Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Christmas Time Is Here" (Vince Guaraldi)

 



Merry Christmas and welcome to Tuesday!!!!

Today's Notes are a reprint of an email sent in December of 2011 to friends and church family.  I hope you enjoy...

     It all began like this......

"Christmas Time Is Here" - From A Charlie Brown Christmas - By Vince Guaraldi

     This popular Christmas classic was written specifically for a cartoon.  It has been covered on Christmas albums since the cartoon aired by almost 20 different artists, who were Jazz or heavily Jazz influenced.  It has never charted as a single on Billboard's Hot 200, but was included as an instrumental as well as vocal on the cartoon's soundtrack, which charted at #13 on Billboard's Christmas chart in 1985, the first year for Billboard's Christmas chart.  The album, including it's many reissue's has gone multi-platinum, selling over 3,295,000 albums since it's release. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.  Not to bad for a Jazz trio on a Christmas cartoon soundtrack.

     On Thursday December 9th, 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas, aired for the first time and has been on television during the Christmas season every year since. It's 2013 showing made for it's 48th airing.  Last year it won it's time slot over X-Factor and Survior and it's contract has been extended with ABC through 2020. It's original airing in 1965 preempted The Munsters  and came on before Gilligan's Island. (my, how TV has changed)  It was the first of many  Peanuts television specials that are beloved by kids of all ages.  It has won the Emmy and Peabody awards and was watched by 50% of American televisions on its initial airing.  While it is considered a cultural icon today, television executives in 1965 weren't so enthusiastic.  In fact, A Charlie Brown Christmas, almost didn't make it to the airwaves.  Read the story here:  

USA Today - "The Christmas Classic That Almost Wasn't"

     I don't think Charlie Brown was the first to bemoan the commercialism of this time of year.  There is at least a hint of it in many old Christmas movies.  Some of my favorites include, The Bishop's Wife, A Christmas Carol, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and  A Miracle On 34th Street.  Like these old movies, many Christmas specials and cable Christmas movies today focus on at least one character whose heart is in the wrong place for the season.  Each one of us have probably succumbed to the temptation of an advertisement.....ever participated in Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or free shipping day?  Yes, I have too. 

     Maybe because I've gotten a little older or have all of the "toys" that I could ever play with, but with each passing year, it seems (for me anyway) to get just a little bit easier to look past the Christmas lights and see the light of one star.  To look past the wrapped gifts and see the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.  To look past Santa and see the Savior.  To look past the Christmas tree and see a crucifixion tree.  To look past my exhaustion and look at the angels exultation.  To look at my family and realize that God has not only blessed me with kin, but with brothers and sisters in Christ.  "That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown."

The ancient prophets wrote and told others about His first coming.  It was miraculous and just exactly as God had told them it would be.  (Messianic Prophecies -bibletruths.net) It is our turn to take up the mantle and tell not only about the celebration of His first coming as a baby, but His next visit to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That event will result in the ultimate Christmas celebration in heaven.  Just like in 1965 when Charles Schultz prevailed and had Linus Van Pelt tell the Christmas story from Luke 2 to a national television audience, let us prevail and be as bold as Linus in telling the Charlie Brown's all around us what Christmas is all about....."Lights Please"

Luke 2 - Linus Van Pelt

'Til Tuesday

Serving HIM by serving you,

Randy