Yule Blogged: Christmas with Kristin and Concordia

Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir featuring Kristin Chenoweth (2019)

One in a long running series of annual Christmas specials. Each year a different celebrity is brought in to host and perform with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra, and for the 2018 Christmas concert series, the special guest was the effervescent Kristin Chenoweth. The highlights of these shows were then released as this special in 2019.

As expected, this is a fairly polished, tastefully middle brow production complete with the usual dashes of seasonal storytelling and large-scale dance numbers. Your overall enjoyment of this particular special will probably depend on how big a fan you are of Kristin Chenoweth's whimsical nature and idiosyncratic charm, as her quirky personality is on full display here. The live audience surely loves her, which adds a nice energy to the proceedings and leads to some captivating performances.

Setlist for the special:

1. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
2. Gift of Christmas, Everywhere
3. We Need a Little Christmas (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)
4. O Holy Night (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)
5. For unto Us a Child Is Born, from Messiah
6. Mary Did You Know? (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)
7. C'mon, Ring Those Bells (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)
8. Somewhere in My Memory, from Home Alone
9. Angels Among Us (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)
10. Fill the World with Love from Goodbye Mr. Chips
11. What Child is This? (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)
12. Angels from the Realms of Glory (Performed by Kristin Chenoweth)

An episode of Music and the Spoken Word featuring a few of the performances from the special can be found on YouTube

Overall, it's a Christmas delight enlivened by the adorkably charming Kristin Chenoweth.

Christmas At Concordia | Gather Us In, O Child of Peace (2016)

The description on the PBS webpage for this special reads as thus...

"Concordia College of Minnesota re-imagines the Christmas message with new music embracing peace and reconciliation under the artistic leadership of composer and conductor René Clausen. "

...which did give me pause as I'm not usually a fan of the results of anytime Christmas gets "re-imagined". Fortunately we aren't subjected to a drill rap version of the Messiah or a death metal Jingle Bells instead it's just a lovely straight forward choral concert. Not the most dynamic special you'll ever see, but this is the sort of show you'll be listening to rather than sitting glued to your seat in rapt attention

This 2016 special one of  many produced at the school, is available online Here

Yule Logged (Noël à tous les étages, Snowball Effect, Christmas in London, Christmas Carols with Lucy Worsley, Nigellissima, Darling Buds of May, Magic Christmas Tree and more)

Noël à tous les étages (Christmas Next Door) (2021)

Very well made, though somewhat heavy handed, French ensemble drama.  Noël à tous les étages features the usual collection of miserably affluent and privileged characters moping through the holiday. From politicians to astronauts, virtually everyone’s feeling the holiday malaise. I’m the most curmudgeonly grouch you’ll ever have the misfortune to meet and I simply can’t relate to the current population of Christmas film universes. They’re either soulless mannequins or the miserable elite. Anywho, if you don’t mind a decent wait for all the fairly unsympathetic characters to, perhaps, find Christmas redemption this is a well crafted film with a terrific cast and worth a watch.

The Snowball Effect (2022)

Dueling weather persons find love at Christmas. The craziest part of the film is the idea that meteorologists are somehow judged by accuracy. Other than that it’s pretty good for what it is, better than most of the Hallmark stuff I’ve suffered though.

BBC Select at Christmas

Thought I'd check out BBC select's holiday selection - not alot here but what's on offer's pretty good...

Christmas in London (2007)

Essentially a tourist information video but still worth a watch to see what was going on in that metropolis back circa 2007

Christmas in New York Inside the Plaza (2020)

2020 documentary looks at Christmas for the 1 per centers, and wannabes, of the Plaza Hotel.

There's something a bit sad about a luxury hotel offering a multi thousand dollar Home Alone 2 package .

Christmas Carols with Lucy Worsley (2019)

Well produced festive middle brow pop history that examines the greatest hits in the Christmas Carol Canon.

Nigellissima - An Italian Inspired Christmas (2014)

Nigella Lawson always does a great Christmas show and while thus isn't my favorite it's quite good, assuming you're a fan.

Carol's From Kings (1997)

I closed things out with a welcome re view of 1997's edition of Carol's From Kings 

Brit box

So the relatively niche BBC Select had some Xmas on offer. Let's check out the American version of Britbox, a BBC / ITV showcase for British TV entertainment.

 In the UK December is all about Christmas telly, festive holiday-themed specials, Christmas episodes, and entire series built around Christmas cooking, crafting, and so on. Christmas is also the time for big splashy premiers and specials that often become enduring classics. But not on Britbox.

As of Dec 14th there is no Christmas programing listed on the main menu, though there is a row of "wintry lifestyle delights", none of which mention Christmas in title or thumbnail. 

For weeks the Radio Times and all the other UK TV listings are nuttier than a fruitcake about yuletide telly but the highest profile Brit tv outlet in the USA can't be bothered to fill a row with classic Christmas episodes or specials? There's likely plenty of content already in their existing library but now I have to search for it, plus there's no way to discover Christmas themed episodes of series I'm not familiar with. 

I'll check back even closer to the big day.

The Darling Buds of May - Christmas is Coming (1991)

Seasonal episode from the first season of the original series adaptation stars David Jason, Pam Ferris, and a stunning young Catherine Zeta-Jones.

A bit of comedy, a dash of drama, and a pinch of suspense make for a satisfying Christmas episode, even if you are otherwise unfamiliar with the series, and if you haven't watched it, you really should.

A Bear's Christmas Tail (2004)

(Don't let the above image fool you, this is not a charming animated special)

What the feck did I just watch? Grotesquely tasteless and a veritable smorgasbord for today's cancel culture-obsessed puritans. From Leigh Francis of Bo Selecta fame (infamy) this edgier-than-thou slog has some funny moments but they are far overrun with the crass drivel that makes up the bulk of it.

Christmas with the Vienna Boys Choir

Part concert, part docudrama portraying the festive goings on around the choirboys at Christmas. Most entertaining,

The Magic Christmas Tree 1964

This mess of a kiddie matinee is hard enough to watch with the bots from Rifftrax slinging zingers, but on its own, it does the Spanish inquisition proud as a torture device.

The Wizards Christmas (2014)

Pretty much terrible.

Christmas Crime Story (2017)

Unpleasant little Christmas set drama, not abysmal but I couldn’t be bothered to finish it.

Christmas Tree & Piano Music (2020)

"Starring...Christmas Trees"

Remarkably low-effort holiday ambiance will dull piano arrangements and stuttering random video elements.

Yule Logged (The Nutcracker (1993), Glen Campbell, George Burns, Barenaked Ladies, Loud House, AfterMASH, Naughty or Nice and more...)

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Do You Hear? The Alcoa Singers, Arthur Godfrey, The Forester Sisters, Beegie Long, Christmas Filmstrip soundtracks and more...

 

An Old-Fashioned Christmas with The Alcoa Singers (1979)

Featuring a number of songs from The Stiguest Man in Town (sadly those few songs are the only ones I could find streaming.)

And, while I'm at it,  I might as well include the original television soundtrack to The Stingiest Man in Town from The Alcoa Hour in 1958

Arthur Godfrey -  All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth (1967)

Kid's album from Godrey and The Richard Wolfe Children's Chorus. Godrey's reputation took a major hit back in the fifties when he fired popular singer Julius LaRosa while on the air. My father knew LaRosa personally and hated Godfrey from that moment on, a hatred that persisted well into the 70s and 80s as I began my interest in old time radio, vintage pop and classic movies. so, I have mixed feelings about "the old redhead" and the drunken uncle unctuousness of his performance here makes this one a tough sell for me. 

A far more palatable holiday release is the much earlier Christmas with Arthur Godfrey and All the Little Godfreys. A more traditional album with a more diverse array of vocalists, including the aforementioned LaRosa, make this more enjoyable, though still inessential effort.

From 1980 comes the lackluster bargain bin easy listening/ elevator music of The Birchwood Pops Silent Night. Not even worth using as background music.

A Christmas Card (1987)
The Forester Sisters

Nice 80's country release.

I'll close with a handful of recent shares from legendary vintage Christmas music blogger Ernie (not Bert). For years Ernie has been rescuing rare, forgotten, out of print Christmas vinyl and giving it new life while exposing a whole new audience to the songs and sounds of Christmas past. The work he's done over the years has been a magical gift to holiday music lovers. Let's take a peek at just the tip of the iceberg of what he's got going on so far this season...

(All images in this section come from Ernie (Not Bert))

Beegie Long - Organ and Chimes (1966)

Visit Ernie

A pure nostalgia bomb. Albums like this were a staple of my parents and grandparents generation at Christmas time.  So many visits to so many friends and families homes during the holidays had this sort of thing backgrounding their festive hospitality. Listening to this, I can smell the olfactory warm hug of hot cocoa,  Gingerbread and fresh Christmas tree. 

If you never experienced it the way I did this may seem like dull, old fashioned elevator music ripped from vinyl that's seen better days. For me it jumpstarts a Proustian rush of pure joy and contentment, with just a tad of melancholy for times, people and places now past.

Christmas with Al Martino

Visit Ernie

Seasonal radio program featuring festive reminisces from  crooner Martino between appropriate musical selections, mostly from Martino himself, naturally. Martino recounts tales of Christmas during his humble Philadelphia childhood and a look at how the Martino's past and present celebrated the holidays.

A nice flashback to Christmas radio back in the day.

Visit Ernie

A cute novelty single from Barefoot Man,, Santa Got a Sunburn is worth at least one or two listens, though the flip, Grandpa's Christmas Fiddle, perhaps less so

Visit Ernie

Speaking of novelty singles today Ernie offered a bit of a novelty post - eleven tracks by artists whose name begins with "Little". So we get everything from blues great Little Milton, bandleader Little Bobby Rey and a bunch of kid novelty acts with tracks like Have a Gluey Christmas, A Oscar for Santa and Picture Of Mommy Twisting With Santa. The Little Milton track is the best of the bunch with Rey and the "Little Toodles", a kid act that seems to have an older girl singer, also providing listenable fare.

Visit Ernie

More rare and wonderful finds from The Ernie-verse include a selection of holiday themed films strip soundtracks.

They all have there own nostalgic charm, even without the accompanying visuals, though Holidays - The Spirit of Christmas from Eye Gate House is hampered by a particularly harsh beep to indicate when the teacher should move the strip along, making the terrible voice acting and on the nose storytelling where young Wendy visits Mr. Oldman, and old man, and Mr. Riches, a rich man, armed with holiday gifts.

A far more pleasant and professional sounding releases come from Singer featuring less brutal, and sometimes even lovely, cues. The Beasts at Jesus' Manger , How We Got Our Christmas Customs, The Baby King and the children's story The Lollipop Dragon Helps Santa are quaint, charming listens.

Ernie also offers up a trio of excellent releases from Cathedral Films ; The Story of Jesus - The Nativity (two different versions) and Stories for Christmas - The Christmas Donkey and Peter and the Hermit.

Visit Ernie

I'll finish off my Ernie's with another filmstrip release, though these play more like a regular album. Christmas Songs in Latin and Christmas Songs in Spanish featuring solo operatic performances. accompanied by Organ of various hymns and carols. An interesting one time listen. especially the Latin selections, but not much more. Still. A treat to have the chance to experience this all but forgotten Christmas media.

Yule Logged - Dead of Night, Scrooge (1935), The Abominable Snow Baby, A Christmas Gift, Carols from Kings, I'll Be Home for Christmas and more...

 

Dead of Night (The Christmas Party) (1945)

Started my black Friday with a quick rewatch of The Christmas Party segment of the classic horror anthology in which an innocent Christmas party game of sardines leads to an otherworldly encounter.

Over the years, I've warmed to the English tradition of ghost stories being part and parcel of the holiday season. I really dive into the spooky stuff after Christmas, as Winter's darkness takes hold,, but I do enjoy the occasional ghostly visitation as a palate cleanser to the more traditionally cheerful or sentimental holiday fare.

Also, I must note that while I enjoy a good ghost tale. I generally dislike Christmas-themed horror, with a few exceptions, such as Black Christmas, Rare Exports, and last year's Le Calendrier. I'm planning on finally watching Krampus this year; though I've owned a copy for a few years, I've never gotten around to watching it. Hopefully, it will join that select group.

Scrooge (1935)

Of course the most obvious Christmas ghost story is Dicken's A Christmas Carol though I don't really include it in that genre.

Seymour Hicks' second go-round as the stingiest man in town, coming more than two decades after his appearance in 1913's silent Scrooge (aka Old Scrooge). 

Hicks was a fine actor in his time and an important figure in the history of English theater, but his Scrooge is underwhelming in this stage melodrama.

Scrooge is a bit creaky but as it's the very first sound version, that's to be somewhat expected. For a change I decided to watch a "fully restored and colorized" version that sadly added nothing of value to the experience. As vintage adaptations go, it's lower tier; while it has its moments, it doesn't really have any high points.

Interestingly, according to Letterbxd the invisible ghost of Jacob Marley was voiced by The Invisible Man himself, Claude Rains.

Though I happily watch multiple versions of A Christmas Carol year in, and year out, I seldom revisit this iteration. Recommend for Carol completions and old movie buffs only.

The Abominable Snow Baby (2021)

The Abominable Snow Baby is a bit of a horror tale itself. Not just because of the titular creature but because it opens with an apocalyptic event that's played for laughs, though it doesn't deserve any. Based on a story by the wonderful Terry Pratchett, yet mostly devoid of the wit and ingenuity of any other Pratchett I've encountered, and I've read most of his work over the years.

A perfectly acceptable kid's special but nothing more than that.

A Christmas Gift (1980)

Obvious sentimental Christmas short from Will Vinton. I'm not a huge fan of Claymation; I find it to be  very much of the Uncanny Valley and while I appreciate the exceptional craft and talent behind it, the finished product just doesn't affect me as the film intends it to. If this isn't an issue for you, though, I highly recommend checking it out.

Carols from Kings (2021)

Perfect background watching /listening material. Always lovely and exceptionally well-produced.

The Red Green Show - Snowed In (2002)

Next I caught Snowed In. a winter episode of The Red Green Show, which is another type of palate cleanser thing during the holiday season, sometimes watching a frosty themed show can break up the festive monotony without totally breaking the mood. Santa Claus does get a mention though, plus, technically, Red (&) Green is always pretty festive by default.

Christmas Solo (2017)

A pair of High School choristers rivalry leads to romantic complications for their single parents in this merely competent effort from 2017.

I'll Be Home for Christmas (1997)

Ann Jillian, Robert Hayes and Jack Palance star in this small town Christmas romance. It's a charming little flick with the bonus of Corner Gas's Eric Peterson sporting some long luscious locks. And it's better than every Hallmarked product I've seen so far this year, despite being just as cliché driven as any of them.

London Burning - Ding Dong Merrily (1988)

Solid Christmas set episode of British fire brigade soap. I remember watching London Burning back in my UK tape trading days and though I only dimly recalled the characters it was easy to pick things up and enjoy the show.

Paramount Mountain Holiday Campfire (2021)

I'm a bit of a yule log aficionado so I was pleased to see Paramount Plus had added one to their streaming service - Paramount Mountain Holiday Campfire - and it's fine. Not much holiday going on and really it's at about the level of an above average YouTube ambience channel. But it's fine.

Do you hear? Capsule Christmas Music Reviews with naomi & goro , Molly Burch, 101 Strings, Audrey Landers, Jan Garber, Music Box Christmas and more...

I'm back again trolling randomly through my Christmas music collection, hopefully uncovering hidden gems and rediscovering old favorites.

  Presente De Natal (2003) - naomi & goro 

Pleasant acoustic holiday offering from Japanese Bossa Nova Duo naomi & goro. Highlights include Presente De Natal and Borboleta

The Molly Burch Christmas Album (2019)

A nice collection of, often Americana-influenced, holiday songs from indie pop singer Molly Burch

The Glory of Christmas (The Sound of Magnificence at Christmas) -101 Strings

Despite the grandiose title this classic slice of vintage "Beautiful music" makes for perfect background music during the holidays for those times you need a little more oomph in the atmosphere. The 101 Strings were marketed as the first "Stereo Scored Orchestra" so this would have ended up on myriad holiday turntables as the Hi-Fi craze took off. of   There are no bravura performances or sophisticated arrangements and there don't need to be. This and other music like it is a big part of the soundtrack of Christmas Past and I cherish it.

Ring Christmas Bells  - Arthur Lynds Bigelow (1956)

Bell choir with organ accompaniment, a big genre back In the day that produced a bunch of certified snoozers, but this collection of mellow tunes is a winner. A wonderful nostalgic mood setter.

Christmas Dance Party - Jan Garber (1960)

A nice little big band record that just misses out on being a Festive Fave.

Audrey Landers Winter Wonderland (1992)

Best known, along with sister Judy, as a stereotypical amiable, ample blossomed, ditz in countless TV shows and movies, Audrey Landers also sings. Despite her screen persona, this collection of familiar holiday staples isn't a campy novelty album but a decent, if unexceptional, showcase for Ms. Landers vocal aspirations. If you walked into a nice restaurant or a second-tier cabaret and heard her sing you wouldn't be disappointed, but I can't see myself ever revisiting it, though the track "You Came To Me on Christmas" is the most interesting track here. The inclusion of a number of German language tracks makes me wonder if she was a bit of a Hasselhoff over there.

Upon further research, it would seem I have an English language version of Das Audrey Landers Weihnachtsalbum and that Landers has a number of releases and tens of thousands of monthly listeners on Spotify. TIL.

Christmas - Berdien Senberg (1986)

Pleasant enough Classical-lite record from Dutch flutist  Berdien Stenberg. Nothing earth shattering but made for nice background music.

Christmas Music Box Favorites - A Study in Stereophonic High Fidelity Sound

I don't mind a nice little music box tune hear and there during the holidays, though I'm not sure I'd want to sit through an entire album of them in one sitting. This is pretty good for the genre.

Yule Logged (Falling for Christmas, A Christmas Number One, Getting to the Nutcracker, Rock ‘n Roll Christmas (1988),Fred Waring and more)

It’s that time of year again when an old man yells at the clouds to get off his lawn at Christmas. Here you'll find my poorly formulated and rashly espoused opinions on what I’m watching throughout the holiday season. Expect a potpourri of new releases and vintage offerings from across the globe, selected nearly at random. Thanks for stopping by!

Falling for Christmas (2022)

Netflix

At first, I expected I’d be including this new Netflix flick in my Ordeal by Hallmark series, after all, it’s a romantic comedy starring Lindsey Lohan as an (eventually) amnesiac heiress, I didn’t have high hopes. And then something incredible happened. I pressed play, and a movie began streaming on my TV, an actual movie with a decently written script, actors capable of delivering the words written in th4 script in a professional, entertaining way (for the most part), competent direction, and convincing production design. You know, a movie, unlike the majority of stuff from the greeting card network, the domestic violence network, and the country housewives network.

Falling for Christmas hits all the tropes without seeming like an algorithm-generated cliché machine. It just shows what a little bit more money and effort can do for even something so ephemeral as a holiday rom-com. Everything works as well or better than it should for this sort of thing; I was driven on the edge of giddiness by the sheer competence on display. It doesn’t suck, which qualifies as above average for the genre, but most amazingly, it’s pretty darn good. Even as a “movie” movie, it’s pretty good. I’m flummoxed; I’d forgotten such things could exist in the current year.

Highlights include all the main players and a side plot strong enough that another network would have turned it into its own crappy film. It’s still not It's a Wonderful Life and it’s a little bit long, but for what it is, it's pretty good.

So, if you're going to watch a “Christmas” TV movie this weekend, please make it this one. Your standards will appreciate not having to be lowered for a change.

Christmas rating 3.75

Out of season rating 3.0

A Christmas Number One (2021)

Tubi

Well made but less Christmassy than a tragic fourth of July BBQ fireworks accident. If your looking for a wanna-be edgy dramedy set in the music biz, with mostly unlikable characters doing unpleasant things with swooping tonal shifts, you could do worse. 

I can see why some folks might think this is brilliant, but it’s basically fanfic,  just as cliched and lazily manipulative as a Hallmark joint, just coming from a different corner with different tropes. But, as I say, it’s well made, and while I really didn’t enjoy it, as a film or a Christmas film, I have to give credit to the filmmakers for making an effort.

Christmas rating 1.75

Out of season rating 2.5

Getting to the Nutcracker (2014)

Tubi

Documentary that looks behind the scenes of staging what must be America’s most performed ballet. I’d like to describe it as an elevated Dance Moms, but I’ve never watched Dance Moms so I don't know how apt a comparison it is.

It’s fine. A fairly interesting look at how the holiday sausage is made, in one dance school at least, without being at all particularly Christmassy. 

Christmas rating 1.5

Out of season rating 2.5

Rock ‘n Roll Christmas (1988)

Fun collection of rock and rock-adjacent holiday tunes. Hosted by Dennis Miller and featuring a mix of music videos and live or in studio performances and clips from classic acts like The Beatles, Beach Boys, Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix plus 80’s stalwarts U2, Pat Benatar, John Mellencamp, Run DMC, Buster Poindexter and Eddie Money. 

Christmas rating 3.00

Out of season rating 2.0

General Electric Theater: The Fred Waring Show (1954)

I’ve always had a soft spot for Fred Waring thanks to being exposed to his music at an early age when a cousin sang with Waring’s “Young Pennsylvanians.” This television special precedes my experiences by a couple of decades, and it’s pure Christmas goodness. Terrific performances and marvelous arrangements help compensate for the early fifties era TV technology.

Christmas rating 4.25

Out of season rating 3.0

The 5 Mrs. Buchanans (1994)

Rather dire holiday episode of single season sitcom about the fractious relationship of four women and their domineering mother-in-law. The episodes only saving grace is Charles Nelson Reilly’s turn as a harried shopkeeper.

Christmas rating 2.0

Out of season rating 2.0

The Osmond Family Christmas Show

Guests include Peggy Fleming, Greg Evigan, and Doug Henning.

When you see Osmonds in the title, you know you're getting an amiably, earnestly, cheesy, campy slice of family-friendly entertainment. Even more so when Christmas is involved. 

In this special BJ and the Bear’s Greg Evigan sings a brief yacht rock tune before putting the moves on Marie as thy duet on What Are You Doing New Year's Eve. Doug Henning performs some Christmas magic with the Osmond grandkids and Olympian figure skater Peggy Fleming; wait for it… skates! In between, various Osmonds sing.

It’s all very sweet and comforting and likely to be despised by anyone between the ages of 10 and 30. Their loss.

Christmas rating 4.0

Out of season rating 3.0

King of Kensington (1975)

Holiday effort Canadian sitcom from the 1970’s , think a Jewish Kim’s Convenience, Contains a fair amount of religion-themed jokes, as did The 5 Mrs. Buchanan's, but funnier. It was a different time, as evidenced by the cheery sitcom premise of inviting a suicidal man home for Christmas, played for laughs as much as pathos. It’s pretty good.

Christmas rating 3.5

Out of season rating 3