Christmas cheer, and it also happens to mention the names Peter and Paul.

Obviously, this edition is of particular interest to fans of this iconic folk trio, but it’s an excellent find for anyone looking for a handsome copy of the poem for the family library. The paintings are vibrant, with rich yellows, deep reds and a hushed bluish-white blanket of snow surrounding the house in which St. Nicholas makes his grand appearance. Unusual elements include the verdant robes the reindeer wear, the creative and seemingly homemade toys found throughout the house and the tiny, luminescent fairies who flit through the living room as St. Nick leaves his gifts. The poem is entirely intact, and this is about as straightforward a version as you are likely to find. I was a bit surprised that the narrator drops out of the illustrations after throwing up the sash in his room, but this leaves more room to zero in on the character kids are most interested in.

If you don’t have a picture book version of Moore’s poem in your home, consider getting this one. If, like me, you’ve encountered multiple versions and have a tough time deciding on a favorite, you’ll definitely want to add this one into the consideration. Imagine Publishing’s The Night Before Christmas is a timeless edition of a classic tale and a last labor of love for a trio whose output spanned half a century and whose influence will go on much longer.

In So Beautiful or So What, Paul Simon Chooses Beautiful

When I think of great American songwriters, few names come to mind as readily as Paul Simon, whose words have been deeply ingrained in the public consciousness for nearly half a century. From the naïve enthusiasm of youthful cross-country travelers in America to the world-weary but accepting maturity of American Tune, he has commented extensively on the joys and sorrows of the American condition. Meanwhile, his Bridge Over Troubled Water, sung with such splendor by his soon-to-be-ex-singing-partner Art Garfunkel, was just the salve an aching nation needed during the tumult of the early 1970s. It seems appropriate, then, to post a review of Paul Simon’s latest album, So Beautiful or So What, on Independence Day. That said, this truly is an album for all seasons.

Getting Ready for Christmas Day - It’s a little funny to find an opening track about Christmas on an album released in April, but the song fits in with the album’s themes of reflecting on religion, divinity and making preparations. The tone is jubilant and optimistic, with the verses acknowledging life’s hardships but soaking up contentment anyway. Exuberant chaos surrounds Paul’s words, partly because of the recording of the call-and-response sermon by Rev. J. M. Gates that inspired the song, partly because of what I can only guess is some strange manipulation of the guitar strings to produce a spooky shrieking sound. I would’ve guessed a more unusual instrument was used here, but the album notes only mention guitars and drums. I find the effect a little unnerving, but maybe that’s the point, with Christmas jarring the speaker abruptly out of self-pity and giving him something positive to focus on. An upbeat start to the album. “If I could tell my mom and dad that the things we never had never mattered; we were always okay. Getting ready, oh ready, ready for Christmas Day…”

The Afterlife - In this percussion-heavy song featuring several different types of guitars, Paul imagines the entry into Heaven as a rather tedious bureaucratic process: “You got to fill out a form first, and then you wait in the line…” Still, the rambling song has a whimsical feel to it, and even a reverent one by the end as all the waiting is worth it. “After you climb up the ladder of time, the Lord God is near. Face-to-face in the vastness of space, your words disappear, and you feel like you’re swimming in an ocean of love…”

Dazzling Blue - Lots of interesting instruments in this one, including the fiddle, the glockenspiel, vocal percussion, the tabla, the clay pot and the dobro. There’s a sense of mystery about this song, which feels fitting for Fourth of July with its talk of “dazzling blue, roses red, fine white linen to make a marriage bed.” It’s a love song, seemingly about a life shared together and enduring many trials. This one feels like it could be autobiographical, with the talk of rainy days and distance recalling Kathy’s Song and of a musician’s life on the road recalling Homeward Bound. The general feel I get from the album is one of curiosity and contentment, wondering about the mysteries of the world but being more focused on gratefully enjoying the ride, whatever it may mean. I wonder if Paul ever watched LOST; he seems to have the same sort of outlook as show-runners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse… “Sweet July, and we drove the Montauk Highway and walked along the cliffs above the sea, and we wondered why, and imagined it was someday and that is how the future came to be.”

Rewrite - Very distinct guitar work on this one, along with the kora, the djembe, and angklung and glass harp. A good portion of the song is purely instrumental, which feels reflective of the deep thinking the speaker is doing. On the one hand, he seems to be talking about writing a novel, reminding me of the Beatles’ Paperback Writer, but by the end, I get the sense that it’s more about wishing he could rewrite his life and simply undo the mistakes he has made. Given the optimistic tone of the album, I’m inclined to think that this man, whose whistling seems to indicate a cheerful frame of mind, is actually doing something to make amends rather than just daydreaming about it. As with most of the songs here, there’s also a spiritual thread, as he is addressing God and thanking Him for listening and helping him turn his life around. “I’ll eliminate the pages where the father has a breakdown and he has to leave the family but he really meant no harm. I’m gonna substitute a car chase and a race across the rooftops when the father saves the children and he holds them in his arms.”

Love and Hard Times - This song has a very different sound to it right off the bat because it is so slow and the most prominent instrument, at least initially, is the piano. Gradually other instruments join in, giving the song a richly orchestral feel as flutes, guitars, violas, clarinets and English horns, among others, take turns being highlighted. Flutes in particular stand out to me, accentuating statements of natural beauty like “Orange blossoms opened their fragrant lips.” It’s a rather odd song, since it begins with God and Jesus visiting Earth and remarking that they seem to be more appreciated in their absence, then turns into a love song. However, the lyrics come back around to God again in the final lines as the speaker remarks, “Thank God, I found you,” and he seems to mean it literally. An interesting reflection on the tendency of deep feelings to bloom in adversity. “’Well, we got to get going,’ said the restless Lord to the Son. ‘There are galaxies yet to be born. Creation is never done…’”

Love Is Eternal Sacred Light - We’re back to up-tempo and guitar-heavy again in this curious song that speculates on the nature of the universe. There’s an old-timey Gospel feel here, with the percussion reminding me of a rumbling locomotive and a harmonica adding to the nostalgic flavor. The verses take some complex turns, but the basic theme seems to be that God is love. The speaker spends the first part of the song eloquently theorizing about the origins and nature of the universe and the last part simply enjoying his place in it. Meanwhile, in the middle, Paul’s voice gets extremely low as he has God speak for Himself for two verses, seemingly bemused at the speaker’s ramblings. “Big Bang. That’s a joke that I made up once when I had eons to kill. You know, most folks, they don’t get when I’m joking. Well, maybe someday they will.”

Amulet - This instrumental track is by far the shortest on the album and just features Paul on the acoustic guitar, with faint humming now and then. I’m not sure what the title signifies, but it’s a lovely, stripped-down melody.

Questions for the Angels - This is another slow, meditative song that picks up tempo a bit in the last verse. Again, it’s about pondering life’s enigmas, this time posing conundrums to angels. I love the slight alteration of the chorus the second time around, from “Who believes in angels? Fools do” to “Who believes in angels? I do.” The song contains a strong thread of compassion for those who are disenfranchised, beginning with a “pilgrim” wandering through New York City with scarcely a penny to his name. The thoughts turn from general to increasingly specific, with the end of the song mentioning Jay-Z and weeping zebras. An intriguing reflection. “If you shop for love in a bargain store and you don’t get what you bargained for, can you get your money back? If an empty train in a railroad station calls you to its destination, can you choose another track?”

Love & Blessings - Guitar and drums are the main instruments in use here, though a clarinet makes an impression late in the song, which is marked by excerpts from a 1938 recording of the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet. The repeated line of “Bop-bop-a-whoa” hearkens back to The Afterlife, which ends with the speaker unable to articulate anything but nonsense fragments of an old rock song. There’s a bit of a melancholy edge to this one, a sense of ephemerality; his point seems to be to cherish every moment because they good times don’t last forever – but then, neither do the bad times. “Love and blessings, simple kindness fell like rain on thirsty land. Fields and gardens long abandoned came to life in dust and sand.”

So Beautiful or So What - This title song is a mid-tempo, guitar-heavy number that emphasizes the importance of one’s outlook. It acknowledges darkness and suffering in the world, even referencing the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but the idealistic tone that pervades the album is once again evident here, as the speaker chooses to focus on the positive, and the final repetition of “So beautiful, so beautiful…” makes a fitting final statement for this album. “Life is what you make of it, so beautiful or so what.”

In his introduction in the liner notes, acclaimed musician Elvis Costello praises Paul Simon for rejecting “the allure of fashionable darkness.” While a certain somber quality has always run through Paul’s music and even his voice has a sad edge to it, beauty has always been present as well, and just months shy of the iconic 70-year mark he discussed in Old Friends, he seems to be very much at peace with the world, the universe and his place in it. He speaks as a man who does not have all the answers, but what a pleasure it is to listen to him explore the questions.

Dr. Demento Presents the Not-Quite-Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time

I love Christmas music of all kinds. Sometimes, that means the just plain silly. If you, too, like to get a little goofy at Christmastime, Dr. Demento Presents the Greatest Christmas Novelty CD Of All Time is a pretty good choice. Now, I might take issue with the title, as some of my favorite novelty Christmas songs are missing, and not all the tracks leave me in stitches. Still, there’s some great stuff on here, including several songs you might have heard on the radio in December. In fact, I received this after my mom jokingly told my aunt that I wanted a hippopotamus for Christmas. My aunt responded by tracking down this CD, which contains the song that inspired that suggestion. I’m glad she did.

The Chipmunk Song - It seems that most people fall in to the “love it” or “hate it” camp when it comes to Ross Bagdasarian’s high-pitched ditty that has been a Christmas staple for half a century. Theodore, Simon and especially Alvin are anxious for Christmas. Hapless Dave Seville just wants them to get through the song, but Alvin needs to make it clear just how desperately he wants a hula hoop. When you think about it, that’s an awfully modest request. But there’s nothing modest about his haranguing manner in driving the point home. “We can hardly stand the wait; please, Christmas, don’t be late!”

All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth - Spike Jones was a big name in novelty records, and this is one of his most memorable efforts. The liner notes point out that this is the earliest song on the album, hailing from the late 1940s, and it’s chock full of silly sound effects, as well as trumpeter George Rock’s ridiculous kiddie voice. A kazoo-laden instrumental version of Jingle Bells and a riff on A Visit From St. Nicholas add to the amusement in this tale of woe from a kid who is tired of his dental issues making him incomprehensible. “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth so I can with you Merry Chrithmath!”

Jingle Bells - Cheerful guitar and jingling bells make an innocuous background for this rather head-scratching track. It’s dogs. Barking Jingle Bells. It reminds me of the little Casio keyboard I got when I was six or so, in which one of the sound options was barking dogs. Fun when you’re a little kid. Probably not something you really want to listen to for more than a few seconds as an adult.

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas - This Allan Sherman take on the tedious Christmas classic is the first off-kilter version that I heard, and I still consider it one of the best. His amusingly bland voice, used to such great effect in Letter From Camp, tickles the funny bone again as he chronicles the ridiculous gifts he has received for Christmas. The list is just as absurd as in the original; the difference is that this guy realizes how bizarre it all is. A quirky commentary on the commercialism and kitsch the often accompany Christmas. “On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a statue of a lady with a clock where her stomach ought to be, a simulated alligator wallet, a calendar book with the name of my insurance man, green polka-dot pajamas and a Japanese transistor radio.”

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - I discovered this song written by John Rox and recorded by brassy-voiced youngster Gayla Peevey about four years ago, but it’s been floating around since in the early 1950s. Gayla, who was ten at the time, actually got her hippopotamus, which she donated to the Oklahoma City Zoo, which I imagine was a little roomier than her “two-car garage.” Stereotypically, children are known to petition Santa for ponies and puppies for Christmas. This song is thinking out of the box, and as a life-long hippo lover, I always get a smile out of it. “No crocodiles or rhinoceroses; I only like hippopotamuses, and hippopotamuses like me too!”

Nuttin’ for Christmas - Stan Freberg is one of several singers who recorded this song in the 1950s. He sounds like quite the rascal, with a voice that reminds of ne’er-do-well Lampey in Pinocchio. I prefer versions where the kid seems contrite over his misdeeds; here, he most definitely revels, even going so far as to conspire with a Christmas burglar. Definitely not a child to emulate… “I did a dance on Mommy’s plants, climbed a tree and tore my pants, filled the sugar bowl with ants. Somebody snitched on me.”

A Christmas Carol - I love Tom Lehrer, one of the mid-century pillars of the novelty music scene. Very much like Straight No Chaser’s Christmas Can-Can but a good deal shorter, and only featuring one singer, this is a cynical look at Christmas shopping craziness. It incorporates several traditional carols like Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Angels We Have Heard on High and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, inserting new lyrics poking fun at the insanity that ensues this time of year. “On Christmas Day, you can’t get sore. Your fellow man you must adore. There’s time to rob him all the more the other three-hundred and sixty-four.”

Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer - I have mixed feelings about this Randy Brooks song. Really, it’s in rather poor taste. On the other hand, it has been known to make me chuckle now and then. Not poor Grandma’s plight, but some of those lines are pretty funny. Plus, my beloved Irish Rovers recorded it before Elmo and Patsy did, and loyalty compels me to at least tolerate their version, which is a lot less hickish than this one, in which the singers sound tipsy half the time. I do love the part, though, when “Grandpa” kicks in with his super-deep voice… “Grandma got run over by a reindeer walkin’ home from our house Christmas Eve. You can say there’s no such thing as Santa, but as for me and Grandpa, we believe.”

I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas - Recorded by Harry Stewart as Yogi Yorgesson, this is another pretty old track, hailing from 1949. As a gal with Swedish blood who loves listening to Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, I get a kick out of this faux Scandinavian who tells us, in his ridiculous accent, all the ways he gets a little loony at Christmas. And mostly, that seems to be a good thing. Also, the second song on the album to draw heavily from A Visit From St. Nicholas. “Oh, I yust go nuts at Christmas. Shopping sure drives me berserk. On the day before, I rush in da store like a nervous nelly yerk…”

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas - Here’s another 12 Days parody, and it’s more of a comedy routine than a straightforward song. Bob and Doug McKenzie, a Canadian comedy duo portrayed by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in a series of Great White North sketches, present a more talking than singing list of gifts, and it’s sort of the opposite of Allan Sherman’s song since this is stuff they actually want to get. It’s very salt-of-the-earth stuff: beer, bacon, French toast, turtlenecks, comic books… They only really make it to day eight before konking out, and they never quite manage to sync up with the cheesy background music that’s always running too fast for them, but that’s part of the fun. “Boy, that song was a beauty. It… it moved me.” “Yeah, I think it ranks up there with Stairway to Heaven.”

Green Chri$tma$ - And here we have the second 12 Days parody in a row, though that’s only one element of this old-timey Stan Freberg sketch that deposits Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit into a board meeting in which Scrooge and his sycophants espouse the value of using Christmas to advertise products while Bob tries to argue for the true meaning of the holiday. Parodies of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells make an appearance, and carols like O Come All Ye Faithful show up in instrumental form. It presents a pretty bleak picture of how thoroughly Christmas has turned into a big cash cow, and it ends on a bit of a downer. A tad on the preachy side, but it makes its point effectively. “Christmas has two S’s in it, and they’re both dollar signs.” “Yeah, but they weren’t there to begin with. The people keep hoping you’ll remember, but you never do.” “Remember what?” “Whose birthday we’re celebrating.”

I’m a Christmas Tree - Short and pretty much pointless. A collaboration between Wild Man Fischer and Dr. Demento himself, It’s a tuneless dirge by two guys accompanied only by jingle bells, and they lament how depressing it is to be a Christmas tree. Well, it certainly sounds depressing, and they appear to be making it up off the top of their heads, which accounts for the fact that half the time they are spouting different lyrics. No rhythm, little rhyme, nonsensical, and they sound drunk. “Oh, Santa Claus! Oh, Santa Claus! He breaks lots of laws! He trespasses! He breaks and enters! He travels all around the world without a valid passport!”

I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus - A one-note parody with a twist ending. In the original song, the kid gets a little peek and the humor lies in his misunderstanding of the situation. Here, the narrator, the adult Kip Addotta sounding like a whiny kid and thus not very musical, gets a whole big eyeful, and no matter who it is underneath that Santa suit, he comes across as a major peeping tom. A xylophone, accordion and trombone add to the rather annoying sound of the track. “There must be some mistake. Was I really awake? I rubbed my eyes and moved in close, a better look to take…”

Santa Claus and His Old Lady - In this Cheech and Chong sketch, one is trying to explain to the other who Santa Claus is, and it’s a pretty strange take on the iconic character. They both seem kinda stoned, which I guess is pretty typical for the duo. A bit of instrumental background music and a reference to Donde Este Santa Claus?, but mostly it’s just straight talking and pretty dull. “Oh, man, like you don’t know you Santa Claus is, man.” “Yeah, well, I’m not from here, man. Like, I’m from Pittsburgh. I don’t know too many local dudes.”

Christmas at Ground Zero - Usually I love Weird Al Yankovic, but I just can’t find anything funny about nuclear fallout. And I thought his Night Santa Went Crazy was grotesque! He really does sound insane here in this original song, and not in a good way. The cheesy 40s-style background music just makes it all the more irritating. “It’s Christmas at Ground Zero. The button has been pressed. The radio just let us know that this is not a test.”

Christmas Dragnet - Stan Freberg and Daws Butler collaborate on this nearly 7-minute-long Dragnet-style sketch that finishes off the album. A guy named Grudge doesn’t believe in Santa Claus, and they bring him in for questioning. Joe and Frank exchange banter with each other and him. Rambly Frank has a crisis of faith, terse Joe tries to prove Santa’s existence, the three of them head up to the North Pole to investigate further. Okay, but a bit on the drab and overlong side. “It’s Santa Claus! It’s Santa Claus!” “He’s the only guy I know can make everybody happy in one night.”

All the songs I really love are in the first half of the album; the rest are somewhere on the scale between so-so and annoying. The great stuff outweighs the clunkers for me, but it’s an album that I tend to skip around on. Chances are, though, that you will find at least one or two songs here to tickle your funny bone.

Celtic Thunder Presents a Christmas Concert to Treasure

This past September, Celtic Thunder filmed its Christmas concert in Poughkeepsie, NY. Since that’s only a state away, I seriously considered going, but the timing just didn’t work out. Instead, I bought the DVD and watched the festive presentation of these lads from Ireland and Scotland in the comfort of my living room. Celtic Thunder released two versions of a Christmas album in late 2010. This DVD incorporates every song from those albums, along with a couple of others. Plus, you have the fun of watching them as well as listening.

Neil Byrne, who has been with the group as an instrumentalist from the beginning but has recently been highlighted as a vocalist, starts things off with a jaunty rendition of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas that ends with a cheeky wink and an extra emphasis on the word “heart”. Later, he also gets When You Wish Upon a Star to himself, and though I wouldn’t normally call that a Christmas song, it fits in well and gives the program more balance.

Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly and Damian McGinty all sing songs with a romantic edge here. Keith gets stuck with uber-annoying Last Christmas, but he changes it up and makes it sound a little less whiny, and he’s in his element with All I Want for Christmas Is You, which allows him to do those vocal runs he loves so much. Both of Ryan’s songs have a sultry edge to them. The smoky jazz of Let It Snow is enjoyable, but as he repeats the whole thing again, I can’t help feeling like the song could use another verse or two. On Baby, It’s Cold Outside, he and Belinda Murphy have a flirtatious rapport that feels playful rather than creepy, which is how that song usually strikes me.

But of the purely romantic songs, Damian’s energetic Our First Christmas Together, a Rat Pack-ish Phil Coulter original, is my favorite. It’s got a fresh, cheerful tone to it that captures the exuberance of young love. There’s also a charming moment in which he shares the spotlight with a little girl who’s clearly a big fan. Damian also puts his stamp on Winter Wonderland; his rendition has become the definitive version for me, and it’s extra fun on the DVD because there’s a fake snowfall to accompany it.

George Donaldson’s songs convey more of a sense of general goodwill. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day captures the childlike excitement of the season, and it also allows him an opportunity to jump in with the band and do a little kick line. Going Home for Christmas, another Coulter original, feels particularly personal, since George, the only married man in the group, seems to battle homesickness more than the others. The instrumentation is fantastic in this one, as is the sense of giddy anticipation that George puts into his performance.

But Paul Byrom is the one who stands out to me most here, which is a little funny considering the fact that when I first began listening to the group, I was slow to embrace him. When it comes to solo numbers, he bears the weight of the religious part of Christmas all by himself. His operatic style is perfectly suited to Ave Maria, which he performs beautifully, but Christmas Morning Donegal is the moment on the DVD that really gives me goosebumps. This Coulter original starts out soft and mysterious, building to the magnificent chorus, which joyously recalls the wonder of a childhood Christmas morning. A local boys’ choir adds gorgeous harmonies, and the chimes and pipes add to the sense of enchantment in this song that makes such marvelous use of Adeste Fidelis. I was already really looking to this performance, and then, the day that I received the DVD, I found out that Paul was leaving the group, so this really feels like his swan song, even though he will be featured on the next Celtic Thunder release, which was recorded last year.

Then, of course, there are the group numbers, which have a magic all their own. These include a densely harmonic version of Silent Night, part of which is in Gaelic, and an a cappella rendition of Amazing Grace that is hands-down the most gorgeous version of the song that I have heard. They also perform Christmas 1915, the compelling World War I ballad included in their second album, and Neil, Keith and Ryan perform Hallelujah, which really isn’t Christmassy at all but still sounds awfully good. The concert ends with It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year / We Wish You a Merry Christmas, the medley used to heavily promote the album on television. It’s peppy and playful, and you probably get to see more personality from the lads, particularly in connection with each other, during this song than at any other point in the concert.

Of course, this isn’t really the time of year to be buying Christmas DVDs, but when you do get the urge to start listening to Christmas music again, I recommend this highly. It’s only about an hour long, but it really does feel like a complete program, and there’s a balance to it that neither of the CD releases quite achieves. I didn’t make it to Poughkeepsie to see this live, but I’m glad I can watch it at home whenever I want.

Rob Thomas Encourages Compassion in A New York Christmas

I really love the radio this time of year. Usually, I don’t listen to it much, except at work, where I don’t have much of a choice. In December, instead of merely tolerating the music – aside from those rare gems that make me burst out in an exuberant smile and, given a sufficiently empty hallway, sing along – I feed off of it. I’m completely energized by hearing all those marvelously familiar songs on a subject so near and dear to my heart. Another plus: every once in a while, something comes along that I’ve never heard before. And once in a great while, it’s a song that grabs me and refuses to release me, sending me scrambling for YouTube videos to keep my fixation in check. This year, the main song in question is Rob Thomas’s A New York Christmas. It took me a couple of times through it for me to realize just how m much I loved it, but there’s no mistaking it now, and whenever it comes on the mall radio, I can’t help but smile.

This is a Christmas song that is totally contemporary but with a timeless message. It is specifically rooted in New York City, which is very much associated with Christmas. You have all the morning shows that broadcast from New York, showing the city in all its decorated glory; Christmas traditions like the Rockettes and the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting; movies like Miracle on 34th Street, Home Alone 2 and Elf. New York is gorgeous indeed this time of year, but there are many who are cold, hungry and otherwise in great need during this season of celebration, and this song asks us to think of them. The tone is not accusatory, but it is a rallying cry as well as a prayer. God help us, and let us help those around us.

I discovered that Thomas wrote this song in the aftermath of 9/11, when the suffering in New York City was especially acute, and that the song is tied in with his Sidewalk Angels Foundation, which supports a number of charitable causes. Its mission is stated as follows: “The world can move so fast that those in need are often passed by. From animals that have been abandoned and abused to those who are destitute, homeless, or cannot afford proper medical care - these are universal problems that Sidewalk Angels Foundation, through its efforts, encourages people to address locally.” On 9/11, we saw the worst of humanity, but we saw the best of it as so many people banded together to help each other. For all too brief a time, the sense of community was palpable. This song makes that come rushing back and serves as a reminder that it shouldn’t take a horrific tragedy to get us to pay attention to each other.

A New York Christmas has a rock edge to it, but it also has a powerful driving melody that’s hard to get out of your head. There’s a swift undercurrent of percussion that sets an energetic tone for the verses. The electric guitar puts me in mind of traditional folkie grassroots movements, while the hints of the organ tie in nicely with the generally reverent feeling of the song. The whole thing feels bustling and energetic like the New York itself; it’s easy to imagine you’re hearing the heartbeat of the city. While Thomas’ voice is wonderfully melodic, it also has a rough edge to it that encourages everyone to sit up and take notice.

I don’t think I heard this song before this year, when it joined the regular Christmas music rotation in the mall. I don’t recall ever having heard it on the regular radio or on television, though that seems surprising to me. Thomas is a fairly big-name guy, having been in the band Matchbox 20, and this is an outstanding song that strikes me as a modern classic. When I first heard it this year, what initially caught my attention was the word “compassion”. That’s one of my favorite words, and it’s not one you hear in too many songs, though you should. The first song that comes to mind for me in association with that word, especially this time of year, is God Bless Us Every One, from the 2004 musical version of A Christmas Carol: “Let the stars in the sky remind us of man’s compassion. Let us love till we die and God bless us everyone.”

In this song, it’s, “Bring your compassion, your understanding (or, in the later verse, forgiveness). Lord, how we need it on this New York City Christmas.” The song is loaded with religious imagery, particularly angels. I especially love the line, “Hear the sidewalk angels echo hallelujah.” In this context, “angels” makes me think of Hebrews 13:2, which reads, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” This song is all about caring for those who could use a little extra help, whether that’s in the form of warm clothing, food or just a kind word. It’s a refreshingly unmaterialistic message. “So call on your angels, your beaten and broken. It’s time that we mend them so they don’t fade with the season. Let our mercy be the gifts we lay from Brooklyn to Broadway…”

I just discovered this song a couple of weeks ago, but it has quickly become one of my favorite Christmas songs. It’s a stirring anthem that reminds me how good I have it and how many people don’t have it so easy. You don’t have to go to New York City to find people in need. This is a song for New York, but it’s also a song for America and beyond. Now, to act on it…