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Christmas Portrait...when does the music start?

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goodjeans

goodjeans

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I found a mint copy of 'Christmas Portrait" on vinyl at the "Goodwill" while I was dropping off items. Now I am ready for radio saturation of this excellent album. When does this usually start? I bought it originally in 1978 and it has become a staple in my Holiday practices. Would anyone care to contribute their thoughts on this release?
"It's beginning to look a lot like Carpenters"
 
1. Best place to find it is a station that goes "all-Chrismas". These are usually the market's soft-rock stations, or ones changing format around the end of the year.

2. The start of "all-Christmas" programming usually starts sometime in November, but there are records of stations going in late October. It depends on the competition. If a market station is changing format and switches early, then look for the market's usual A/C station to also switch early.

Harry
 
I listen to Karen's tracks from both albums all over the year... except for Jingle bells. I don't enjoy Christmas anymore since I got too old for the gifts A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, lol, so I listen to them because it's Karen not because they are Christmas songs whatsoever.
 
Thank you Harry!
..and a special note to Mr. Sloat.

I didn't know that there was a shelf life on receiving gifts!!!!
If that is the case, my clock is ticking waa--yyy to quickly.
 
I'm not sure on what you mean by mentioning the clock, me Brazilian, you Jane, lol.

I meant my parents, godmother, aunt, uncle etc. don't bother giving my anything for Christmas anymore, they would do it only in our childhood, mine and my sisters', FILLING the Christmas tree with toys of all kinds and stuff. Now THAT was SUCH a thrill!!!! Nowadays, Christmas seems so dull, specially with an atheist father and an atheist sister (mother SAYS she's not but I don't really believe her). Still everybody in the family enjoy the gathering together and things like that. And, of course the HOLIDAYS!!

I had thought in the past of playing the Carpenters Christmas albums in the Christmas family celebrations but, apart from Jingle bells and Silent night, none of the songs are popular in Brazil. And, obviously, those two are sung in Portuguese over here. I guess they wouldn't have much fun having NO CLUE of what is being sung, lol, even with the Christmas "feeling" from the songs.
 
We have a soft-rock/m.o.t.r. radio station that seems to play holiday music earlier each year. Last year it started the week prior to Halloween.
For me it's a (private) year-round listening adventure; especially if I'm feeling down. Come November the rest of the house is treated to at least one holiday Carpenters song a day.
 
Always the day after Thanksgiving for me, too! There's nothing better than hearing "Do You Hear What I Hear" when Karen comes in at the second verse. It sounds fresh to me every year. Same with "He Came Here for Me", and, of course, the original "Merry Christmas Darling" from 1970.
Then again, there's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".... :)
 
You're right!!!! I can't get enough of she entering the song, "said the little lamb to the shepherd boy", along with the oboe! It's beautiful and chilling!

Plus Have yourself a merry little Christmas has GOT to be the BEST Karen's performance EV-EEEER! It is simply AMAZING!
 
Just for information - my Filippino friends tell me that the moment the year turns to the first 'month with "ber" ', namely, September, shops there start to display Christmas deco and play carols, and this goes on till December!

I was in a bookstore in Manila once in December, and they were playing the whole Christmas portrait album. Needless to say, I stayed there and browsed longer than I intended to, enjoying the music (and the airconditioning).

For this year, I already heard Christmas Portrait in full around July/August - managed to find an ebayer selling the original mix discontinued German print of the album, in excellent condition (looked almost new!), and so I HAD to listen to ensure it was in good working order (it was). Amazing album...I also realised that after this album, a number of Christmas releases started to 'link' songs together (eg Amy Grant's 1st Christmas album) and had things like Overtures before the album proper started (eg Hall & Oates). Methinks the Carps influenced them, no? :)
 
Here in Canada we are celebrating our Thanksgiving today...so pretty soon, they will be playing Christmas music, and of course Karen Carpenter's lovely Christmas vocals!
 
Officially, well, for this year...today.

I've not lived at home for years, where I've kept all of my Carpenters items. It's been really fun to go through them and see things that I'd forgotton about.

Today I rediscovered the 1992 Christmas with the Carpenters 2-CD set. I'm glad it's been a year to get back in touch with the Carpenters.
 
Somehow, right after HALLOWEEN, where I work at, the Christmas stuff (which comes in as early as late-summer) shows up, so what better than to get the Christmas music playing right where we've set up our Christmas tree displays...

(& Glad that "Disc 2" is finally playing endlessly, in our "Annual X-mas b'ground music set"... --Someon really needs to obtain a Carpenters Christmas set or maybe the Herb Alpert & TjB Christmas album...!)



Dave
 
This season:
November 28th (1.Advent-Sunday) until January 9th (Baptism Of The Lord).

The only exception is SILENT NIGHT, which I don't play before Christmas Eve. This is a practice I do since I first bought the vinyl album back in 1982.

And by the way, the version of AVE MARIA without the choir is the best one! I'm so glad I bought the German CD in the Eighties.

Bruno
 
ADVENT

I don't know the English word for this.....
In the roman-catholic church, which I belong to, the four weeks before Christmas are called ADVENT (from the Latin word "adventus", which means "arrival (of the Lord)". So there are four Advent-Sundays. The liturgical color of Advent is violet. Advent is a silent time of preparation for Christmas. Nevertheless, the Christmas markets are loud and all over the big cities here in Germany. :rolleyes:

Christmas time actually doesn't start before Christmas Eve (24th). Christmas itself is celebrated on the 25th. The Christmas time has a second highlight: EPIPHANY on January 6th (also known as HOLY THREE KINGS; the golden shrine with the bones of those kings stands in Germany's most famous church, the Cologne Cathedral). Christmas time ends on the Sunday after Epiphany with the feast "Baptism of The Lord".

Pardon my bad English!

Bruno
 
Bruno said:
ADVENT
I don't know the English word for this.....
In the roman-catholic church, which I belong to, the four weeks before Christmas are called ADVENT (from the Latin word "adventus", which means "arrival (of the Lord)". So there are four Advent-Sundays. The liturgical color of Advent is violet. Advent is a silent time of preparation for Christmas. Nevertheless, the Christmas markets are loud and all over the big cities here in Germany. :rolleyes:
Christmas time actually doesn't start before Christmas Eve (24th). Christmas itself is celebrated on the 25th. The Christmas time has a second highlight: EPIPHANY on January 6th (also known as HOLY THREE KINGS; the golden shrine with the bones of those kings stands in Germany's most famous church, the Cologne Cathedral). Christmas time ends on the Sunday after Epiphany with the feast "Baptism of The Lord".
Pardon my bad English!
Bruno
Click to expand...

Thanks... I studied in a Roman-Catholic school from 4 to 17 years old and I had no idea of what Advent meant in the Christian context! Maybe this is because I have not done the Eucharist thing (my sis did). It was on Saturday mornings... totally no way.

There is quite a popular Epiphany party here in Salvador, even Pedro Almodovar has come to join it one year, but I think it is always referred as Holy Three Kings celebration... not Epiphany, at least colochially. I didn't ACTUALLY know about the Baptism either, I only knew that is the day when we set off the Christmas stuff!
 
I have been reading the "Little Girl Blue" book and at the time of the albums' release, their collective lives were in chaos. We (I) celebrated this classic album while they were in terrible straights. That, my friends, is ironic.
 
goodjeans said:
I have been reading the "Little Girl Blue" book and at the time of the albums' release, their collective lives were in chaos. We (I) celebrated this classic album while they were in terrible straights. That, my friends, is ironic.
Click to expand...

That is the very definition of ironic if I've ever heard one.

At their lowest physical and emotional ebb as a partnership, they created one of their greatest masterpieces. Just shows how truly talented both RC and KC were.

"Christmas Portrait" In either the original version or the revamped CD version, stands as their most enduring singular album statement among the general public. Even people who aren't Carpenters fans probably have that album in some form. The Carpenters and Christmas are like peanut butter and Jelly at this point.

At the major retailer where I work, we just started getting in Christmas Music. Guess what was the first CD I encountered in unpacking the box when stocking?

Christmas is officially here!!!


:)
 
Good day, I heard "Home For The Holidays", "Merry Christmas, Darling", and "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas" on the radio today. Carpenters=Christmas
 
The Christmas stuff started today in my car. I began with Old Fashioned and next trip I'll indulge Portrait. So nice to dust off me ol' friends.

Jeff
 
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