Information/Write-up
Once upon a time, many years ago, long before there was television or radio, before gramophone records, and when there weren’t even enough books to go around, the joy and the ritual of reading aloud were alive and well.
Father would usually decide which books and stories were to be read and he would likely begin, as all members of the family assembled themselves around the big table in their appointed places. The book would be passed around until all, from the oldest to the youngest, had contributed; then it was time for bed. After this fashion Fathers was able to keep a watchful eye on what the young people were reading or listening to. Dickens was approved, and the “Good Book” was very popular.
It was just as important to be a good listener as it was to be a good reader, for there would be no squirming on squeaking chairs or snickering behind hankies when little Willie attempted the first ch.apter of Leviticus, verses 1 to 5. If the power of the Lord didn’t cut you down with a bolt from heaven, you were eligible for a cuff on the ear from your real father at the head of the table. Even so there were lots of good laughs and many a merry time.
Some readers and listeners went on to be preachers (if they could also pray) or teachers or politicians—or parishioners or students or constituents. Others advanced to be farmers who never relinquished the joy of reading or being read to.
What a marvellous combination—reader and listener. Like love and marriage, you can’t have one without the other. Well, you can, but it’s more fun this way. Merry Christmas!
-Alan Maitland
Production
Produced by Robert Campbell
Recording Technician: Brian Wood
Artwork
Cover Art and Design: Ian Bell
Notes
‘Christmas at Fezziwig’s Warehouse’ by Charles Dickens. Excerpt from A Christmas Carol.
‘Jest ’Fore Christmas’ by Eugene Field. From The Poems of Eugene Field.
‘Hoodoo McFiggin’s Christmas’ by Stephen Leacock. From Literary Lapses, published by McClelland and Stewart Ltd.
‘The Bachelor’s Dilemma’ by Morley Callaghan. ©1950 by Morley Callaghan.
‘The Errors of Santa Claus’ by Stephen Leacock. From Frenzied Fiction, published by McClelland and Stewart Ltd.
‘The Spirit of Christmas’ by Charles Dickens. Excerpt from Pickwick Papers.
‘The Trapper’s Christmas Eve’ by Robert Service. Courtesy the Estate of Robert Service.
‘Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus’ by Francis P. Church. Letters appeared in the New York Sun September 21, 1897.
‘The Gift of the Magi’ by O. Henry. From The Four Million.
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