It's rare these days to discover a new "old" Christmas tradition worth adopting. Thanks to NPR for this one - they recently ran a story about a long-forgotten recording made by the famous Louis Armstrong. This 45 record (some of us know what that is) was "free" with a carton of cigarettes in 1971. One million copies were printed for the promotion. The recording was made in February at Armstrong's home in Queens and he died at 69 a few months later. This was his last commercial recording.
Listening to that voice recite "The Night Before Christmas" is magical in its own unique way. No one else sounded like Louis and he adds his wit and charm to this staid old monologue. It reminded me of how some things never "age" and my father owned Louis Armstrong records and loved his duets with Ella Fitzgerald. There is still some magic in Christmas but these days that magic is getting harder to find. You can read the article here where there is a link to the recording. Enjoy. A gift for all of us.
