Elvis Presley Music:

		List Price: $19.98		Label: Time Life Records Salesrank: 1189 Released: September 11, 2001
		Our Price: $13.99
		Used Price: $10.99
		Media: Audio CD

The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas Reviews:
A must for your Christmas CD collection
2009-03-22 - If you grew up in the '50s or '60s, this is a must for your CD collection. This is what Ward, Wally and Beaver would have listened to on the hi-fi while they were putting up the Cleaver Christmas tree with the aroma of June's Christmas cookies wafting in from the kitchen.

Another wonderful Time Life Christmas treasure trove
2008-11-23 - As with the first Christmas CD that I reviewed, which technically goes hand in hand with this particular Christmas CD (originally they were sold as a set), I must say that this one is just as amazing as the other one. As I said, these are the original songs by the original artists and the sounds are top notch. Burl Ives was a local son from my hometown area and many of us will remember him as "Sam the Snowman" in "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and there are many other wonderful singers on the CD from years past. These remind me of Christmases from when I was growing up, the big family dinners at our house, the aromas of great homecooking, the tree, decorations, the cold and snow outside, the presents and of course the fellowship of family and friends that would "stop by" bearing gifts and wishing us a very Merry Christmas. Those were very happy times for me! So please - buy a copy of this CD - it can make remembering old traditions memorable and also make fabulous new traditions for the youngsters out there!

Christmas the way it was back home
2008-08-31 - When we play this Christmas CD, we suddenly find ourselves back in time when we were kids listening to the stereo at home on Chrismtas Day. It's a perfect way to create or recall Christmas memories.

Good Memories
2008-01-18 - This CD has a good selection of traditional Christmas songs from the original artists that I remember from my childhood. You know, when it was still OK to say "Merry Christmas" to someone on the street. I played this CD and the other Time-Life Christmas CD all December long. I want my kids to have these songs as their Christmas memories as I do.

If this Were Only the 2 CD Collection with The Original 45 Songs...
2007-11-22 - ***The Review I'm Placing Here is for the Original 2-CD collection as sold on TV with 45 tracks - as opposed to this watered down, shortened playlist. It's a real shame because the original collection is a true must-have***

Classic Christmas songs have always had a renewable, revolving-door quality to them. Musical artists from different generations have come along and imparted their own interpretation to the varied traditional favorites. Some leave such an indelible stamp that it becomes the enduring standard by which all other renditions are measured. Other versions fall to the wayside or become forgotten gems waiting to be rediscovered. By now, there are hundreds of arrangements of Jingle Bells; whether you're looking for something with an R&B tinge or just looking for a disco version of The Little Drummer Boy, no doubt it's not hard to find. While some of these albums succeed brilliantly (Phil Spector's "A Christmas Gift for You" easily comes to mind) others turn into the risible camp they may or may not have intended to become (Esquivel's "Merry Xmas from The Space Age Bachelor Pad" is a hoot which for the record, isn't necessarily bad depending on your mood).

Sadly, more often than not, the glut of Christmas themed CDs is usually released by flash-in-the-pan acts looking to fatten their bank roll before becoming last year's jelly sandals.

Fortunately, the Time-Life Treasury of Christmas CD is like the hot toddy full of timeless holiday standards that's sure to warm any cynical churl. Don't take my word for it. Just hearing the molasses baritone of Bing Crosby's opening track, "White Christmas", transports you to a familiar yet faraway place. Instantly recognizable, immediately nostalgic, The Treasury of Christmas is a double CD set that features 45 recordings from an era when the original bad-asses donned their button-down sweaters and sang some of the most lasting and magical tunes of the holiday season.

Gems like Johnny Mathis' "Sleigh Ride" or Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" are interspersed with a few classic orchestral and choral pieces. Andre Previn's "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and Harry Simeone Chorale's "Little Drummer Boy" are the studded accent pieces that burnish this collection with traditional holiday appeal. Same goes for Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops' heartwarming medley of "Here We Come A' Caroling, O' Tannenbaum, I Saw Three Ships". The Robert Shaw Chorale performs a medley of "Carol of the Bells and Deck the Halls" with a choral arrangement as flowing and precise as it is stirring and inspirational. Even Pavarotti joins the fray with the operatic "Adeste Fideles".

Although most of the songs come from major artists of the pre-Rock era, it doesn't take someone from your grandparents' generation to appreciate something like Judy Garland's tremulous and somber "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Dean Martin's "Let it Snow" is a sprightly, endearing classic that can be easily recognized in many Christmas themed commercials and movies. While Perry Como's "O Holy Night" shimmers solemnly, he lightens up the mood with other cheery numbers as "Home for the Holidays" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

Other crooners in this collection include Elvis Presley (If Everyday Was Like Christmas, Blue Christmas), Burl Ives (Holly Jolly Christmas), Andy Williams (It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year), Bobby Helms (Jingle Bell Rock), Jim Reeves (Jingle Bells) and so many more.

The ladies are present and accounted for too. The hits keep on coming with Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", Julie Andrew's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", Kate Smith and "Silver Bells", along with Leontyne Price's soaring "Ave Maria".

The song titles may summon just a vaguely generic tune in your head, but I guarantee everyone has heard at least one of these songs before - whether as background music at holiday parties or a soundtrack to the dozens of holiday movies Hollywood churns out every year, their ubiquity makes these yuletide ditties all at once familiar and cheering. To have 40 plus of these classic and traditional songs collected in a double CD makes this a must-have for any Christmas aficionado.