Late last year, I started seeing a video by the name of Candlelight
popping up around Facebook. After it turned up on several friends’
pages, I decided I had to check it out for myself. This upbeat song,
just over three minutes in length, is a reworking of Mike Tompkins’ a
cappella cover of Taio Cruz’s Dynamite, a dance party hit I’d
never heard of at the time. The video, created by Uri Westrich, and the
lyrics, written by Emmanuel Shalev and David Block, commemorate
Hanukkah, telling the ancient story of the Maccabees and their defeat of
a mighty Greek army and of the light that continued burning despite
insufficient oil. The verses recount the tale, while the chorus focuses
on contemporary celebrations of this event and the bridge incorporates
Hebrew that fits seamlessly with the melody.
Having written
hundreds of filksongs myself, I find it fascinating when a song using
new lyrics to an established tune makes a big splash. When I finally got
around to listening to Dynamite, it was fun to see where Shalev
and Block made great departures and where they scarcely changed anything
at all. Instead of “I throw my hands up in the air sometimes,” we get
“I flip my latkes in the air sometimes;” instead of “Just wanna
celebrate and live my life,” it’s “Just wanna celebrate for all eight
nights.” Of course, the verses are very different, but they still work
extremely well in the preset format.
The video adds to the charm of the song with the Brady Bunch-style
head boxes, each containing a young man in a pristine white shirt and
black tie or, inexplicably, one guy in an orange astronaut suit,
interspersed with such sights as the cheesy re-enactments of epic
battles and the gorgeous shot of dozens of colorful dreidels spinning
merrily. The song is funnier when you watch it because of all the goofy
little visual cues, but the song on its own is great as well. Sung by
the Maccabeats, a Jewish a cappella group from Yeshiva University, Candlelight is vivacious, harmonious and educational.
I’m not aware of too many Hanukkah songs. The two that always spring to mind first for me are Adam Sandler’s ditty, which is really just a list of famous Jews, and Peter Yarrow’s Light One Candle, which merely uses Hanukkah as a jumping-off point for a broader message about social justice. Candlelight’s
lyrics never lose their specific focus on Hanukkah, making it a
wonderful cursory introduction to the holiday. The inclusion of Hebrew
phrases like “maoz tzur” and “nes gadol hayah sham” prompts further
study to learn the significance of those words, while the exuberant tone
makes the whole thing irresistibly festive.
As a Christian, I
have always felt a sense of kinship with the Jewish people and have
tried to familiarize myself with their holidays and traditions. This
song didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know, then, but I
think it would be very handy for anyone who doesn’t have any idea what
Hanukkah is all about. It’s a great overview, and it’s just plain fun,
not to mention harmonious, a trait that makes a cappella music
so inherently powerful. It’s about people coming together to create
something above and beyond what any of them could do alone. It’s about
community, which makes it such an ideal vehicle for this song about a
plucky band of brothers with unshakable faith and the modern people
bound together by their commitment to remembrance.
Showing posts with label Hanukkah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hanukkah. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Aliana Brodmann Celebrates Cross-Cultural Compassion in The Gift
In most books I’ve read that involve Hanukkah, the holiday itself is a central part of the story, but in The Gift,
a semi-autobiographical picture book written by Aliana Brodmann and
illustrated by Anthony Carnabuci, both Hanukkah and Christmas linger in
the background of a beautiful tale about generosity and compassion.
The story takes place in Germany in the 1950s, where the narrator recalls her excitement at having received a five-mark piece as a Hanukkah gift from her father. She carries the coin with her all through school, clutching it in her fist, then spends the afternoon perusing every shop in town trying to decide what the best use of this splendid present might be.
One neat thing about this book is all of the details of the types of objects found in shops of the time. It’s fascinating to read her descriptions of the fancy fountain pens, the tiny mirrors, the elegant hats, the pull-string duck with the line of ducklings behind it. Almost every item she examines is within her price range; one can certainly understand how she becomes overwhelmed with all of the choices before her!
The oil paintings are soft and intricate. Each shop the girl visits has a distinct assortment of goods, and several of the shopkeepers stand out, treating the little girl in the bright red coat and hat and deep blue scarf with kindness as she tries to make her decision. The fact that it is Christmas means that the shops are full to bursting with tempting merchandise. It also means that it’s winter, and by the end of her excursion, gentle snowflakes will render her warm clothing absolutely essential.
This book offers an intriguing slice of life from 1950s Germany, and the youthful but artful narration draws readers in. What really leaves a lasting impression on me, though, is what the child ultimately decides to do with her money. It’s a conclusion that recalls the exquisite Kate DiCamillo book Great Joy as the narrator’s kind heart compels her to make a surprising choice that nonetheless causes her to bubble over with happiness.
The peaceful rapport between the narrator and the many Christians she meets adds to the serene feel of the book; Brodmann’s parents survived the Holocaust, so there’s something especially poignant about seeing this childhood memory that conveys such a sense of mutual respect. A lovely book alight with the glow of compassion, The Gift is aptly titled.
The story takes place in Germany in the 1950s, where the narrator recalls her excitement at having received a five-mark piece as a Hanukkah gift from her father. She carries the coin with her all through school, clutching it in her fist, then spends the afternoon perusing every shop in town trying to decide what the best use of this splendid present might be.
One neat thing about this book is all of the details of the types of objects found in shops of the time. It’s fascinating to read her descriptions of the fancy fountain pens, the tiny mirrors, the elegant hats, the pull-string duck with the line of ducklings behind it. Almost every item she examines is within her price range; one can certainly understand how she becomes overwhelmed with all of the choices before her!
The oil paintings are soft and intricate. Each shop the girl visits has a distinct assortment of goods, and several of the shopkeepers stand out, treating the little girl in the bright red coat and hat and deep blue scarf with kindness as she tries to make her decision. The fact that it is Christmas means that the shops are full to bursting with tempting merchandise. It also means that it’s winter, and by the end of her excursion, gentle snowflakes will render her warm clothing absolutely essential.
This book offers an intriguing slice of life from 1950s Germany, and the youthful but artful narration draws readers in. What really leaves a lasting impression on me, though, is what the child ultimately decides to do with her money. It’s a conclusion that recalls the exquisite Kate DiCamillo book Great Joy as the narrator’s kind heart compels her to make a surprising choice that nonetheless causes her to bubble over with happiness.
The peaceful rapport between the narrator and the many Christians she meets adds to the serene feel of the book; Brodmann’s parents survived the Holocaust, so there’s something especially poignant about seeing this childhood memory that conveys such a sense of mutual respect. A lovely book alight with the glow of compassion, The Gift is aptly titled.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Devout Hershel Brings Hanukkah Back to a Goblin-Tormented Town
Eric Kimmel is an author who has made a name for himself with several picture books rooted in Jewish traditions. In Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins,
one of his most lauded books, he draws from folklore to craft the tale
of a clever man who outwits the goblins who have kept the residents of a
tiny village from celebrating Hanukkah.
Hershel of Ostropol is a cheerful wanderer whose wits have clearly served him well in his travels. When he learns of the plague of goblins infecting the synagogue upon the hill, he takes it upon himself to outsmart the lot of them, thus reclaiming the sacred holiday for the people down below in the town.
Some of the methods he uses feel very familiar. In particular, I recall a Mickey Mouse book called Mickey Meets the Giant, which appears to have been based on a pre-existing story, in which Mickey fools a giant into believing that he can wring water out of a rock. Something very similar happens in this book, with Hershel crushing a rock that is, in reality, an egg. Another trick, which involves tricking a goblin into gambling away all of his money, reminds me of the game that Captain Kirk makes up in an episode of Star Trek.
That said, this is certainly an original story, and it’s fun to contemplate how the devoutly Jewish Hershel might go about tricking his next nemesis. Kimmel actually skips over three of the days, which is rather a shame, since it’s so amusing to see Hershel outwit those goblins. However, this gives us more time to perceive how much more formidable a foe the Goblin King is. While Hershel always has the upper hand in his previous encounters, it’s obvious that this frightening specter is going to give him some trouble.
One neat thing about the book is the way Kimmel deftly drops references to elements of a traditional Hanukkah celebration. We see Hershel eat pickles and hard-boiled eggs and play the dreidel game with a goblin - though, as Kimmel helpfully points out in a note in the back, Hershel makes up rules that render it impossible for him to lose. Through it all, the golden menorah rests on a small wooden table, and Hershel finds a way to light the candles each night, with the final night the most miraculous feat of all.
This is a Caldecott Honor Book, and it’s easy to see why, as Trina Schart Hyman’s wonderfully detailed illustrations truly bring the characters to life. Her artistic style is realistic, particularly when it comes to depicting humble, hairy Hershel, who nearly always has a twinkle in his eye. The goblins, meanwhile, are marvelously creative, from the tiny purple winged creature who harasses Hershel on the first night to the terrifying, wraith-like final visitor. The paintings are dark, with the blackness of the aged building only pierced by the illumination of a few candles, which emphasizes their importance.
There’s a fair bit of text in Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, so it probably would be best suited to children of at least seven or eight, though it could work as a read-aloud for younger kids. While the story might be especially appreciated by Jewish children, Kimmel’s explanations in the back of the book make this clever story accessible to those from all backgrounds.
Hershel of Ostropol is a cheerful wanderer whose wits have clearly served him well in his travels. When he learns of the plague of goblins infecting the synagogue upon the hill, he takes it upon himself to outsmart the lot of them, thus reclaiming the sacred holiday for the people down below in the town.
Some of the methods he uses feel very familiar. In particular, I recall a Mickey Mouse book called Mickey Meets the Giant, which appears to have been based on a pre-existing story, in which Mickey fools a giant into believing that he can wring water out of a rock. Something very similar happens in this book, with Hershel crushing a rock that is, in reality, an egg. Another trick, which involves tricking a goblin into gambling away all of his money, reminds me of the game that Captain Kirk makes up in an episode of Star Trek.
That said, this is certainly an original story, and it’s fun to contemplate how the devoutly Jewish Hershel might go about tricking his next nemesis. Kimmel actually skips over three of the days, which is rather a shame, since it’s so amusing to see Hershel outwit those goblins. However, this gives us more time to perceive how much more formidable a foe the Goblin King is. While Hershel always has the upper hand in his previous encounters, it’s obvious that this frightening specter is going to give him some trouble.
One neat thing about the book is the way Kimmel deftly drops references to elements of a traditional Hanukkah celebration. We see Hershel eat pickles and hard-boiled eggs and play the dreidel game with a goblin - though, as Kimmel helpfully points out in a note in the back, Hershel makes up rules that render it impossible for him to lose. Through it all, the golden menorah rests on a small wooden table, and Hershel finds a way to light the candles each night, with the final night the most miraculous feat of all.
This is a Caldecott Honor Book, and it’s easy to see why, as Trina Schart Hyman’s wonderfully detailed illustrations truly bring the characters to life. Her artistic style is realistic, particularly when it comes to depicting humble, hairy Hershel, who nearly always has a twinkle in his eye. The goblins, meanwhile, are marvelously creative, from the tiny purple winged creature who harasses Hershel on the first night to the terrifying, wraith-like final visitor. The paintings are dark, with the blackness of the aged building only pierced by the illumination of a few candles, which emphasizes their importance.
There’s a fair bit of text in Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, so it probably would be best suited to children of at least seven or eight, though it could work as a read-aloud for younger kids. While the story might be especially appreciated by Jewish children, Kimmel’s explanations in the back of the book make this clever story accessible to those from all backgrounds.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
On the First Night of Chanukah Is Simplistic But Fun
The 12 Days of Christmas is an incredibly easy song to adapt, so
it has spawned its own mini-genre of Christmas books. Cecily Kaiser and
Brian Schatell extend its influence by applying it to Judaism in On the First Night of Chanukah.
I’ve read different explanations for the items included in the original 12 Days of Christmas, but no matter how you slice it, that’s a pretty strange list. By contrast, the objects in this book make a lot more sense. Each page features something that is typically a part of a Chanukah celebration: eight candles, seven doughnuts, six finger puppets, five chocolate gelt, four dreidels, three Stars of David, two latkes and one menorah.
One each day, a different person is singled out as the giver. It starts with Mom, then Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, an aunt, an uncle, cousins and a teacher join in the festivities. The beginning of the book is fairly sedate, but by the end of it, it’s quite a rowdy party, with a house full of laugher and love.
Schatell’s illustrations are cartoonish, with each of the family members wearing large grins and sporting rosy cheeks, and as the celebration gains intensity, there are more and more details to discover in the cheerful pictures. One of the neatest elements is the Maccabee Playhouse the children use to put on a puppet show, a great way to bring the family together and let the history of the holiday leap to life in a striking way. I also like the way the candles in the menorah spell out CHANUKAH.
The story itself doesn’t offer explanations for what any of these items are. It’s just your basic 12 Days of Christmas spin-off, so it’s up to the pictures to do the talking, and the book really seems geared toward children who are Jewish. Hence, while it could be an educational tool, I don’t think that was Kaiser’s primary intention, and those who use it in such a way will probably want to include some supplementary materials.
In comparison to the number of Christmas books out there, Chanukah-related selections are fairly few and far between. This one is definitely geared toward the younger end of the age spectrum, and it doesn’t tell a very in-depth story. But it still manages to cover a lot of ground in terms of depicting traditional Chanukah festivities, and the fun, affectionate nature of the family makes On the First Day of Chanukah all the more appealing.
I’ve read different explanations for the items included in the original 12 Days of Christmas, but no matter how you slice it, that’s a pretty strange list. By contrast, the objects in this book make a lot more sense. Each page features something that is typically a part of a Chanukah celebration: eight candles, seven doughnuts, six finger puppets, five chocolate gelt, four dreidels, three Stars of David, two latkes and one menorah.
One each day, a different person is singled out as the giver. It starts with Mom, then Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, an aunt, an uncle, cousins and a teacher join in the festivities. The beginning of the book is fairly sedate, but by the end of it, it’s quite a rowdy party, with a house full of laugher and love.
Schatell’s illustrations are cartoonish, with each of the family members wearing large grins and sporting rosy cheeks, and as the celebration gains intensity, there are more and more details to discover in the cheerful pictures. One of the neatest elements is the Maccabee Playhouse the children use to put on a puppet show, a great way to bring the family together and let the history of the holiday leap to life in a striking way. I also like the way the candles in the menorah spell out CHANUKAH.
The story itself doesn’t offer explanations for what any of these items are. It’s just your basic 12 Days of Christmas spin-off, so it’s up to the pictures to do the talking, and the book really seems geared toward children who are Jewish. Hence, while it could be an educational tool, I don’t think that was Kaiser’s primary intention, and those who use it in such a way will probably want to include some supplementary materials.
In comparison to the number of Christmas books out there, Chanukah-related selections are fairly few and far between. This one is definitely geared toward the younger end of the age spectrum, and it doesn’t tell a very in-depth story. But it still manages to cover a lot of ground in terms of depicting traditional Chanukah festivities, and the fun, affectionate nature of the family makes On the First Day of Chanukah all the more appealing.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Dogs Help Crack the Case in Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas
I’ve read several different children’s mystery series, from Encyclopedia
Brown to the Boxcar Children. But I’d only ever heard of Nate the Great
until I read Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas, which
appears to have been the 18th book in the series, which is designed for
children who are advanced enough to read independently but aren’t quite
ready for chapter books. Written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Craig
Sharmat and illustrated by Marc Simont, the approximately 40-page-long
book finds young detective Nate distracted from the job of shoveling his
driveway by the arrival of a friend in need.
That pal is Annie, the owner of Fang, a large, tough-looking pooch who intimidates Nate. Fang is out of sorts, which Annie insists is because he has not yet received a Christmas card from his mother. Don’t ask how, in a world where canines aren’t even capable of speaking, a dog can send Christmas cards; that is one particular mystery on which Nate can shed no light. But he is determined to figure out what exactly happened to the letter that Annie insists must have arrived.
With 40 pages to fill, Nate has time to try out every trick in the trade, but the ultimate solution is quite simple, reminding me of the book The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone. In both cases, the detectives’ four-legged sidekicks prove to be essential in finally cracking the case. Hence, this book is as much for dog lovers as mystery fans, with plenty of commentary on dog behavior, whether it’s the tendency to bark at the mailman or an uncatlike willingness to wear silly costumes.
Most of the sentences in the book are fairly short, often taking up just one line, and repetition is frequently used for emphasis and humor. For instance, when he investigates Annie‘s catalog collection, Nate notes, “Some of the catalogs were for dogs. Christmas food for dogs. Christmas toys for dogs. Christmas clothes for dogs. Fang must be on a mailing list.”
Fang is the most amusing character in the cartoonish illustrations, always a cross between foreboding and cuddly. He looks like a German shepherd without any color variation in his fur, and he’s charmingly complacent as he sits outside in the snow in a tiny hat and jingle bell collar. Also worth a laugh is Rosamond, an eccentric friend of Annie’s whose Christmas tree is decorated with several live cats.
While Rosamond and Annie are preparing for Christmas, Nate celebrates Chanukah. This doesn’t come into the story much, but it’s an interesting element, particularly when he mentions eating potato pancakes. The lights in his window at the end of the book are also a subtle nod. For a more overt examination of friendship across faiths during the holidays, I recommend Patricia Polacco’s The Trees of the Dancing Goats, but if you like a little mystery with your “merry” and some canine with your “Christmas,” check out Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas.
That pal is Annie, the owner of Fang, a large, tough-looking pooch who intimidates Nate. Fang is out of sorts, which Annie insists is because he has not yet received a Christmas card from his mother. Don’t ask how, in a world where canines aren’t even capable of speaking, a dog can send Christmas cards; that is one particular mystery on which Nate can shed no light. But he is determined to figure out what exactly happened to the letter that Annie insists must have arrived.
With 40 pages to fill, Nate has time to try out every trick in the trade, but the ultimate solution is quite simple, reminding me of the book The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone. In both cases, the detectives’ four-legged sidekicks prove to be essential in finally cracking the case. Hence, this book is as much for dog lovers as mystery fans, with plenty of commentary on dog behavior, whether it’s the tendency to bark at the mailman or an uncatlike willingness to wear silly costumes.
Most of the sentences in the book are fairly short, often taking up just one line, and repetition is frequently used for emphasis and humor. For instance, when he investigates Annie‘s catalog collection, Nate notes, “Some of the catalogs were for dogs. Christmas food for dogs. Christmas toys for dogs. Christmas clothes for dogs. Fang must be on a mailing list.”
Fang is the most amusing character in the cartoonish illustrations, always a cross between foreboding and cuddly. He looks like a German shepherd without any color variation in his fur, and he’s charmingly complacent as he sits outside in the snow in a tiny hat and jingle bell collar. Also worth a laugh is Rosamond, an eccentric friend of Annie’s whose Christmas tree is decorated with several live cats.
While Rosamond and Annie are preparing for Christmas, Nate celebrates Chanukah. This doesn’t come into the story much, but it’s an interesting element, particularly when he mentions eating potato pancakes. The lights in his window at the end of the book are also a subtle nod. For a more overt examination of friendship across faiths during the holidays, I recommend Patricia Polacco’s The Trees of the Dancing Goats, but if you like a little mystery with your “merry” and some canine with your “Christmas,” check out Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Colbert Christmas Offers Crass Comedy
In my house, we get basic cable, so we haven't seen too much of Stephen
Colbert, whose show has been consistently praised as one of the funniest
on television. With all the good buzz, when I heard that Colbert would
have a Christmas special, I was intrigued, and my curiosity turned to
anticipation when I realized that the special would be released on DVD.
It took me much longer to get it than I expected, owing to a lengthy
wait at Netflix, but I finally got to watch A Colbert Christmas, and I got just about exactly what I expected: 45 minutes of clever but irreverent songs and dialogue exchanges.
A Colbert Christmas finds Colbert trapped in his cabin in the mountains at the very time when he's supposed to be in New York City filming his extravagant Christmas special. While Elvis Costello fills him in by phone on the exciting goings-on there - The Nutcracker! Jonas Brothers! Goats posing as reindeer! - Colbert, dressed in a snazzy red cardigan and looking for all the world like Full House's Danny Tanner, welcomes a series of surprise guests to his cabin, all the while refusing to leave for fear of the bear lurking nearby.
Colbert's special guests include Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart, John Legend and Feist, along with George Wendt in a Santa suit. It's impossible to forget that this was a television special, since each segment concludes with a cheesy graphic in which a wreath frames a picture of the most recent guest. With the exception of Santa, each of the guests gets either a solo or a duet.
Feist, portraying an angel, has Please Be Patient, the prettiest of these songs, a parody of Angels We Have Heard on High which imagines angels as operators of an extremely backed up phone system. Willie Nelson's Little Dealer Boy, largely inspired by the Little Drummer Boy duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie, is sweetly melodic as well, but its lyrics, about a fourth wise man offering some suspiciously aromatic vegetation, are bound to raise a few eyebrows.
Of the songs presented, my least favorite is probably Nutmeg, Legend's seductive little number, which is laced with double entendres worthy of Austin Powers, while There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In, Colbert's concluding duet with Costello, borders on being genuinely touching. So does Hanukkah, in which Jon Stewart stops by to ask Colbert if he'd consider celebrating the Jewish holiday since the host fears Christmas has been ruined. Stewart, who doesn't have much of a singing voice, comes off as a bit of a drip and doesn't bring to Hanukkah nearly the same excitement Colbert brings to Christmas. ("COLBERT: Does Hanukkah commemorate events profound and holy? A king who came to save the world? STEWART: No, oil that burned quite slowly.") Nonetheless, it's a fairly sweet and educational exchange.
The most heavily advertised segment is Toby Keith's, in which he declares war on the war on Christmas. On the one hand, Have I Got a Present for You is pretty distasteful, as it seems to portray Christians as bunch of bloodthirsty vigilantes. On the other hand, as a parody of Keith's own The Angry American, my least favorite song that hit the airwaves in response to September 11th, it's just about perfect, so I tend to think of it more as self-parody than anything else when he growls, "Separate church and state, that’s what some lawyer said. I say it’s time we separated him from his head." (For the record, I like the idea put forth by a local radio station that Christians construct visible-from-the-street nativity scenes in our own yards, thus making a peaceful public statement about the reason for the season. And Colbert's suggestion, hidden in one of the boxes in the Countdown to Christmas special feature, of saying "Merry Christmas" to clerks before they can say "Happy Holidays" isn't bad either, so long as you don't replicate the Clint Eastwood stare he brings with it.)
Colbert does have a couple of songs to himself. There's the peppy opening number, Another Christmas Song, which is about as vacuous as Happy Holiday, whose chorus gets me cringing every time I hear it, and Jingle Man, Christmas Boy, a nonsensical Jingle Bells parody of which you only get a snippet in the special itself. For the whole thing, you'll have to check out day 20 on the Countdown to Christmas. That's the only box in the virtual advent calendar whose video clip is more than a minute long; the rest come in at under 30 seconds. The funniest of his solo songs is Cold, Cold Christmas, which is a stand-alone bonus feature in which Colbert, dressed as a cowboy and strumming a guitar, drops an avalanche of snow-related metaphors as he croons a mournful ditty about a bad breakup. (Another fun bonus feature is a crackling Yule log you can leave on the screen for a few minutes if you're inclined to pretend you have a fireplace.)
The special's production values are astonishingly hokey, which appears to have been entirely intentional. The bear threatening Colbert is some guy in a silly-looking bear suit, except in the one scene in which it's a video clip of an actual bear. Every new guest is accompanied by the same short burst of wild applause. Several songs have a headache-inducing parade of video clips behind them; the worst offender is Have I Got a Present for You, which incorporates several obscure old Christmas specials and lots of corny graphics in rapid succession, not to mention the way Keith bounces around the screen, sometimes in a different costume than a moment before. The special also takes the opportunity to spoof It's a Wonderful Life, and there's an eye-rolling running joke involving a sprig of mistletoe.
This is not a special for children, and many adults will find it too irreverent to enjoy. Once is certainly enough for me. However, I have to give props to Adam Schlesinger, who wrote the most excellent songs for That Thing You Do! and Music and Lyrics, and David Javerbaum. They are responsible for all the songs here except the group rendition of What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding? I'm such a sucker for novelty songs, and these are both well-written and, surprisingly, lacking in profanity, though some of them belong on the naughty list anyway. This is a special that simultaneously mocks and celebrates, though much of the mocking is more about individual personalities (Legend's luck with the ladies, Nelson's history with marijuana) than Christmas in general. Still, in the end, it's hard to tell which wins out, so I'm inclined to caution Christians, and maybe also Jews, who are serious about their faith to tread carefully. Those songs sure are catchy, and they're probably not the sort you want running through your head all week.
A Colbert Christmas finds Colbert trapped in his cabin in the mountains at the very time when he's supposed to be in New York City filming his extravagant Christmas special. While Elvis Costello fills him in by phone on the exciting goings-on there - The Nutcracker! Jonas Brothers! Goats posing as reindeer! - Colbert, dressed in a snazzy red cardigan and looking for all the world like Full House's Danny Tanner, welcomes a series of surprise guests to his cabin, all the while refusing to leave for fear of the bear lurking nearby.
Colbert's special guests include Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Jon Stewart, John Legend and Feist, along with George Wendt in a Santa suit. It's impossible to forget that this was a television special, since each segment concludes with a cheesy graphic in which a wreath frames a picture of the most recent guest. With the exception of Santa, each of the guests gets either a solo or a duet.
Feist, portraying an angel, has Please Be Patient, the prettiest of these songs, a parody of Angels We Have Heard on High which imagines angels as operators of an extremely backed up phone system. Willie Nelson's Little Dealer Boy, largely inspired by the Little Drummer Boy duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie, is sweetly melodic as well, but its lyrics, about a fourth wise man offering some suspiciously aromatic vegetation, are bound to raise a few eyebrows.
Of the songs presented, my least favorite is probably Nutmeg, Legend's seductive little number, which is laced with double entendres worthy of Austin Powers, while There Are Much Worse Things to Believe In, Colbert's concluding duet with Costello, borders on being genuinely touching. So does Hanukkah, in which Jon Stewart stops by to ask Colbert if he'd consider celebrating the Jewish holiday since the host fears Christmas has been ruined. Stewart, who doesn't have much of a singing voice, comes off as a bit of a drip and doesn't bring to Hanukkah nearly the same excitement Colbert brings to Christmas. ("COLBERT: Does Hanukkah commemorate events profound and holy? A king who came to save the world? STEWART: No, oil that burned quite slowly.") Nonetheless, it's a fairly sweet and educational exchange.
The most heavily advertised segment is Toby Keith's, in which he declares war on the war on Christmas. On the one hand, Have I Got a Present for You is pretty distasteful, as it seems to portray Christians as bunch of bloodthirsty vigilantes. On the other hand, as a parody of Keith's own The Angry American, my least favorite song that hit the airwaves in response to September 11th, it's just about perfect, so I tend to think of it more as self-parody than anything else when he growls, "Separate church and state, that’s what some lawyer said. I say it’s time we separated him from his head." (For the record, I like the idea put forth by a local radio station that Christians construct visible-from-the-street nativity scenes in our own yards, thus making a peaceful public statement about the reason for the season. And Colbert's suggestion, hidden in one of the boxes in the Countdown to Christmas special feature, of saying "Merry Christmas" to clerks before they can say "Happy Holidays" isn't bad either, so long as you don't replicate the Clint Eastwood stare he brings with it.)
Colbert does have a couple of songs to himself. There's the peppy opening number, Another Christmas Song, which is about as vacuous as Happy Holiday, whose chorus gets me cringing every time I hear it, and Jingle Man, Christmas Boy, a nonsensical Jingle Bells parody of which you only get a snippet in the special itself. For the whole thing, you'll have to check out day 20 on the Countdown to Christmas. That's the only box in the virtual advent calendar whose video clip is more than a minute long; the rest come in at under 30 seconds. The funniest of his solo songs is Cold, Cold Christmas, which is a stand-alone bonus feature in which Colbert, dressed as a cowboy and strumming a guitar, drops an avalanche of snow-related metaphors as he croons a mournful ditty about a bad breakup. (Another fun bonus feature is a crackling Yule log you can leave on the screen for a few minutes if you're inclined to pretend you have a fireplace.)
The special's production values are astonishingly hokey, which appears to have been entirely intentional. The bear threatening Colbert is some guy in a silly-looking bear suit, except in the one scene in which it's a video clip of an actual bear. Every new guest is accompanied by the same short burst of wild applause. Several songs have a headache-inducing parade of video clips behind them; the worst offender is Have I Got a Present for You, which incorporates several obscure old Christmas specials and lots of corny graphics in rapid succession, not to mention the way Keith bounces around the screen, sometimes in a different costume than a moment before. The special also takes the opportunity to spoof It's a Wonderful Life, and there's an eye-rolling running joke involving a sprig of mistletoe.
This is not a special for children, and many adults will find it too irreverent to enjoy. Once is certainly enough for me. However, I have to give props to Adam Schlesinger, who wrote the most excellent songs for That Thing You Do! and Music and Lyrics, and David Javerbaum. They are responsible for all the songs here except the group rendition of What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding? I'm such a sucker for novelty songs, and these are both well-written and, surprisingly, lacking in profanity, though some of them belong on the naughty list anyway. This is a special that simultaneously mocks and celebrates, though much of the mocking is more about individual personalities (Legend's luck with the ladies, Nelson's history with marijuana) than Christmas in general. Still, in the end, it's hard to tell which wins out, so I'm inclined to caution Christians, and maybe also Jews, who are serious about their faith to tread carefully. Those songs sure are catchy, and they're probably not the sort you want running through your head all week.
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