Christmas was always a big deal in the Pulsipher household. The entire month of December was spent decorating the house, making strawberry jam filled Christmas tree bread for our teachers, and burning our fingers spreading out the molten suger and peanuts to make peanut brittle to put in presents for our neighbors. There were parties to plan and attend, a nativity to enact, and of course, presents to wrap and put under the tree.
All these activities played an important part in making Christmas the best time of year and the best holiday, hands down. Over the years, many of these traditions have changed or dropped off completely, and others have been introduced. But there is one thing, maybe the most important tradition of all, that can put me right back at the kitchen table sneaking broken pieces of brittle: Christmas music.
Through the entire month of December there was a constant background of Christmas music playing soundtrack to our festivities. Several albums held places of high honor on that playlist and those are the one's I go back to now to recapture some of the wonder and reverence I felt as a child: "The King's Singers Christmas", "Christmas with Julie Andrews", and basically any of the Cambridge Singer's Christmas albums. But there's one album in particular that perfectly captures the Christmas spirit of my childhood: Mannheim Steamroller's "Christmas." I know it's cheesy and certainly dated at this point, but I really don't care. It encapsulates Christmas for me, and nothing brings the spirit of the season more effectively for me.
Recently, when my parents moved from their long-time home, I inherited their entire record collection. As I unpacked and organized the records in my new apartment I was so happy to find among them that original LP that was listened to so thoroughly in my home as a child. Now, all these years later, it is once again regularly being pulled out, dusted off, and played as the soundtrack to the best time of the year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
3 comments:
Wow. Just hearing the opening phrases in "Stille Nacht" brought me right back home in front of the tree. I have been wresting Christmas lights and tired children all night. I needed that throw back to a simple and beautiful time. Thanks Chucky!
very informative blog! getting hooked to it.. keep up the awesome work! :)
King Singers and Mannheim Steamroller pretty much define Christmas time to me too. For as long as I can remember it doesn't feel like Christmas until I've sat by the Christmas tree with all the lights off listening to "Stille Nacht". Makes me homesick.
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