"In Bethlehem upon that morn, there was a blessed Messiah born.."

A Very Vintage Christmas post #7

6 days until Christmas

We hope you are all having a truly joyous holiday season. This time of year can get so busy, with all of the shopping and decorating, and traveling and wrapping, etc. And those things are fun, to be sure, but do you ever stop and find that you are forgetting what the true spirit of Christmas is all about? Maybe you feel like you are just out of touch with the true meaning of Christmas.

Hopefully today's post will help with that.

"Good people all, this Christmas time,

Consider well, and bear in mind,

What our good God for us has done

In sending His beloved son.

With Mary holy we should pray

To God with love this Christmas Day.

In Bethlehem upon that morn,

There was a blessed Messiah born.

The night before that happy tide

The noble Virgin and her guide

Were long time seeking, up and down,

To find a lodging in the town.

But mark right well what came to pass:

From every day repelled, alas

As was foretold, their refuge all

Was but a humble ox's stall.

Near Bethlehem did shepherd's keep

Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep,

To whom God's angels did appear,

Which put the shepherds in great fear.

'Arise and go,' the angel said,

'To Bethlehem, be not afraid.

For there you'll find this happy morn

A princely babe, sweet Jesus born.'

With thankful heart and joyful mind,

The shepherds went the babe to find.

And as God's angels had foretold,

They did our Savior Christ behold.

Within a manger He was laid,

And by His side, a Virgin maid

Attending on the Lord of life,

Who came on earth to end all strife.

There were three wise men from afar

Directed by a glorious star,

And on they wandered night and day,

Until they came where Jesus lay.

And when they came unto that place

Where our beloved Messiah lay,

They humbly cast them at His feet

With gifts of gold and incense sweet."

This song, which is known as the Wexford Carol, is a very old hymn. It originated from the county of Wexford in Ireland, after which it was named. It is believed to date back as far as the 12th century. The lyrics pertain to the original and traditional Christmas story, which centers on the birth of Christ, which is the background to the traditional nativity scene.

The Wexford Carol is one of the oldest dated traditional Christmas carols from Europe. For centuries it was considered a sacred song and it was only permissible for men to sing it. It is only very recently over the last two centuries that this has changed, and it is now often sung by both men and women. In fact, there are many well known female recording artists who have sung this song in more recent years.

The version we are posting today is the first recorded version of the song by a female, which was released by Julie Andrews in 1966.

If you enjoyed the version of the Wexford Carol which we have posted, and you would like to hear or purchase more from Julie Andrews' Christmas collection, we would recommend you click on the following link:

Amazon: Julie Andrews Christmas

We sincerely hope you enjoyed this classic Christmas music post, as it is the last for this year's A Very Vintage Christmas.

Please come back tomorrow, which is Friday, December 20th, as we share a very lovable Christmas tradition with you.

Until then, we hope you have a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!

"Sing we joyous, all together, heedless of the wind and weather."

A Very Vintage Christmas post #5

11 days until Christmas

Season's Greetings! Thank you for coming back once again and participating in our third annual A Very Vintage Christmas. We apologize for the delay with this post, which was originally scheduled for Thursday this week, but we hope you enjoy this classic Christmas melody.

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tis the season to be jolly,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Don we now our gay apparel,

Fa la la, la la la, la la la.

Troll the ancient Yuletide carol,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

See the blazing Yule before us,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Strike the harp and join the chorus,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Follow me in merry measure,

Fa la la, la la la, la la la.

While I tell of Yuletide treasure,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Fast away the old year passes,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Sing we joyous, all together,

Fa la la, la la la, la la la.

Heedless of the wind and weather,

Fa la la la la, la la la la."

Deck the Halls is a carol that is not only often sung at Christmas, but is also applicable to Yuletide and New Year's. The song has a rich history, dating back to the sixteenth century, and coming from a Welsh winter song known as Nos Galen, which translates to "New Year's Eve." It was first published in 1794, and the printed chorus to the Welsh tune reads:

"O mor gynnes mynwes meinwen,

(Oh, how soft my fair one's bosom)

Fal lal lal lal lal lal lal la la:

O mor fwyn yw llwya meillionen,

(Oh, how sweet the grove in blossom)

Fal lal lal lal lal lal lal la la:

O mor felus yw'r cusanau,

(Oh, how blessed are the blisses)

Gyda serch a mwynion eiriau

(Words of love, and mutual kisses)

Fal lal lal lal lal lal lal la la"

The original instrumental music was composed for a harp by John Parry Ddall, and it is still used as a popular dance tune in Welsh culture. During the eighteenth century, it very quickly grew popular, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart even used it in a violin and piano concerto. It is not known for sure where the lyrics we use today come from, but it is possible that they have American origin.

There are many different versions of the song that have been performed by numerous artists, both classical and modern. We have chosen a traditional recording by musical artist Nat King Cole, as heard on his album The Magic of Christmas (1960).

If you enjoyed the version of Deck the Halls that we have posted, and you would like to hear or purchase more from Nat King Cole, you can click the following link:

Amazon: Nat King Cole Christmas

We hope you are having a truly joyous holiday season and we thank you for choosing to celebrate with us. Join us tomorrow, which is Sunday, December 15th, for another classic holiday movie selection.

We wish you a very merry, and A Very Vintage Christmas!

"May you beautifully rhyme your evetime song, ye singers.."

A Very Vintage Christmas post #2

20 days until Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Thank you so much for joining us again today for A Very Vintage Christmas.

Today, being a Thursday, is a day devoted to Christmas music. We have a beautiful song that you may or may not be familiar with, but will undoubtedly enjoy regardless.

"Ding dong merrily on high,

In heav'n the bells are ringing:

Ding dong! Verily the sky

Is riv'n with angels singing:

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

E'en so here below, below,

Let steeple bells be swungen,

And 'Io, io, io!'

By priest and people sungen.

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!

Pray you dutifully prime

Your matin chime, ye ringers;

May you beautifully rhyme

Your evetime song, ye singers.

Gloria, Hosanna in excelsis!"

Ding Dong Merrily On High is a traditional Christmas carol with a bit of history behind it. Like so many other similar seasonal tunes, the instrumental music has been around much longer than the words that now accompany it. In fact, the tune dates back to 16th century France, when it is believed to have been written by Jehan Tabourot. The song was meant to be used originally as a secular dance melody, which is why it is livelier sounding that some traditional Christmas carols which might have been composed for religious purposes.

The credit for the lyrics which we now associate with the music goes to an Englishman by the name of George Woodward. He wrote the words, in prose style, and they were published in 1924 as a part of a collection entitled The Cambridge Carol Book: Being Fifty-Two Songs for Christmas, Easter, And Other Seasons.

For your listening pleasure, here is one of our personal favorite renditions of Ding Dong Merrily On High:

If you enjoyed the version of Ding Dong Merrily On High that we have posted, and you would like to hear or purchase more from the artist Celtic Woman, please click on the following link:

Amazon: Celtic Woman

Please come back again this Sunday, December 8th, for another classic holiday film that is sure to warm your heart.

Best holiday wishes to you, and remember to have A Very Vintage Christmas!

Friendly Reminder

Good morning, everyone!

I trust that you all had a happy Thanksgiving, and that if you are out and about today during Black Friday, that you stay safe.

This is just a simple post to serve as a reminder that this Sunday, December 1st, is the beginning of A Very Vintage Christmas here at Think Classic.
Also, remember that there is a schedule for the month, as follows:
Classic Christmas Movie Posts:
Sunday, 12/1
Sunday, 12/8
Sunday, 12/15
Sunday, 12/22

Christmas Music Posts:
Thursday, 12/5
Thursday, 12/12
Thursday, 12/19

Christmas Tradition Posts:
Tuesday, 12/10
Friday, 12/20

AND a special Christmas Eve post on Tuesday, the 24th.

We are so looking forward to sharing this holiday season with you, and we hope to see you back here this Sunday!

Seasonal Specials

Hello followers and readers!

This is just a simple announcement post for things that are coming up over the next couple of months that you might want to mark on your calendars.

First of all, it might not have escaped your notice that the site has a new fall look. This is in honor of Thanksgiving, which is coming up in a few weeks, on November 28th. We will do a couple of posts in honor of the holiday, but other than that, the site is going to be pretty quiet due to preparations for our third annual segment of A Very Vintage Christmas, which will begin, as always, on December 1st.
We will be sticking to the same schedule that we use every year, which means there will be:
Classic Christmas music posts on Thursdays

                                                   12/5

                                                   12/12

                                                   12/19

Classic Christmas movie posts on Sundays

                                                   12/1

                                                   12/8

                                                   12/15

                                                   12/22

Two posts on the history of different Christmas traditions

                                                   12/10

                                                   12/20

And a special post on Christmas Eve.

We are so excited to spend the holiday season with all of you!

Thank you for all of your support,

The Think Classic team

"Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation!"

A Very Vintage Christmas post #9

Today is December 20th, which means the final countdown is finally on with only 5 days to go until Christmas. I don't know about you, but I'm ecstatic that it's almost here, yet also sad that the Christmas season is passing so quickly.

Anyways, to business...

Today is also a Thursday, which means it is also time for another classic Christmas song.

"O come, all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem

Come and behold Him

Born the King of angels;

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord!

O sing, choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation.

Sing all that hear in heaven, God's holy word.

Give to our Father glory in the highest;

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord!

All hail!Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning!

O, Jesus, for evermore be Thy name adored!

Word of the Father now in flesh appearing;

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord!"

O Come All Ye Faithful is a very old English hymn that was originally written and sung in Latin, known by the title of Adeste Fideles. It was translated in the 1700s, and through various translations a verse that has been made official and recorded reads:

"God of God,

Light of Light,

Lo, He abhors not the Virgin's womb;

Very God,

Begotten not created."

Not every artist sings all the verses or sings them in the same way, just as with other songs; regardless, the song is still widely recorded and sung by scores of musical artists today.

In 1948, Frank Sinatra released his album Christmas Songs by Sinatra. On the album, he had the song Adeste Fideles, but he sang the English translation even though he used the Latin title of the song.

Although I adore Frank Sinatra and this blog concentrates on such vintage and classical things, I have to put in a good word for my man with the voice of an angel, Josh Groban. On his Christmas album Noel, he has an absolutely gorgeous and killer version of O Come All Ye Faithful, so if you'd like to give it a listen as well, click on this link:

Josh Groban-"O Come All Ye Faithful"

Our countdown is getting smaller every day but we've still got some Christmas magic up our sleeves, so be sure to come back this Saturday, December 22, for another classic holiday movie post, which ties in with TCM's Star of the Month.

Until next time, have a very merry and A Very Vintage Christmas!

"When it snows, ain't it thrilling..."

A Very Vintage Christmas post #6

And it is now December 13th, so that makes it 12 days until Christmas.

Eek! That's less than two weeks! And, looking back, I definitely mourn the fact that I did not grab onto the predictable and cliche opportunity to make today's song choice The 12 Days of Christmas.

What was I thinking?

Oh well..today's son is still a great, fun one!

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?

In the lane snow is glistening.

A beautiful sight,

We're happy tonight,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

Gone away is the bluebird.

Here to stay is the new bird.

He sings a love song,

As we go along,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown.

He'll say, 'Are you married?'

We'll say, 'No man.

But you can do the job when you're in town.'

Later on, we'll conspire

As we dream by the fire,

To face unafraid the plans that we've made

Walking in a winter wonderland.

In the meadow we can build a snowman,

And pretend that he's a circus clown.

We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman

Until the other kids knock him down.

When it snows, ain't it thrilling?

Though your nose gets a chilling.

We'll frolic and play the Eskimo way,

Walking in a winter wonderland."

Winter Wonderland has definitely become known as a classic Christmas song over the years.

It was originally written by Richard B. Smith in 1934 as he looked out over a joyful winter scene in his city's public park from an upstairs window. Originally, the verse about the snowman being a circus clown was not included. However, many people at the time deemed it inappropriate for younger listeners that the only main verse in the song was about a young couple spontaneously getting married. So, the children-friendly verse was penned and put in. Most artists nowadays sing the song with both verses.

It is an extremely popular and well known song, having been performed by well over 100 artists including Andy Williams, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis, The Carpenters, and Brenda Lee.

But today I give you the classic version of the song sung by Dean Martin:

There are also many modern artists who perform Winter Wonderland, making even more great versions of the song. Today, I'm going to do something a little different and let you listen to a modern and different version of the song by A Fine Frenzy:

Hope you enjoy adding this Christmas classic to your playlist this season!

We are scheduled to do another post this Saturday, December 15th, but I will be spending my day at Denver International Airport, and then spending another 3 hours in the air, so that post will be postponed to Sunday, December 16th. We won't move the already scheduled post for Sunday, so that means there will be TWO posts on Sunday, December 16th.

Until then, have a thrilling, and A Very Vintage Christmas!