Author: B. Francis Morlan

The Next Horrible Santa

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Movies, Christmas News , 0 Comment
The Next Horrible Santa

Hollywood just won’t quit. They just cannot wait to showcase Santa Claus again in a horrible way. Just announced is an all new Santa film to be called Fatman that will star Mel Gibson as Santa Claus. Fatman will showcase Gibson as a rowdy, unorthodox Santa who is fighting the decline of his business. If that’s not a weak enough premise they mix in a 12 year old character who is so displeased with Santa Mel that he hires a hitman to knock off The Jolly Old Elf. Yeah. Can you believe they think this is a good idea? I’llRead more

If You Have the Post Christmas Blues You’re Doing Christmas Wrong

B. Francis Morlan Christmas News, Christmas Opinion 6 Comments
If You Have the Post Christmas Blues You’re Doing Christmas Wrong

The post-Christmas blues are a very real thing. Once the date of December 25th has passed the specter of December 26th is an ominous marker to many. It sits there on the calendar like the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come. Silent and foreboding, the very image of the hooded Angel of Death it seems to be. And why not? Just about anywhere you look Americans are tossing trees to the curb, ripping down lights from rooftops and radio stations are flipping back to everyday music. What took months to build gets deconstructed in a matter of a couple of days. ItRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from Paul Cardall

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music, Christmas News 0 Comment
Best of New Christmas Music from Paul Cardall

We have no problem admitting that we are big Paul Cardall fans. He’s a local guy. He has been producing great Christmas stuff for years. He has an inspiring story, incredible talent, a creative mind, and a giving heart. Does all that translate to great Christmas music? Take a listen to this song — hundreds of years old — richly orchestrated in a new way. The Paul Cardall way. (Yeah, we love it): His new album is called Paul Cardall Christmas and you can find/listen/buy at this link.

The Very Merry Dick Van Dyke

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music 0 Comment
The Very Merry Dick Van Dyke

We have known for decades that Dick Van Dyke is a merry soul who can sing. But we have long lacked the great Hollywood Christmas musical or even Christmas music of Dick Van Dyke. We can’t say that any more. Now 92 and soon to be seen in screen again in the remake of Mary Poppins, Dick Van Dyke released a Christmas song in 2017 much to the delight of fans of all ages. “We’re Going Caroling” is an infectious little tune and the video of Van Dyke proves he still has the moves: The song, performed with Jane Lynch,Read more

We Three Kings

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Features, Christmas Music 0 Comment
We Three Kings

We Three Kings purports to tell the story of the Magi — perhaps one of the least understood elements of the Nativity Story. While scripture is short on detail of exactly who the Magi were that does not mean the imagination does not run wild and creative when we celebrate their role in Christmas. In this fun video the “three kings” take over the organ…and put on quite a show: The show here is the annual Christmas concert of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which always features an organ solo of some type. That small moment in the spotlight is alwaysRead more

Christmas in the 1970s

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Past, Retro Christmas 0 Comment
Christmas in the 1970s

Christmas in the 1970s was an era between eras. Music and television stars of the 1950s still produced major Christmas releases and the gifts, toys and fads of the time seemed caught sometimes between a time warp to the past and to the future. Take, for example, the wildly popular Star Wars action figures – the hottest toys of the late 1970s. Star Wars is just as wildly popular now as it was then. Video games got their start in the 1970s. Only they were not called “video games”. They didn’t know what to call them then. At the veryRead more

A Marshmallow World

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music , , , 0 Comment
A Marshmallow World

It’s a Marshmallow World was introduced by Bing Crosby, of course, way back in 1950. It was a golden era for new Christmas music and Bing cranked them out better than anyone. It was a hit, but a minor one for Crosby, at least compared to his other Christmas tunes. The song was covered by several artists over the next several years but it never found its lasting identity until Dean Martin recorded it in 1966 as part of The Dean Martin Christmas Album. Funny thing is it wasn’t hit for Martin at the time. The album did well —Read more

Kenzie Nimmo Releases Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music, Christmas Video , 0 Comment
Kenzie Nimmo Releases Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Kenzie Nimmo kicks off the rush of new Christmas music videos with this minimal and stirring version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Take a listen: Singer-songwriter Kenzie Nimmo is well known for her cover songs which she posts to her enormously popular Vine account and highly subscribed YouTube channel as well. She released her viral video, “Cool Kids,” when she had only 1,900 followers. She grew up participating in musical theater and many other musical activities. She went to school for music at BYU where she met Harris Heller, another music student with whom she started working onRead more