The Spirit of Christmas

A pair of Christmas poems is rendered by the inestimable Jim Dale. The lovely opening poem evokes the heartwarming spirit of the season. It's short (picture-book length) and worth repeated listening. Then Dale segues into Clement Moore's classic "Night Before Christmas," and, once again, his delivery is as jolly as we've all grown to expect from this always-popular narrator. The rest of this production is filled with traditional Christmas carols sung by a choir of young-sounding voices. This filler material feels like what it is--padding. Holiday albums by your favorite musical artists would be more fun. M.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

October 26, 2009
As the adult speaker of the story nods off in a comfy red chair, the Spirit of Christmas appears, ready to get the narrator in the holiday spirit. What follows is a buoyant, imagistic tribute to the season, as the Spirit lists joys both concrete (“A toy soldier band dressed in matching red sashes!”) and intangible, before offering the reminder: “Because it took nothing but love to begin it,/ it's not really Christmas if love isn't in it.” Tillman's ethereal illustrations (a frozen tree, dotted with peppermints; the cast of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” beside a river) are surreal but captivating. Ages 4–8.