christmas

A Chanukah Noel: A True Story

annette — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:00:00 +0000

A Chanukah Noel is a welcome addition to the limited but much-needed canon of interfaith children’s books, and it has the particular additional benefit of being entirely secular. This combination of qualities already sets it apart from most Christmas picture books. The story is about a young Jewish girl named Charlotte who moves to rural France and struggles to fit in. She is held back several grades until she learns French, she’s called ‘the foreigner’ by a classmate, she’s afraid she’ll be left out of the Christmas grab bag gift swap, and her parents tell her she has to study French while everyone else is enjoying their Christmas vacation. She finds Chanukah a poor substitute for what she sees going on around her–decorations, lights, a traditional travelling Christmas market, shops full of gifts and rich foods. It’s not entirely altruism-driven when she hits upon a great way to support a poorer classmate who celebrates, but can’t afford all the trappings. She convinces her parents to let her experience Christmas by proxy: they do all the usual holiday preparations and then donate the food, gifts and decorations to her classmate’s family.

The protagonist is flawed, but in touch with her emotions. Parents of children in Charlotte’s position will find this story valuable for modelling emotional literacy. Envy is named and owned, distinctions are made between religious and national customs, and the word miracle, which is nearly always used in religious Christmas and Chanukah stories, is applied very specifically to human generosity in this one.

It’s a very matter-of-fact take on a real experience of a child whose family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and it acknowledges the benefits of sharing cultural traditions. The portrayal of class is glossed over more than some may like–a very brief conversation, where Charlotte insists that the family who receives the Christmas goose and decorations would be doing her a favour–sums up the exchange in a way that makes sense from the point of view of the young main character, and may oversimplify the complex hierarchy of charitable giving, but an event at the end of the story equalizes the exchange. This is a true story, and I appreciated it in the sense that it was a snippet of a real event retold to the author and illustrator. From that perspective, it stands alone well. However, after the story ended, I wanted to know more: why did they have to move to France? Was it during the war? A little more recently? Did it take Charlotte a long time to learn French? Unfortunately, these questions aren’t answered, but the rich honesty of the story–despite its deceptively simple narrative–makes me want to hear from this author and illustrator again.

Speaking of the illustrations, the expressiveness in each picture combined with the slightly muted color palate gives the impression of old film footage. The Christmas market actually looked just like the local ones that visit Yorkshire every year, to my surprise and delight. People, landscapes and kitchen utensils are afforded the same attention to detail and fit well with the story.

Half my family is Jewish and the other half is Catholic, and we do a bit of both holidays every December. I missed out on secular interfaith holiday books as a kid, and really appreciated this story personally. More, please.

Written by: Chella Quint, December 21st 2010

A Season of Seduction

andrea — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Jennifer Haymore

Forever Publishing

When critiquing a work, being meh is the worst feeling. If a book or a movie is bad, there is plenty to say. The same thing applies when it is wonderful. But when it is neither, it gets hard. What do you say? It was adequately plotted? The characters were pleasant?

A Season of Seduction by Jennifer Haymore falls into this category. Some parts of the novel were good, others bad, but overall, it just was. A romance novel set in 1827, the story follows Lady Rebecca Fisk, a young widow with a dark history, as she falls in and out of love with Jack Fulton, sailor rogue extraordinaire who also has a dark history. The novel opens with the two of them getting caught in bed together by her family, which is used to set up an entirely plausible plot. Events happen around Christmas, thus the name.

The characters are well-drawn and yes, pleasant. Lady Rebecca, or Becky as she’s known, is a level-headed, smart, interesting young woman with an entirely reasonable fear of commitment. I can honestly say she’s a good character, maybe one of the best female characters I’ve read in a while. She does some rash things, but for logical reasons. Jack Fulton, on the other hand, veers towards idealized character a bit too much. He’s a rough and tumble sailor, who knows how to keep house, is a generous lover and manages to save her on a few occasions. He is very close to being as real a person as Becky, which makes him a bit of a letdown. Did I mention Becky shoots him? And he admits he deserved it? Situations like that highlight the differences between the two of them. However, the other characters, and there are a lot of them, are not shown in particularly sharp focus, but they are not objectionable either. Just pleasant.

In the past, I’ve been guilty of pre-judging romance novels as less than novels, and not worth reading. But recently, I’ve realized that is unfair. Like any genre, there are standouts and disappointments. What strikes me is the feeling that, authors of romance novels seem to be reaching only for what’s good enough. Jennifer Haymore has flashes of brilliance and obvious talent, but she stopped at pleasant. I hope she reaches for more than A Season of Seduction. She can do it easily.

Written by: Taylor Rhodes, November 1st 2010

All I Want For Christmas is a Real Good Tan (Yule Log Edition)

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:19:00 +0000

By Kenny Chesney

Sony Music Entertainment

The annual Yule Log special on PBS is tied to some of my fondest memories of Christmas as a child. I remember the glow of my parents' tree and the excitement on Christmas Eve, and I got my cookies ready for Santa. Through all of this, Yule Log would be playing in the background, with its cozy scene of a log burning away and a medley of magical Christmas tunes. Whenever I see Yule Log today, all those warm feelings and nostalgia come right back to me. It's one of those little things that makes it really feel like Christmas to me. In recent years, I keep missing it in the TV listings and forgetting to tune in—last year, I wished to myself that they would show it more often. Yes, I think I'm probably the only person in the world who cares this much about Yule Log.

Naturally, when I heard that there was a new line of Yule Log DVDs, I knew I had to get my hands on one. I received Kenny Chesney's All I Want For Christmas Is a Real Good Tan (The Yule Edition) to review, and it's crackling away as I write this. The disc contains eleven Christmas songs—some standards, and some originals, such as the title track, “All I Want For Christmas is a Real Good Tan.” There seems to be a sunny theme here—besides the tanning, Chesney is pictured on the front cover in a Santa hat sitting under a palm tree. Many of the songs have a tropical flair to them, which I found somewhat disconcerting, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas carols. My favorites on here were “I'll Be Home For Christmas,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and “Silent Night,” featuring The Grigsby Twins. There are two other guest stars on here as well—“Christmas in Dixie” features Randy Owen, while “Pretty Paper” features Willie Nelson.

You have the option to choose between three scenes on here—the classic yule log, the “Cozy Cottage”, and “The Snowy Cabin”. My DVD player is secondhand and doesn't have a remote, so I had no way of changing the scenes, but I already mentioned that I'm a Christmas traditionalist so the classic yule log was fine by me. You also have the option of playing the yule log without the soundtrack—it's just a soothing loop of the scene with the crackles and pops of the fire. This way, I can play other Christmas music on CDs alongside it—meaning yule log on demand! If you have the same fond PBS Christmas memories that I do, then yule love this.

Written by: Beeb Ashcroft, January 22nd 2010

Christmas Classics: The Yule Log Edition

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:54:00 +0000

By Johnny Cash

Sony Music Entertainment

I never thought that Johnny Cash could ever become kitsch. After all, he is the Man in Black, the patron saint of the disenfranchised and hurting and the bad ass country boy jamming an angry middle finger at the camera. I grew up listening to Cash singing to cheering prisoners and sullen guards, and then later turning a classic industrial rock song on its head. How on earth could this icon of morality—this Original EMO master—possibly be turned into sweet fluff?

By having him sing Christmas songs on a video that loops Christmas imagery continuously. At first I was really excited to get the DVD Christmas Classics: The Yule Log Edition (featuring Johnny Cash). I know from years of watching and reading documentaries and interviews with Cash, he always loved gospel and church centered music, but not many people felt he had the quality voice to justify a full album of gospel. It was exciting to see that the man I have admired for so long actually did sing the songs he loved, even as nobody thought he could do it. I thought the DVD would be further evidence of his persistence and toughness.

But when I got the DVD, I was surprised to find out that the "video" is actually a series of twelve songs sung by Cash set to "scenes" of Christmas. That is, after you press play on your DVD player, you can hear all the songs—and then choose between three different "scenes" to set your television to while the songs play. The first scene is a picture of a burning yule log, the second is a picture of the interior of a dimmed cottage with a lit Christmas tree and the third is the cabin from the outside at night.

There are no clips of Cash singing or doing anything else on the video. I was expecting clips, so I admit to being disappointed when I first realized what the video was. This realization also left me vaguely insulted. My grandmother has video on loop of a fireplace burning (only hers had no music to go with it). How could they turn Johnny Cash—the Man in Black—into the kitsch my grandmother would find "cute?"

But as I listened to the songs and switched the scenes back and forth, I realized something. My grandmother grew up listening to Johnny Cash, just like I did. She is actually from Appalachia, a region not too far from where Cash grew up. And before Cash was a rebel wearing black, he was a country singer. A country singer with roots in the church and from a community that didn't have much and wouldn't trust something as shifty as a computer or DVD player. To my grandmother—this type of video isn't kitsch. It just is.

When I watched/listened to the video in that light, I was able to relax and really hear what was important; the music. The video box cover does not say what year these songs are from, but from the sounds of it, they are from Cash's early years, before booze and drugs took over his voice. His voice never sounded stronger, earthier or more sure of itself. He soars through long notes and is comfortably rich in quiet moments. There is perhaps a bit too much sing/talking (where there is music playing in the background as Cash talks through a part of the song); two of the songs have long sections of sing/talking that seem to act as a needless distraction to the music. The opening song ("I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"), however, was particularly strong and made me really excited to listen to the rest of the video.

Lovers of the Man In Black may not be able to stomach this video. The songs are not rebellious, or even all that interesting in a certain sense. They are standard Christmas music you would hear in a church. I think that even as Cash's voice is glorious in its clarity, it also could be described as boring. He is singing because he loves the music and to prove he can sing. And although that's interesting for fans who know and care about his historical fights with the music industry, for more casual fans, they will probably want to stick to Cash's more traditional music. Older fans like my grandmother will definitely enjoy the connection of a country voice to Christmas church music—and those who like kitsch will get their socks knocked off.

For those Cash fans who are like me, who have missed Cash since he died in 2003, it was just really great to hear an old friend again.

Cross-posted at Vivir Latino

Written by: la Macha, January 6th 2010

Merry Christmas: Christmas Classics - The Yule Edition Starring Mariah Carey

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:59:00 +0000

By Mariah Carey

Sony Legacy

This DVD features classic holiday scenes and music sung by the great Mariah Carey. The front of the DVD is colorful and has a picture of Carey in a Santa suit. It also shows you one of the scenes you can enjoy while listening to the songs. The songs are a mix of traditional and more contemporary pieces. This collection can be enjoyed alone with a cup of hot chocolate or shared with family and friends.

Inside the case you will find a Christmas pamphlet with a beautiful cabin scene with the titles and words to all the songs included on the disc. On the disc you will find three scenes to choose from including The Classic Yule Log burning in the fireplace, The Cozy Cottage with a warm decorated living room, and The Snowy Cabin nestled deep in the woods. Each one is lively and will make you feel the spirit of the holidays.

The music is beautiful, touching, and elegant. Of course, coming from Mariah Carey you know that her voice is amazing! If you are looking for something to entertain your guests while you host your holiday get-togethers, this is the perfect DVD to pop into your player! You and your guests can be entertained with one of three scenes and listen to songs like "Silent Night," "Joy to the World," "Jesus Oh What a Wonderful World," and much more. Make your holidays sing—and maybe your guests will too!—with Christmas Classics.

Written by: Amber Whitman-Currier, December 24th 2009

I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas: A Christmas Album to Benefit Amnesty International

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:31:00 +0000

By Various Artists

AWR

As far as I’ve ever been able to determine, there are two sides of every holiday, binaries inhabited by people who either rejoice in merriment and love, and the rest of us who find holidays—particularly the wintry, mostly-religious ones—vomit inducing, an excuse to sit alone somewhere and cry. If only I were exaggerating.

I loathe obnoxiously happy holiday tunes for many reasons, and because my birthday is December 24th (the day known to some as Christmas Eve), I get to listen to them straight through my own Jesus-shared time of year. I walk into a department store, and there’s Mariah Carey on the loud speakers, her sexualized Santa-love shared with every hearing person in the Misses section. Don’t you think this should make me even more depressed and aggressive?

The only holiday songs I like are sixty years old, in a language other than my own (because then I can’t understand them!), or that slightly terrible but addictive “Christmas Wrapping” track from the Waitresses. American grocery stores, purveyors of lonely-people music as much as fattening food, seem to take great pleasure in pumping out this song all December (and sometimes starting as early as October), reminding their usual single woman target audience that maybe this year, they’ll meet some cute guy in the aisles. Consumerism for the win! Get shopping, ladies!

I need holiday songs that confirm how miserable I am, how lost I feel in this blissfully happy world of yuletide wonder. I’m another year older and constantly exposed to the new “Joy To The World” remix from the new age, synth-loving clusterfuck that is Mannheim Steamroller. This year, courtesy of my partner’s Scandinavian family, I have five-hour dinners to look forward to, followed by dancing and singing around a candle-lit tree. Lethargy mixed with unpronounceable chaos will no doubt ensue, assuming the evergreen doesn’t go up in flames. Where the hell are my headphones?

I’ll Stay ‘Til After Christmas is the angry person’s redemption. You no longer have to retreat to your Elliot Smith; there is no longer a need to front. “Look, I brought some Christmas music too!” Everyone will be so proud, and you will have the last hostile laugh. Man of Arms says it best on “It’s Christmas Time and Every Thing’s Wrong”; he’s actually deconstructing poverty, war, and religious iconography. Certainly, if you’re going to go pissed and angry about the holidays, go big. So while this track clocks in at 1:35, it might very well be my favorite. On “My White Elephant,” which I’ll pretend is a nod to terrible gifts, duo Arthur and Yu explain, “I didn’t know how I feel.” Numbness as holiday survival is alive and well.

The Turk Dietrich “Blue Christmas” cover is so distorted that you can hardly recognize the original, which perhaps to speaks to our collective inability to admit how gloomy all of this false happiness makes us. No Kids ask how they can “face another winter in a summer town,” and it makes me want to kiss them under some wilting mistletoe. Tracks by Au Revoir Simone, Le Loup, and Sally Shapiro are decidedly more upbeat than the rest, but retain an appropriately somber quality. This sad bastard take on Christmas is finally as angsty as I am.

And who doesn’t love giving money away in lieu of gifts? What if you could do both? All album proceeds go to Amnesty International, and since this is a digital-only release, there is less clutter under the tree and in your everyday life. See? Happy endings to sad stories. Merry freaking Christmas.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, December 1st 2008