CHRISTMAS! The one thing that truly lights my Christmas candle is watching my dvd of “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO).
As I am in San Jose this holiday season and since my dvd is at home in Hawaii, I made a special trip to Best Buy to seek out the video yesterday. And I found one.
So … last night, I got to watch it and fill up my Christmas tank, turning on my brain’s Christmas pleasure center at the same time. I got to get my Christmas spiritual mojo moving, as it always does when I watch this stirring fantasy.
The Ghosts of Christmas Eve has a simple story line – a young runaway girl (Allie Sheridan), who has been away from home for a very long time, yearns to return home, writing to her parents in her diary yet not having the wherewithal to call them or otherwise communicate with them.
She takes refuge in an old, rundown theater where an old caretaker (Ossie Davis) guides her on a musical journey to lift her spirits and bring smiles and laughter back into her life.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s music tells the tale of the glorious birth of Jesus Christ, opening with the fully instrumental O’ Come All Ye Faithful and segueing forward as accompaniment for a excellent group of talented performers whose voices reach deep down into your soul until you cannot help but be transported yourself into the fantasy.
Two special performances always bring me close to tears. Jewel Kilcher (known professionally as simply “Jewel”) lends her beautiful voice to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and mega-star Michael Crawford (Phantom of the Opera) performs a powerful “O Holy Night.”
One of TSO’s music videos – Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) – is reprised here, absolutely delightful in its presentation of a little girl’s experience with musicians in a night snowfall concert.
The closing number finds the runaway girl finally getting home, thanks to a little bit of help from fantasy magic. It’s extremely heart-lifting, it will have you reaching for your Kleenex, and you will heave a big ol’ sigh when the credits finally roll.
I recommend this video without reserve. It’ll set you back about $15 or so – a small, small pittance compared to the joy and fulfillment it will bring to your heart. It’s guaranteed to get you in the Christmas Spirit.
As it did me … again.
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