I played Christmas Portrait (the special edition) twice this weekend all the way through, and it struck me for the first time how poignant the sentiment being expressed by Richard is as he sings "Old-Fashioned Christmas". I've always figured he was singing about old-fashioned, somewhat idealized, Christmas celebrations in general. But it occurred to me all of a sudden that the lyrics could just as easily be referring to how much he misses the way Christmas used to be when Karen was alive. When the song concludes with "I send an old-fashioned Christmas to you" it's as if he's saying "Now, let's turn back time and all remember how things once were. That's my gift to you." And then, almost magically, after a few brief nostalgic musical phrases and a sprinkle of twinkling chimes Richard takes us back to another place as Karen begins to sing "Frosted window panes...". I love that moment.
This happened this weekend too: I was visiting a friend and he had about 10 copies of Christmas Portrait on his kitchen counter. I asked him why and he said he bought them every year as last-minute gifts and party favors for friends during the holidays. He said "It's the best Christmas CD ever!" And I had no idea he liked the C's.
Tony
This happened this weekend too: I was visiting a friend and he had about 10 copies of Christmas Portrait on his kitchen counter. I asked him why and he said he bought them every year as last-minute gifts and party favors for friends during the holidays. He said "It's the best Christmas CD ever!" And I had no idea he liked the C's.
Tony
