We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:Dear Editor:
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
— Virginia O'Hanlon
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
Not many things better embody the spirit of the Christmas holiday than the following exchange between young Virginia O'Hanlon and The New York Sun, which first appeared in 1897:
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Chamber launches new Web site
The Blytheville/Gosnell Area Chamber of Commerce has launched a new Web site. The site is available by clicking here. If you're looking for general community information, it's a great resource to utilize.
A link to the site also appears on the right side of the opening page of this blog.
Check it out.
A link to the site also appears on the right side of the opening page of this blog.
Check it out.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
True Love out of control with gifts
Christmas is still a few days away, but already the gifts have been rolling in, courtesy of My True Love.
On the first day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree. Unfortunately, it had been made in China, and was coated with toxic lead paint. The product was quickly recalled.
On the second day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, the entire slate of candidates running for president. They were all there, Democrats, Republicans — and even a Libertarian mingling about. Well, as you can imagine, they made quite a racket, especially since anyone not named Hillary, Rudy, Mitt or Barack pretty much had to set his hair on fire to get noticed. I sent them all into the garage so I could get some sleep.
On the third day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, three whining celebutantes. Now, normally, this would be pretty cool. After all, what red-blooded male wouldn’t have some appreciation for three reasonably attractive young females showing up on his doorstep? But this was Britney, Lindsay and Paris, and quite frankly, they just scare me. I sent them into the garage with the candidates.
On the fourth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, four falling dollars. And I have to be honest. I really have no idea what a “falling dollar” is, or what that even means. All I know is that it sounds bad. Not much of a gift, if you ask me.
On the fifth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, five unfounded rumors. It was a nice thought, really. But I work at a newspaper office, and I guess My True Love didn’t realize that I'm already in supply of a steady stream of unfounded rumors.
On the sixth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a Google search of myself. It turned up 193 hits. Not too shabby.
On the seventh day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, Al Gore. He barged right in, waving his Nobel Prize around, complaining that it was too hot in my house, insisting that I was in danger of melting all my ice cubes. So I showed him to the garage. When he saw who was inside, he screamed and ran away. The celebutantes escaped in the melee, taking Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Hunter Duncan and Tom Tancredo with them. Nobody seemed to notice they were gone.
On the eighth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a single gallon of gasoline. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure she paid more for this gift than for all the others, combined. At least it sure seemed that way.
On the ninth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, an asterisk. She said my gift-giving had been tainted via use of performance-enhancing credit cards. “What’s the big deal?” I asked. “Everybody’s doing it.”
On the 10th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, one of those plush Christmas toys you see at Wal-Mart that play a holiday jingle whenever you push the button. I took it to the garage, to show it to the remaining candidates, but as soon as they saw it, each and everyone of them bolted out the door. I can't say that I blame them.
On the 11th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, an Internet message board where people were discussing assorted Blytheville-related topics. It sounded like a good idea, but it turned out to be complete garbage. I was disappointed.
On the 12th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, 12 mascot suggestions. Not only were they mostly lame, but a couple of them weren’t even identifiable.
Usually, My True Love* does a pretty good job of buying presents. But this year, she was way off the mark. Maybe next year I'll just ask for a gift card.
On the first day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a partridge in a pear tree. Unfortunately, it had been made in China, and was coated with toxic lead paint. The product was quickly recalled.
On the second day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, the entire slate of candidates running for president. They were all there, Democrats, Republicans — and even a Libertarian mingling about. Well, as you can imagine, they made quite a racket, especially since anyone not named Hillary, Rudy, Mitt or Barack pretty much had to set his hair on fire to get noticed. I sent them all into the garage so I could get some sleep.
On the third day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, three whining celebutantes. Now, normally, this would be pretty cool. After all, what red-blooded male wouldn’t have some appreciation for three reasonably attractive young females showing up on his doorstep? But this was Britney, Lindsay and Paris, and quite frankly, they just scare me. I sent them into the garage with the candidates.
On the fourth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, four falling dollars. And I have to be honest. I really have no idea what a “falling dollar” is, or what that even means. All I know is that it sounds bad. Not much of a gift, if you ask me.
On the fifth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, five unfounded rumors. It was a nice thought, really. But I work at a newspaper office, and I guess My True Love didn’t realize that I'm already in supply of a steady stream of unfounded rumors.
On the sixth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a Google search of myself. It turned up 193 hits. Not too shabby.
On the seventh day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, Al Gore. He barged right in, waving his Nobel Prize around, complaining that it was too hot in my house, insisting that I was in danger of melting all my ice cubes. So I showed him to the garage. When he saw who was inside, he screamed and ran away. The celebutantes escaped in the melee, taking Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Hunter Duncan and Tom Tancredo with them. Nobody seemed to notice they were gone.
On the eighth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, a single gallon of gasoline. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure she paid more for this gift than for all the others, combined. At least it sure seemed that way.
On the ninth day of Christmas, My True Love sent to me, an asterisk. She said my gift-giving had been tainted via use of performance-enhancing credit cards. “What’s the big deal?” I asked. “Everybody’s doing it.”
On the 10th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, one of those plush Christmas toys you see at Wal-Mart that play a holiday jingle whenever you push the button. I took it to the garage, to show it to the remaining candidates, but as soon as they saw it, each and everyone of them bolted out the door. I can't say that I blame them.
On the 11th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, an Internet message board where people were discussing assorted Blytheville-related topics. It sounded like a good idea, but it turned out to be complete garbage. I was disappointed.
On the 12th day of Christmas, My True Love* sent to me, 12 mascot suggestions. Not only were they mostly lame, but a couple of them weren’t even identifiable.
Usually, My True Love* does a pretty good job of buying presents. But this year, she was way off the mark. Maybe next year I'll just ask for a gift card.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
So long, Milwaukee Tool
The news today that Milwaukee Electric Tool will close its doors by the end of next year is, of course, disappointing, and sad.
At least it's not a big surprise. Several months ago, the company announced that it might close the plant — a pretty sure sign of what was to come. And for years, there have been reports of the company cutting jobs, adding jobs, pulling out, coming back, only to pull out again.
But foreseen or not, it is disappointing. For one thing, there's the 350 or so employees who will be directly effected by the decision. And then there's the impact on the community — not only losing 350 jobs, but losing a company that had been a good corporate citizen in the community.
The consolation, if you're looking for one, is that Milwaukee Tool's move comes on the heels of several good things on the economic development front. PIZO announced plans several weeks ago to bring 45 high-paying jobs to the area. And other new plants, such as Atlas Tube and Roll Coater, have begun operations in the last year or so.
The whole affair offers yet another reminder of the importance for community economic developers to be ever-vigilant in their quest to being new jobs to the area. It's a fact of economic development life that plants come, and plants go. Communities that thrive are the ones that are able to replace the jobs that leave. The good news is that economic developers in Mississippi County — armed with the quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters several years ago — are apparently staying vigilant. There seems to be a steady stream of rumors and reports of companies that are looking at this area.
Today's announcement only strengthened our desire to reel another one of these prospects in soon.
At least it's not a big surprise. Several months ago, the company announced that it might close the plant — a pretty sure sign of what was to come. And for years, there have been reports of the company cutting jobs, adding jobs, pulling out, coming back, only to pull out again.
But foreseen or not, it is disappointing. For one thing, there's the 350 or so employees who will be directly effected by the decision. And then there's the impact on the community — not only losing 350 jobs, but losing a company that had been a good corporate citizen in the community.
The consolation, if you're looking for one, is that Milwaukee Tool's move comes on the heels of several good things on the economic development front. PIZO announced plans several weeks ago to bring 45 high-paying jobs to the area. And other new plants, such as Atlas Tube and Roll Coater, have begun operations in the last year or so.
The whole affair offers yet another reminder of the importance for community economic developers to be ever-vigilant in their quest to being new jobs to the area. It's a fact of economic development life that plants come, and plants go. Communities that thrive are the ones that are able to replace the jobs that leave. The good news is that economic developers in Mississippi County — armed with the quarter-cent sales tax approved by voters several years ago — are apparently staying vigilant. There seems to be a steady stream of rumors and reports of companies that are looking at this area.
Today's announcement only strengthened our desire to reel another one of these prospects in soon.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Hope for Red Rhinos
There may be hope for the Arkansas State Big Red Rhinos, after all.
As regular readers of The Talker know, I have advocated "Big Red Rhinos" as a new nickname for the ASU athletic teams, replacing the soon-to-be-retired "Indian" mascot. But when the university announced its top 12 finalists, alas, Big Red Rhinos was not among on the list, though true winners such as "Diamonds," "Express" and the ever-mystical "Ridge Runners" were included.
But the latest development is that ASU has hired a marketing firm to assist the school in the development of its new symbol. And officials from that firm have said that they may not confine themselves to the top 12 nicknames identified by the university. Furthermore, university officials say they are still open to new suggestions.
This is good news. There's still hope for the Rhinos. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The best and worst in holiday music
A week later, and I still have Christmas music on my mind.
It's hard to get away from it this time of year.
Having talked about different kinds of holiday classics last week, I thought I'd devote this column to the best and worst of the Yuletide music scene. Here's my picks:
— Best Christmas song (secular): "Sleigh Ride." A great upbeat tune, that's best performed as an instrumental, preferably with some kind of brass band. When sung, it has one of the best lines in any Christmas song: "These wonderful things are the things we'll remember all through our lives!"
— Best Christmas song (religious): "O Holy Night." When done right, it'll give you chills.
— Most overrated: "Silent Night." If done well, it's not bad. The problem is, it's rarely done well. Most often, it just drones on and on, especially when performed by marginal school choirs and community civic clubs. And everyone reveres it as something hallowed, that simply must be sung. It turns my stomach sometimes.
— Most underrated: "Still, Still, Still." Perhaps the most angelic tune of the season.
— Easiest to Sing Along To: "Jingle Bells." It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 95, you can sing this one well. (Civic clubs ought to stick to this fare.)
— Most Overplayed by Memphis Radio Stations: "Christmas in the Trailer Park." It's the modern-day equivalent to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Seriously, you write a song that mentions NASCAR or Hooters, and you can pretty much guarantee unlimited air time in Memphis. Sorry guys ... the song just isn't that funny.
— Most Overplayed by Local Radio Stations: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Granted, playing this recording even once constitutes "overplayed" in my book. I mean, if you're going to play a cheesy stereotypical Hispanic holiday song, at least play "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big." Any song that contains the word "mamacita" should be avoided.
— Most Likely to Make Me Get Up and Dance: "Linus and Lucy," from the "Charlie Brown Christmas" TV special. It's just piano and a little bit of percussion, but it still rocks. My 5-year-old son, Drew, and I love to shake our booties when we hear this one.
— Best New Version of a Christmas Classic: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings," by the Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLaughlin. I see this recording becoming the new standard for those traditional songs.
— Most Likely to be Parodied: "The 12 Days of Christmas." There's about a million versions of this song, and almost all are great. There's the McKenzie Brothers version, the Muppets version, the "12 Pains of Christmas version" and even a redneck version (which they no doubt love on Memphis radio). Someone ought to release an album consisting entirely of "12 Days of Christmas" versions.
— Most Likely to be Parodied by My Kids: "Joy to the World." The following are actual lyrics that emanated from the backseat of my car: "Joy to the world; my fish is dead; I flushed him down the toilet! Because he really stinked; because he really stinked; he really stunk so bad; he really stunk so bad; so I flushed him down the toilet."
— Most Likely to Get Stuck in My Head for Days: "Where are you Christmas" by Faith Hill. Don't get me wrong; I like the song. It's one of the best new holiday songs in recent memory. But once lodged in my cranium, it stays there forever, and that gets tiring. (Honorable mention: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Thank you, KQDD.)
— Best Christmas song (overall): "The Christmas Song," also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." No song better captures the warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday season. It's been my favorite for years, and it still is.
It's hard to get away from it this time of year.
Having talked about different kinds of holiday classics last week, I thought I'd devote this column to the best and worst of the Yuletide music scene. Here's my picks:
— Best Christmas song (secular): "Sleigh Ride." A great upbeat tune, that's best performed as an instrumental, preferably with some kind of brass band. When sung, it has one of the best lines in any Christmas song: "These wonderful things are the things we'll remember all through our lives!"
— Best Christmas song (religious): "O Holy Night." When done right, it'll give you chills.
— Most overrated: "Silent Night." If done well, it's not bad. The problem is, it's rarely done well. Most often, it just drones on and on, especially when performed by marginal school choirs and community civic clubs. And everyone reveres it as something hallowed, that simply must be sung. It turns my stomach sometimes.
— Most underrated: "Still, Still, Still." Perhaps the most angelic tune of the season.
— Easiest to Sing Along To: "Jingle Bells." It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 95, you can sing this one well. (Civic clubs ought to stick to this fare.)
— Most Overplayed by Memphis Radio Stations: "Christmas in the Trailer Park." It's the modern-day equivalent to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Seriously, you write a song that mentions NASCAR or Hooters, and you can pretty much guarantee unlimited air time in Memphis. Sorry guys ... the song just isn't that funny.
— Most Overplayed by Local Radio Stations: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Granted, playing this recording even once constitutes "overplayed" in my book. I mean, if you're going to play a cheesy stereotypical Hispanic holiday song, at least play "The Hat I Got for Christmas is Too Big." Any song that contains the word "mamacita" should be avoided.
— Most Likely to Make Me Get Up and Dance: "Linus and Lucy," from the "Charlie Brown Christmas" TV special. It's just piano and a little bit of percussion, but it still rocks. My 5-year-old son, Drew, and I love to shake our booties when we hear this one.
— Best New Version of a Christmas Classic: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings," by the Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLaughlin. I see this recording becoming the new standard for those traditional songs.
— Most Likely to be Parodied: "The 12 Days of Christmas." There's about a million versions of this song, and almost all are great. There's the McKenzie Brothers version, the Muppets version, the "12 Pains of Christmas version" and even a redneck version (which they no doubt love on Memphis radio). Someone ought to release an album consisting entirely of "12 Days of Christmas" versions.
— Most Likely to be Parodied by My Kids: "Joy to the World." The following are actual lyrics that emanated from the backseat of my car: "Joy to the world; my fish is dead; I flushed him down the toilet! Because he really stinked; because he really stinked; he really stunk so bad; he really stunk so bad; so I flushed him down the toilet."
— Most Likely to Get Stuck in My Head for Days: "Where are you Christmas" by Faith Hill. Don't get me wrong; I like the song. It's one of the best new holiday songs in recent memory. But once lodged in my cranium, it stays there forever, and that gets tiring. (Honorable mention: "Donde Esta Santa Claus." Thank you, KQDD.)
— Best Christmas song (overall): "The Christmas Song," also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." No song better captures the warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday season. It's been my favorite for years, and it still is.
Monday, December 10, 2007
History remembered
I got one of those "shame on you" letters in my e-mail over the weekend. These are the letters we get from time to time from folks who are extra-incensed over something they read in the newspaper ... or, in this case, something they didn't read. The subject line was "history forgotten":
One, the CN has actually featured Mr. Katz on several occasions in the past. Indeed, he does have an interesting story to tell. And we've told that story several times.
Second, we actually did note the significance of the date in the "This Day in History" feature on Page 6 of the newspaper. Admittedly, it was a pretty small item.
That said, I think the gentleman who sent the e-mail has a fair enough point. It would have been nice to have done something of greater significance to commemorate the "Day of Infamy" in Friday's newspaper.
But the challenge from this end is: what? How do we, as a newspaper, commemorate this part of history, without being completely redundant in the information we provide our readers?
Besides that, there is the question of what role a daily newspaper should play as a source for historical information. After all, there are numerous dates of historical significance throughout the year. Dec. 7 is Pearl Harbor day. June 6 is Normandy Day. May 8 is V-E Day. Aug. 15 is V-J Day. Aug. 6 is the day Hiroshima was bombed. And these are just WWII dates.
Consider the other dates of historical significance:
Sept. 17 marks the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history. July 1-3 marks the Battle of Gettysburg. April 9 marks the anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant. April 14 is the date of Lincoln's assassination. Sept. 17 is the date the U.S. Constitution was adopted. April 19 marks the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the "Shot Heard Round the World." Dec. 17 is the date of the Wright Brothers' first flight. April 15 is when the Titanic sunk. July 21 is the day man first walked on the moon. July 4 is obviously Independence Day. The list goes on and on.
Obviously, the task of "remembering history" is a daunting one. And I doubt that any newspaper can adequately commemorate each date of historical significance, while simultaneously reporting the news of the day.
But still, we do have a role to play in marking history, and we try to do so. That's why we have the "Today in History" feature every day in the newspaper. Do some historical events warrant bigger and bolder coverage? Sure. Is Dec. 7 one of those days? That's a perfectly valid opinion.
The challenge before newspaper editors is making the decision of what dates to commemorate, when to mark history in a big, bold fashion, and how to do it in a creative manner. In the eyes of some, we no doubt came up short last Friday. But we continue to strive to meet the needs of our readers. And we certainly do our best to "remember history."
Shame on you. Today is Dec 7 and you did not even mention the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which started WWII. Plus, one of your town's long time residents, Larry Katz, is a veteran of that fateful attack and served throughout the rest of the war flying PBY patrol planes in the famous Black Cats squadron, VP22.A couple of points are worth noting.
One, the CN has actually featured Mr. Katz on several occasions in the past. Indeed, he does have an interesting story to tell. And we've told that story several times.
Second, we actually did note the significance of the date in the "This Day in History" feature on Page 6 of the newspaper. Admittedly, it was a pretty small item.
That said, I think the gentleman who sent the e-mail has a fair enough point. It would have been nice to have done something of greater significance to commemorate the "Day of Infamy" in Friday's newspaper.
But the challenge from this end is: what? How do we, as a newspaper, commemorate this part of history, without being completely redundant in the information we provide our readers?
Besides that, there is the question of what role a daily newspaper should play as a source for historical information. After all, there are numerous dates of historical significance throughout the year. Dec. 7 is Pearl Harbor day. June 6 is Normandy Day. May 8 is V-E Day. Aug. 15 is V-J Day. Aug. 6 is the day Hiroshima was bombed. And these are just WWII dates.
Consider the other dates of historical significance:
Sept. 17 marks the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history. July 1-3 marks the Battle of Gettysburg. April 9 marks the anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant. April 14 is the date of Lincoln's assassination. Sept. 17 is the date the U.S. Constitution was adopted. April 19 marks the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the "Shot Heard Round the World." Dec. 17 is the date of the Wright Brothers' first flight. April 15 is when the Titanic sunk. July 21 is the day man first walked on the moon. July 4 is obviously Independence Day. The list goes on and on.
Obviously, the task of "remembering history" is a daunting one. And I doubt that any newspaper can adequately commemorate each date of historical significance, while simultaneously reporting the news of the day.
But still, we do have a role to play in marking history, and we try to do so. That's why we have the "Today in History" feature every day in the newspaper. Do some historical events warrant bigger and bolder coverage? Sure. Is Dec. 7 one of those days? That's a perfectly valid opinion.
The challenge before newspaper editors is making the decision of what dates to commemorate, when to mark history in a big, bold fashion, and how to do it in a creative manner. In the eyes of some, we no doubt came up short last Friday. But we continue to strive to meet the needs of our readers. And we certainly do our best to "remember history."
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Classic songs bring holiday to life
One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the music. Though there will come a day about Jan. 2 when I’m sick of it; for the time being, I can’t get enough.
And when you talk about Christmas music, you’ve got to start with the classics. But really, there are different kinds of classics, each with its own unique contribution to the sounds of the season.
First, there are the “standard classics.” And there are a ton of them. I’m talking about tunes like “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.” Or “Frosty the Snowman” and “Away in a Manger.” Or “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Hark, the Herald Angles Sing.” These are the songs we know by heart. Whether it’s a song at church, a sing-along in the car, or carolers on your doorstep, if someone starts up one of these tunes, anyone can join in and sing along.
And that’s what makes them great. They’re solid and never-changing, a constant part of every holiday season.
But one thing about these standard classics is that there is no definitive version of any of them. Sure, we all know “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells” by heart — they’ve been sung millions of times. But when we think about these songs, there is no specific version we think of.
And that leads us to the second kind of classic Christmas music — the “classic performance.” For some Christmas songs, there is a single version that we always think of when we think of the song. A great example is “White Christmas.” Though it’s been recorded by many, chances are, when you think of this song, you think of Bing Crosby’s version. Everything else is an imitation.
Or what about “The Little Drummer Boy.” When you think of this one, there's a pretty good chance you'll think about the version originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale. Today, if you don’t do this song with a boys choir, it just doesn’t sound right.
And there are others: Burl Ives and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Elvis and “Blue Christmas,” Nat King Cole and “The Christmas Song,” Judy Garland and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Each is a classic recording that has become the definitive version of each song. No one else will ever do it better.
The third kind of classic Christmas song is the “new classic.” Every year, many of the popular artists of the day release Christmas albums. Most of the songs are usually the old standards, but it’s also common for artists to release original Christmas songs that are brand new. Honestly, most of these are forgettable.
But every once in a while, a new song comes along that is good enough to stick around. Really, this is how many classic Christmas songs are born, like Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, or Bobby Helms' “Jingle Bell Rock” from 1957. At the time they came out, those songs were brand new. But today, they are classics.
It’s hard to know what recent songs will become classics, but I have two nominations. The first is “All I want for Christmas is You,” recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994. I like it because it has an upbeat feel that effectively captures the fun (and occasionally romantic) feeling of the holiday season.
My other nomination is Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas,” released in 2000. Perhaps more than any other, this song conveys the struggles that many of us have from time to time to remember the magic of the season, while at the same time acknowledging the power of the Christmas spirit to ultimately triumph.
Classics or not, I enjoy listening to them, just as I do all Christmas music this time of year. I’m happy that I get several different holiday music stations via satellite TV, so I can always have holiday music playing around the house. I like to turn it on when I’m wrapping presents, folding laundry, or just sitting down for supper.
There's no denying that music is an integral part of the holiday season, and Christmas truly wouldn't be the same without it.
In case you don't know it, or if you just want an excuse to look at Faith Hill, here is the "Where Are You Christmas?" video:
And when you talk about Christmas music, you’ve got to start with the classics. But really, there are different kinds of classics, each with its own unique contribution to the sounds of the season.
First, there are the “standard classics.” And there are a ton of them. I’m talking about tunes like “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells.” Or “Frosty the Snowman” and “Away in a Manger.” Or “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Hark, the Herald Angles Sing.” These are the songs we know by heart. Whether it’s a song at church, a sing-along in the car, or carolers on your doorstep, if someone starts up one of these tunes, anyone can join in and sing along.
And that’s what makes them great. They’re solid and never-changing, a constant part of every holiday season.
But one thing about these standard classics is that there is no definitive version of any of them. Sure, we all know “Silent Night” and “Jingle Bells” by heart — they’ve been sung millions of times. But when we think about these songs, there is no specific version we think of.
And that leads us to the second kind of classic Christmas music — the “classic performance.” For some Christmas songs, there is a single version that we always think of when we think of the song. A great example is “White Christmas.” Though it’s been recorded by many, chances are, when you think of this song, you think of Bing Crosby’s version. Everything else is an imitation.
Or what about “The Little Drummer Boy.” When you think of this one, there's a pretty good chance you'll think about the version originally recorded by the Harry Simeone Chorale. Today, if you don’t do this song with a boys choir, it just doesn’t sound right.
And there are others: Burl Ives and “Holly Jolly Christmas,” Elvis and “Blue Christmas,” Nat King Cole and “The Christmas Song,” Judy Garland and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Each is a classic recording that has become the definitive version of each song. No one else will ever do it better.
The third kind of classic Christmas song is the “new classic.” Every year, many of the popular artists of the day release Christmas albums. Most of the songs are usually the old standards, but it’s also common for artists to release original Christmas songs that are brand new. Honestly, most of these are forgettable.
But every once in a while, a new song comes along that is good enough to stick around. Really, this is how many classic Christmas songs are born, like Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958, or Bobby Helms' “Jingle Bell Rock” from 1957. At the time they came out, those songs were brand new. But today, they are classics.
It’s hard to know what recent songs will become classics, but I have two nominations. The first is “All I want for Christmas is You,” recorded by Mariah Carey in 1994. I like it because it has an upbeat feel that effectively captures the fun (and occasionally romantic) feeling of the holiday season.
My other nomination is Faith Hill’s “Where Are You Christmas,” released in 2000. Perhaps more than any other, this song conveys the struggles that many of us have from time to time to remember the magic of the season, while at the same time acknowledging the power of the Christmas spirit to ultimately triumph.
Classics or not, I enjoy listening to them, just as I do all Christmas music this time of year. I’m happy that I get several different holiday music stations via satellite TV, so I can always have holiday music playing around the house. I like to turn it on when I’m wrapping presents, folding laundry, or just sitting down for supper.
There's no denying that music is an integral part of the holiday season, and Christmas truly wouldn't be the same without it.
In case you don't know it, or if you just want an excuse to look at Faith Hill, here is the "Where Are You Christmas?" video:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)