Old Songs For This Christmas

Every year, both radio and television take advantage of the holiday season to present programs containing Christmas carols that we hear since we are children. Although historians are not sure of the origins of Christmas caroling, we tend to consider that originally carolers were roaming from one house to a different one, singing Christmas songs and getting food or some hot beverage. It is during the 20th century that radios appeared and replaced these "artists", echoing the beautiful strains of Silent Night as well as Joy to the World. The birth of television allowed us to enjoy the holiday season by producing a large variety of Christmas shows that we enjoy each year.

One of the first shows to become a classic was the adaptation of Charles Dickens' reknowned "A Christmas Carol". Who does not know the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and his conversion from a spiteful and avaricious old body to a kind, generous and grandfatherly gentleman? Many carols are largely and regularly featured in any adaptation you care to watch. The words of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Silent Night" are sung by a variety of young boys hoping to get a reward from their performance; consisting of a mug of the hot alcoholic and spicy drink and some cakes.

Who can forget Jimmy Stewart in his role in "It's a Wonderful Life"? Remember George Bailey and the angel Clarence Odbody... The angel has been sent on earth to show George, depressed, all the good he has done to people around him. At the end of the movie, the entire family gathered around the Christmas tree and sang "Joy to the World". What a wonderful life indeed.

Naturally, there is a movie that has been and still is the most watched and gave birth to the best selling Christmas song... "White Christmas" performed by the one and only Bing Crosby. This Christmas song is nowadays considered as the most popular in the world!

Everyone of us recalls of the Christmas special presented by Bing Crosby for more than twenty years. Actually, each one of these shows had a huge number of movie-stars like Fred Astaire, Mary Martin, Andre Previn... They would sing such classics as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Jingle Bells", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and many others. Even David Bowie honored Bing Crosby's Christmas Special, doing a duet with him! The song they interpreted was "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth". It is, perhaps, other than White Christmas, considered to be one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever made.