I had in the past have gone with "traditional" Music, 2 years ago, I had used "Do they know it is Christmas" by Band Aid and last year I went with Bing Crosby and David Bowie with "Little Drummer Boy". I consider those songs "Iconic: Christmas Songs. This year I decided to go with something new and different.....I heard a track from "Celtic Women" and I was mesmerized. There is something haunting and sends chills down my spine when I hear songs like this. There is something about a group of people able to sing in symphony and play off their voice strength. I really thought this was very good. I remember what it was in the late 90's when the Celtic movement hit the states when we had "Riverdance" and others like that. it was nice to see the culture no longer be submerged and I like that.
Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration is the second album from the singing group Celtic Woman. The album's main vocalists are the same five women who were first featured on the PBS music special of the same name: Méav Ní Mhaolchatha, Órla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, Chloë Agnew and Máiréad Nesbitt. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in December 2009, for sales of 500,000, and certified Platinum in November 2011 for sales of 1,000,000.
O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.
Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here come the wise men from the Orient land.
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friend.
He knows our need, to our weaknesses no stranger,
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, Before Him lowly bend!
Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
The Irish Holiday Film Orchestra was recorded at Icicle Studios, Dublin, Ireland Directed by Timothy Wells Celtic Woman Band:
The Antonas Choir was recorded at South Hill Studios, Dublin, Ireland
Directed by Rosemary Collier All Christmas arrangements by David Downes
On this day 50 years ago, a momentous occasion transpired. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was broadcast. This special is still played every-year. It was a staple of my childhood as with many other people. This is why this cartoon has stood the test of time. There is another cartoon that I like that started recently is the Prep and landing series
I have seen Rudolph many times and I will watch it again when it comes on this year, unless I have scouts, Church youth group, Tuba practice(for Short and Noisy A.K.A. My Son) or basketball practice.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmastelevision special produced in stop motionanimation by Rankin/Bass Productions and distributed by DreamWorks Classics. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. The special was based on the Johnny Marks song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the 1939 poem Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer written by Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May. Since 1972, the special has aired mostly on CBS
affiliate television stations, with the network unveiling a
high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005. As
with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph no longer airs just once annually, but several times during the Christmas and holiday season and on several cable channels (including ABC Family).
It has been telecast every year since 1964, making it the longest
running Christmas TV special in history, and one of only four 1960s
Christmas specials still being telecast, the other three being A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman
Santa Claus's reindeer Donner's wife gives birth to a fawn named
Rudolph, but the two are shocked to discover that Rudolph's unusually
red nose is capable of glowing. When Santa Claus
visits their cave to meet the fawn and sees the glowing nose, he warns
Mr. & Mrs. Donner that Rudolph won't be able to pull the sleigh if
he continues to carry this trait for the rest of his life. Consequently,
Donner tries to conceal Rudolph's nose at first with mud and later a
small round cap.
A year later, Rudolph's parents take him out to the reindeer games
where Rudolph, along with all of the other young bucks, will be trained
to fly and pull Santa's sleigh when they get older. There, Rudolph meets
a friendly reindeer named Fireball and they quickly become friends. The
pair then sees a group of does including one named Clarice, who seems
to love Rudolph. Fireball then encourages Rudolph to speak with her. She
thinks he's cute which causes Rudolph to perform a dazzling leap into
the air and fly. However, when Rudolph and Fireball engage in
celebratory play, the cover pops off Rudolph's nose and unveils his
"non-conformity," scaring Fireball and ending their friendship. All of
the other yearlings then make fun at Rudolph's nose and he is not
allowed to join in any more reindeer games. Clarice, who is not the
least bit bothered by Rudolph's secret, catches up with the sulking
Rudolph to try to comfort him. Soon after, Clarice's father forbids her
to hang around with Rudolph, breaking his heart and runs away.
Meanwhile, an elf named Hermey
dreams of becoming a dentist rather than
making toys. His supervisor is outraged at his persistent disruption
with his dentistry studies. Feeling ridiculed and misunderstood, Hermey
also decides to run away. Later, Rudolph meets up with Hermey and the
pair decide to set off together.
Along the way, they meet a cheerfully and boisterous prospector named
Yukon Cornelius, who dreams of discovering silver and gold, before the
trio bumps into the Abominable Snow Monster who is attracted to
Rudolph's nose. Escaping on an iceberg, they arrive on the Island of
Misfit Toys where unwanted toys live with a winged lion named King
Moonracer, until he can find homes for them. The king agrees to let them
stay for one night in exchange for a promise from Rudolph that as soon
as he, Yukon, and Hermey return, they will ask Santa to deliver the
Misfit Toys to children who need them. However, Rudolph decides to leave
the island alone knowing that his nose will endanger his friends.
Rudolph grows older and drifts from place to place, making and losing
friends as he is continually rejected for his glowing nose. Eventually
deciding to go home, he returns to his cave to find that his parents,
along with Clarice, have left to search for him. Rudolph then sets out
to find his family and discovers that they have been captured by the
Abominable Snow Monster, who plans to eat them. After a brief fight,
Rudolph is knocked unconscious. Fortunately, Hermey and Yukon Cornelius
arrive and hatch a rescue plan. Luring the monster out of the cave, the
pair knock the Snow Monster unconscious and Hermey extracts his teeth.
Rudolph awakens, but he and his family are blocked from their escape by
the also awakened beast who blocks the entrance to the cave. Yukon
chases the now toothless monster to a cliff, driving him off the edge.
Mourning Yukon's loss, Rudolph, the Donners, Clarice, and Hermey
nonetheless return home. where everyone apologizes for the way they
acted while telling them about their adventure. Santa promises Rudolph
that he'll find homes for all the Misfit Toys, the Elf Foreman agrees to
let Hermey open his own dentist's office a week after Christmas, and
even Donner apologizes to Rudolph for being critical about his nose.
Upon celebrating, Yukon returns with a tamed Abominable Snow Monster,
now a kinder and gentler monster. However, a huge blizzard blows in
which threatens to cancel Santa's flight. While announcing the news to
the elves and reindeer, Santa is caught by Rudolph's gleaming nose and
decides that its light could cut through the storm. Meanwhile, the
Misfit Toys, grieving about being left out and unloved, are cheered up
when Santa and Rudolph arrive to pick them up. The special ends with
Santa wishing the viewers a merry Christmas as he and Rudolph fly off
into the night.
Santa's reindeer are all seen and mentioned by name. Three of them (all voiced by Paul Kligman) have roles:
Donner is Rudolph's father
Comet is the coach of the Reindeer Games
Dasher is mentioned as a father of one of the yearling bucks at the games
The TV special, with the teleplay by Romeo Muller,
introduced several new characters inspired by the song's lyrics. Muller
told an interviewer shortly before his death that he would have
preferred to base the teleplay on May's original book, but could not
find a copy.
Sam the Snowman - The narrator, voiced by and closely resembles folk singerBurl Ives, who contributes several tunes throughout the program. Among the more well-known songs from the special is Johnny Marks' "A Holly Jolly Christmas," which became a Christmas standard in its own right.
Hermey (Voiced by Paul Soles)
Hermey is a shy, meek elf who dreams of becoming a dentist instead of
making toys. In the end, his supervisor agrees to let him open a
dentist's office after Christmas.
Clarice is voiced and sung by Janis Orenstein. Although real
reindeer of both sexes grow antlers, neither Clarice nor any other doe
in the special has antlers. Also setting them apart, the female reindeer
have much lighter fur than their male counterparts.
Yukon Cornelius (Voiced by Larry D. Mann)
Yukon is portrayed as a boisterous prospector whose goal is to find
silver and gold to get rich quick. A running gag throughout the special
involves him throwing his pickaxe in the air, pulling it out of the ice,
sniffing it, licking it to see if he struck rich, and stating,
"Nothing." In the end, he becomes the proud owner of a new peppermint
mine near Santa's workshop. (The peppermint mine scene was cut out in
the special throughout the years since its premiere.)
Mrs. Claus (voiced by Peg Dixon) She is the wife of Santa.
Mrs. Donner is Rudolph's mother and Donner's wife. The character is voiced by Corinne Conley.
Elf Foreman (voiced by Carl Banas) is a portly and ill-tempered foreman and songleader of Santa's workshop. He wears a green hat and coat and a goatee styled to resemble popular songleader Mitch Miller and uses Lawrence Welk's
famous introduction, "And a one-a, and a two-a, and a three-a!" before
conducting the elves in the song "We Are Santa's Elves" for Santa.
Fireball is voiced by Alfie Scopp (who also voices the other young bucks)
The Abominable Snow Monster of the North (a.k.a. The Bumble)
Tall Elf is a minor character who appears in the "We Are Santa's Elves" and "Holly Jolly Christmas" scenes. Tall, thin and bespectacled,
this character was an integral part of the stop-motion commercial and
subsequent print ads produced for General Electric for the inaugural
broadcast. In Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, he is renamed Hank.
Island of Misfit Toys
The "Island of Misfit Toys", another addition to the original story,
is an island sanctuary where defective and unwanted toys are sent. It is
during the initial scene on the Island that Johnny Marks standard, "The
Most Wonderful Day of the Year" is performed by the inhabitants. Toy
versions of nearly every character from this show were produced in the
1990s. Among its inhabitants are:
King Moonracer is voiced by Stan Francis. A winged lion who rules the entire Island of Misfit Toys. His appearance is similar to the mystical being, the griffin, a creature who is part lion and part bird.
Charlie-In-The-Box is voiced by Alfie Scopp and is a misnamed, but otherwise seemingly normal jack-in-the-box who is the island's sentry.
Dolly is voiced by Corinne Conley and is a seemingly normal girl rag doll with red hair and a red gingham dress. Her misfit problem is never explained on the special, but was possibly revealed on NPR's Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!
news quiz show (broadcast December 8, 2007). The show revealed that
Rudolph's producer, Arthur Rankin Jr., says Dolly's problem was psychological, caused by being abandoned by her mistress and suffering depression from feeling unloved.
Other toys (all voiced by Carl Banas) include a bird who swims instead of flies, a cowboy who rides an ostrich, a train with square wheels on its caboose, a bear on a bicycle, a boat that cannot stay afloat, a set of clown nesting dolls with a wind-up mouse as the last one, a water pistol that shoots jelly, an airplane that cannot fly, and a scooter with two wheels in front and one in back.
