A Burl Ives Christmas

            He’s the voice of Christmas.  When I hear the lyrical tenor of Burl Ives, I know the season has arrived.  Now some of you, who are younger than me, read this and have no idea who Ives was or what his voice sounds like.  But if I told you he is the narrator of the Christmas classic, “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and the character of the snowman in the special, his voice will arise in your memory.

            People like Ives have a distinctive gift, they can give their talents in solo.  Given an instrument and an audience, Ives could entrance an audience with his folksy, operatic voice and accomplish a work of art, which defines a season.  The Rudolph special contains part of his legacy.  The story revolves around a reindeer who doesn’t fit in the world and misfit toys which don’t fit anywhere either.  As Ives character, Sam the Snowman says, “Well, time passed slowly. Rudolph existed the best he could.”

            Rudolph chooses a solo life.  Unlike the life of a singer, solos in a life lived alone are frustrating.  Christmas is a hard season for people who are by themselves.  The first Christmas is a story of misfits who don’t fit well in their world.  A couple, newlyweds, whose child belongs to another father.  Shepherds, whose only job is watching other people’s flocks because it’s the only job they can hold.  A tyrant, who wants to be loved but is hated and a child, who comes to walk a road to a cross.

            The story of Rudolph ends on the upswing.  The misfits find homes, the odd reindeer becomes the lead of the sleigh team.  The Christmas story ends up on the upswing also, as it continues to unfold in history.  The cross leads to a resurrection and all the misfits and soloists of the world await for the child who is returning as their king.

            I always remember this every time I heard Ives sing, “Oh by golly have a holly, jolly Christmas this year.”