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l rmi r- c j economist sun stbuffville tribune byroy green staffwriter ltkough there have been some welcome hew addi- tions in recent years to the list of christmas movies my favourite titles r- the 1 ones j have video copies of at home havent changed in a number of years u there are only three movies i make a point of seeingagain each yuletide and sur- prisingly two of them are of fairly recent vinr tage 1983s a christmas story and 1989s prancer tin fact- ive already had one- recent screening of a christmas story the gorgeous little comedy set in 1940s middle america and shot in canada 1 showed it to my grandchildren just a few weeks back and how theyre asking santa for their own copy red ryder bbgun peter i billingsfeyjs ralphie whose christmas dream is for a red ryder bbgun while darren mcgavurarid melihda dillon do agreatjobas the parents y and speaking of wonderful kid actors who have sincedisappeared what ever hap pened to rebecca harrellthe delightful little girlwhonurses one ofsantas injured rein deer back to health ijn prancer maybe herproblem was she was too much real little girl and not enough actor anyway shes great and so are supporting stars sam elliott arid cloris leachmanr but there is only one riiovie that must be watched on christmas eve and that of course is the 1951 alastairsim version of charles dickens a christmas carol when sims scrooge starts whooping for joy on christmas morning its impossible not to get caught up in thexhristmas spirit and for heavensvsake- dont get the colourized version it can only really be enjoyed in glorious black and white those are my personal favourites but there are plenty more christmas movies availableon video these days including its a wonderful life 1946 a look at how the life of one ordinary riian jimmy stewart can affect the people around him he really does exist miracle on 34th street 1947 i01s kringle takes a job as a department store santa to convince maureen ohara and little natalie wood that he really does exist theres a 1994 remake that isnt too bad but why bother when the original is so good one magic christmas 1985 it falls upon christmas angel harry dean stanton harrydean stanton in a christmas movie to restore mary steenburgeris belief in the holiday spirit in what is essentiallya remake of its a wonderful life holiday inn 1942 bing crosby and fred astaire der bingle sings white christmas what else is there to know n white christmas 1954 bing crosby and danny kaye as a songanddarice team at vermont inn oddly enough they resisted the temptation to call it a holiday inn pocketful of miracles 1961 glenn ford is a good-hearted- gangster who transforms afi old bag lady-bette- davis into a society womm a little nonsense national lampoons christmas vacation 1989 everyone should have a little nonsense at christmas chevy v chase and randy quaidvpro- vide it in spades a charlie brown christmas 1965 i know its only a tv show not a real movie but theres something about- this semisweet v little story and the wonderful music v that i cant resist and though i never find it on any christmas list im including 1944s going my way with bing crosby and barry fitzgerald i jn fact im going out right now to pickup a copy- and add it to my yuletide mustsee list staff photosjoerdwitteveen by heidi riedner r correspondent- more than any other holiday christmas is music and if you will be entertaining with good friends and good food great music is a must c luckily a wideselection of seasonal music makes it easy to hit the right note for any gathering christmas is the one time of year when ft people welcome and delight in a wide selection of song stylings thatthey would- ntnorrhally listen to including classical choral and jazz renditions of traditional hyihris arid carols i most of us have a seasonal soundtrack dating back tochudhood that is associated with the christmas music our parents played year after year as adults the same music recreates the sentimental memories arid nostalgic glow of the season establishing a repertoire of i festive favourites it usually combines both 19thcentury carols such as silent night we three kings and jingle bells arid movie soundtrack times from the 1930s to the 50s including the favourites white christmas have yourself a merry little christmas arid the christmas song better known as thechest- nutsrroastingonanoperifire song over the years the songs have been- interpreted by various artists incorporating- j- a number of genres producing a huge selection to suit any taste and gathering whether you are planning a casual party for a few friends or hostihgaforrnal- ij j a il track a popular choice is still the 1946 the christmas song album by nat king cole coles smooth and luxurious voice is the perfect backdrop for lingering over a sumptuousdinner with frierids or family in a relaxed mellow setting for many coles yk p at king coles smooth and c v luxurious voice is the perfect backdrop for lingering over asumptuous dinner with friends or family in a relaxed mellow setting rich voice raises gooseburrips like no other to achieve a fun and festive atmosphere for large gatherings look no further- than the sounds of ella fitzgerald oneither ella wishes you a swinging christmas or ella fitzgerald sings thejgeorge and ira gershwin song book bo th provide sparkling highspirited show and jazz tunes for a lively evening if your goal is to glitz it up and swing your guests right through the night both discs are highly recommended if your party includes children a good suggestion isacharlie brown christmas by pianistcomposer vince guaraldi of the vince guaraldi trio the disc which includes subtle jazz renditions of o tannenbaum and what child is this is recommended as a great way to introduce children to jazz while maintaining an air of elegance for the adults- more forrrial affairs involving a large- rious sounds of choir music popular choices are recordings of the k vienna boys choir and orchestra selec- tions featuring arrangements from handels messiah and tchaikovskys the nutcracker they provide an elegant and r dramatic atmospherefor a sophisticated dinner party with the good china and crys tal v s for something a little different and exotic check out albums featuring a worldly spin on traditional classics suggestions included brazilian christmas celtic christmas and various artists the carols of christmas ii the latter includes god rest ye merry gentlemen by loreena mckennitt whose haunting voice is aided by a backrng of east indian instruments for an intimate candlelight evening the voice and guitar combination on angels glory features sopranokathleen battle with guitarist christopher parkening offer ing an assortment of goodies from tradi tional french carols to american spirituals rare medieval carols are provided by the vocal quartet the anonymous 4 on the disc onyoolis night 4 cohipilation albums are a popular choice because they offer a blend of cross- cultural hyrnns carols and songs in classi- cal jazz rock and spiritual arrangements in addition many forward some or all of the proceeds to charity for example the proceeds from the collection of christmas music on holiday heroes benefit special olympics iin canada f v with all the choices available its easy to add some variety and depth toyour rnusi- seasonal by heidi riedner correspondent k holiday soundtracks offer unique blends- of traditional christmas carols and musical genres the word carol derives from the medieval french word for dancepreviously associated with pagan ritualscarols were introciuced into christmas celebratiorisby st francis of assisi in the 13th century v white christmas written byirvingbeflin r and introduced in the 1942 moviehpliday inn rerriains the biggest selling single of all tiriie in all genres favoured christmas collections include the following a carnegie hall christmas concert the soundtrack from the popular pbs special has been described as the quintessential christinas album the christmas song nat king cole if you- havent heard it youre one t the few missing out on a staple of every collection ella wishes yowa swinging jchristnjas ella- fitzgerald swingirig- and rocking fitzgeralds voice was once described as the equivalent of a glass of chariipagne the sinatra christmas album frank sinatra the chairman of the board does christmas s f the christmas album classical arrange ments from bach handel tchaikovsky and more p a winter garden five songs for the season t combines the hauntmgyoiceqf l2reeria mckennitt with some of the inostbutifully jnusic jis h