Christmas Portrait...when does the music start?

[richard_sloat]

Oh!! It ocurred me to finally ask: what exactly is celebrated on Thanksgiving and why in that specific date?

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Thanksgiving Day is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. While there was an underlying religious element in the original celebration, Thanksgiving today is primarily identified as a secular holiday.

Although earlier feasts are known to have taken place, Thanksgiving as it is known and celebrated today derives from a joint celebration between the Pilgrim settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts and members of the Native American Patuxet tribe of the Wampanoag people in 1621.

In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is Columbus Day in the United States. In the United States, it falls on the fourth Thursday of November.

It was originally the LAST Thursday in November but since 1941 at the urging of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, it was set for the FOURTH Thursday of November.

 

[ullalume]

I've got a day off on Thursday, the 2nd. That way I can relax, wrap up my first prezzies, and lap up the first album.

I'll be listening to them pretty constantly until Xmas Day. Listening after the 25th depresses the hell out of me, so back they go for the next 11 months.

Neil

 

[CarpentersToYou]

The Carpenters are at #42 on the billboard chart with CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT album! Making one of the biggest jumps on the chart!

 

[cam89]

Awesome for them. Hoping it sells really well this year. Why they don't do any advertising for the younger generation is beyond me.....

 

[CarpentersToYou]

This begs for a new edition of the Christmas Portrait special edition album with a DVD!

Surely they can throw together a 6 or 8 track DVD and PCM Stereo versions of the songs, no? "Merry Christmas, Darling" and "The Christmas Song" are among the least cheesy songs on the TV specials.

 

[cam89]

I checked on the Holiday Chart and it leaped down to #45. Not too bad! Which chart was it that they hit #24?

 

[CarpentersToYou]

Oops! Typing error! it was 42.

 

[cam89]

That's still an awesome number!! I know every year I usually buy a new one, as I always end up giving my Carpenters cds to family/friends...

 

[richard_sloat]

Surely they can throw together a 6 or 8 track DVD and PCM Stereo versions of the songs, no? "Merry Christmas, Darling" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas are among the least cheesy songs on the TV specials.

I don't recall the video for Have yourself..., is it on the first Christmas TV special?

 

[cam89]

Nope. No video of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. The one where she is singing on her couch was THE CHRISTMAS SONG with her little stuffed Koala bear...and wearing her beautiful green satin jumpsuit....

 

[richard_sloat]

Yep... love that. "A typical little girl holding what typical little girls want for Christmas: a machine gun!"

 

[richard_sloat]

OK, so I decided to give An old-fashioned Christmas a whole listening through, something I hardly ever do, since Christmas music like Richard's instrumental pieces and stuff with the OK Chorale sounds like music score from Disney movies to me, which distracts and irritates me more than build the ambience for a scene. The point is the song Little altar boy always confused me a bit: who is the little altar boy?? I suppose is one the kids or teenagers who "work" or whatever is called with the priest at the celebrations and things like that. But SOMETIMES I wonder whether it is baby Jesus himself, on the Madonna's arms, because she asks him to tell the Lord to take her sins away... it clues a very INTIMATE relationship with the deity, I think, because she wouldn't have to ask one of the kids to do it for her, she could do it herself! On other hand, the song tells about the boy lifting up his voice and singing a prayer... definitely doesn't apply to the baby Jesus, I suppose. But then again, why does she want to be "HOLY" like him?? Not even the priest himself is "HOLY", as far as I know, only the saints and stuff. So definitely confusing. In the end, if I had to pick one, I'd choose the kid or teen boy... I feel it's more of a hit on than baby Jesus. I don't really know though.

EDIT: Oh!! And one more thing... I was watching my Cher's Live in concert dvd for like the eighteenth hundred time and she says before singing into Just like Jesse James... "(this song)'s about a fight on the OK Corral"... any relations to the OK CHORALE name???

 

[Geographer]

I think the song, Little Alter Boy, needs some context. Sounds to me that the first person (the one singing the song) is suppose to be a poor sinner or one who thinks she is too much so that she percieves herself distant from God. Probably someone who is at their "bottom" emotionally. Stumbling into a church and seeing an alter boy perform his tasks evokes an image of innocents and closeness to God that the person singing longs for and is the exact opposite of what she thinks of herself. Possibly, an innocent child who is obviously more intimate with God would 1) teach her to pray; and 2) actually intercede for her (since she feels unworthy to plea her own case to God directly). Praying for each other is not an uncommon thing in Christianity. I find it a beautiful song in its intimacy and in the vulnerability of the person singing it. I know of someone who cries everytime she hears the song as she completely "gets it" and identifies with the lyrics.

 

[richard_sloat]

I think the song, Little Alter Boy, needs some context. Sounds to me that the first person (the one singing the song) is suppose to be a poor sinner or one who thinks she is too much so that she percieves herself distant from God. Probably someone who is at their "bottom" emotionally. Stumbling into a church and seeing an alter boy perform his tasks evokes an image of innocents and closeness to God that the person singing longs for and is the exact opposite of what she thinks of herself. Possibly, an innocent child who is obviously more intimate with God would 1) teach her to pray; and 2) actually intercede for her (since she feels unworthy to plea her own case to God directly). Praying for each other is not an uncommon thing in Christianity.

Hmmmm. I think I got it now. She feels unworthy, as you say, of God's attention, thus the boy seems "holy" compared to her.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Geographer's got it exactly right.

who is the little altar boy?? I suppose is one the kids or teenagers who "work" or whatever is called with the priest at the celebrations and things like that.

Just for further informational purposes, the correct term for an altar boy's duties is to "serve," as in "I'm serving for the 10:00 Mass tomorrow." (I know this stuff -- I was an altar boy from 4th grade until high school...and a darn good one, I might add! )

 

[goodjeans]

...uhm, anyway. The video taken from the Christmas Special for "Merry Christmas, Darling" is very well done and does not look dated at all. Karen looks beautiful and very camera friendly. I wonder if Richard had any idea that this album would stand the test of time?

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

...uhm, anyway. The video taken from the Christmas Special for ?Merry Christmas, Darling" is very well done and does not look dated at all. Karen looks beautiful and very camera friendly. I wonder if Richard had any idea that this album would stand the test of time?

I really agree, it's a video that shows no time as does this timeless song, it's a perfect combination. I'm so afraid that if this video is being perserved somewhere that one day it will be lost and we will never get a digital picture version released.

 

[richard_sloat]

You can find the Christmas portrait TV special online with good quality... or is it Christmas with the Carpenters? I always confuse the two of them. I believe it's the former... so I guess we're gonna have to preserve it ourselves, although not with DIGITAL PICTURE quality, of course.

 

[d-fresh]

It really doesn't matter to me if I watch the videos or listen to the 2 albums the Carpenters Christmas music is by far my favorite. Even my kids who are in their mid 20's and grew up on Christmas Portrait say it is their favorite and we do not agree on music at all. I still think Karen is the best female singer ever.

 

[Mark-T]

Yes, she is!

 

[manofsteel1979]

Just stopped by my local Record Store on my way home and found BOTH Christmas Portrait and Old Fashioned Christmas on LP in awesome shape for $4.00 total

I already own both on vinyl, but I couldn't resist purchasing them again!

 

[cam89]

The Carpenters CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT album is on 3 Billboard Charts this week.

The Top 200 Albums...it is currently #150.

The Catalogue Album...#33.

The Holiday Albums...#43. (Last week this #45).

 

[Mark-T]

$4 each! Wow! What a steal!

 

[manofsteel1979]

$4 each! Wow! What a steal!

Actually they were 2 bucks each, making them $4 for both. There was a box of Christmas LP's by the counter and they were both in the back of the box one behind the other!

The Christmas Portrait LP is in good shape, although it was a bit dusty and the inner paper sleeve was torn. A little cleaning and a new sleeve fixed her right up. The Old Fashioned Christmas is still in shrink,although it's opened. However, The Record is Mint. Looks like it hadn't been played much,if at all.

Both sound remarkable. I'm playing them now.

God, but I love vinyl!