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. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2009]