Song - An Old Christmas Card

Sung by Jim Reeves

(It's the mem'ry of an old Christmas card)
There's an old Christmas card in an old dusty trunk
And it brings back sweet mem'ries dear to me
Though it's faded and worn it's as precious as the morn
When I found it ‘neath our first Christmas tree
I thrill with every word every line guess I'm always sentimental round this time
Pardon me if a tear falls among my Christmas cheer
It's the mem'ry of an old Christmas card

You know I don't know why I get to feeling sentimental about this time every year
But every time I see a Christmas card I somehow can't help reminiscing
About the very first Christmas that you and I spent together
What a beautiful Christmas card you gave me that year
Why I know you must have looked through thousands of cards
To find that wonderful poem that still brings a tear to my eye

I thrill with every word every line guess I'm always sentimental round this time
Pardon me if a tear falls among my Christmas cheer
It's the mem'ry of an old Christmas card

* * *

This song is collected in Jim Reeves’ Twelve Songs of Christmas album. Personally I think this is more of a love song than a Christmas song. However, it stands out from the rest of Christmas songs in this album.

Jim Reeves - Twelve Songs of Christmas

In an early post, here, I mentioned about my neighbour, Ah Beng, and the numerous weekends I spent with him to listen to English songs. I think Ah Beng’s family was the only Christian family in our neighbourhood. Ah Beng’s Christmas party was one event I was looking forward to attending every year in late 60s.

For several years during Christmas eves in the late 60s, my childhood friends like Su Bee, Su Kien, Su Long, Su Lee, Wei Lun, Wei Kien, my brothers and sister, Kien Huat (I think so) and some other kids were invited to his house. Although we didn’t understand the significance of Christmas but we were all thrilled by the festive mode, the games, the foods, the drinks and the presents. But the biggest thrill of all was the boys got to spend the night sleeping by the twinkling Christmas tree at Ah Beng’s house. We also got to hang our socks at the best spots on the Christmas tree. Ah Beng would then lead us to lie down and pretend to sleep. I can still remember vividly that when the REAL Santa Claus appeared, we held our breath quietly to wait for the Santa Claus to stuff some little presents into our socks. When the Santa Claus left, Ah Beng would then switched on the lights and we would continue jollying until early morning.

This fond childhood memory still lives in my mind till today. So when December comes, I never fail to retrieve my CDs and LPs on Christmas songs and replay them.

One of the CDs and LPs that I listen more often is Jim Reeves’ Twelve Songs of Christmas. This album contains many of the traditional Christmas songs that many are familiar with. With Jim Reeves’ smooth and silky voice, he has that little magic touch that brings out the Christmas mood in my heart.

How nice if Ah Beng were to organize a Christmas party for all the childhood friends once more…

Song List:

Side 1- Jingle Bells, Blue Christmas, Senor Santa Claus, An Old Christmas Card, The Merry Christmas Polka, White Christmas

Side 2 – Silver Bells, C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Mary’s Little Boy Child, Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night

Jim Reeves - Distant Drums

I first listened to Jim Reeves in 1980.

I was studying in Penang then. As my house was in Sungai Petani, I had to stay in my granduncle's house in Air Itam during the weekdays.

My granduncle was very kind to me. He treated me like a grown-up and imposed no restrictions to me at all. So I could watch TV or listen to cassette tapes whenever I liked. My uncle had a good collection of cassette tapes. I particularly liked a tape which contained a song "He'll have to go" sung by Jim Reeves followed by another song "He'll have to stay" sung by Skeeter Davis.

Wikipedia describes that "Jim Reeves is a crooner because of his warm, velvety voice. His songs were remarkable for their simple elegance highlighted by his rich right baritone". What an apt description.

When I started to collect LPs, I also started to look for Jim Reeves' album. "Distant Drums" is the first Jim Reeves album collected by me. I bought it in July 2006.

At the height of his singing career, Jim Reeves was killed in a small aircraft crash in July 31, 1964. Cindy Walker, the author of "Distant Drums" wrote this at the back of the album cover:

"The words sound almost mystically prophetic as sung by the late Jim Reeves-

'I hear the sound of distant drums

Far away, far away.

And if they call for me to come,

then I must go and you must stay'"