A Family Christmas

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		Autumn	8:51	Play
2		Thanks Giving	5:31	Play
3		The Blessed Tree	7:45	Play
4		Comfort and Joy	8:49	Play
5		Sleigh Ride	5:17	Play
6		Under Christmas Stars	7:20	Play
7		Angels Among the Holly and Ivy	9:34	Play
8		Rise Up and Wonder	5:49	Play
9		Christmas Wishes	3:06	Play

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Description

A Family Christmas

As Arranged by: Michelle Ende

Performed by: The Ensemble de Luz

Track 1 Autumn (original work)
Geese fly south and we know that Autumn has arrived. We say farewell to the Summer and look forward to the Holidays as they fast approach. The air is stark and quiet with the stillness of this season. All around us, the colors burst in brilliant display, slowing fading to darker colors, shades of grey. We lay our heads upon our pillows, listening to the rustling of leaves.

Track 2 Thanks Giving
Then one morning we awake and we hear the migrating birds and see the last flings of Autumn and we hear laughter and light in the rooms below. Family has returned from parts unknown and we embrace those we had thought lost and beyond retrieval. It is the Thanks Giving and are truly blessed.

Track 3 The Blessed Tree
We go to market for the tree. We must pick the tree that is just right. We must have it in place before the night. Lights and Love and Faith and Hope grace our tree and give it scope. We love our tree so straight and tall and pray for everyone, one and all. And so the Thanks Giving Holiday ends and the Christmas watch begins.

Track 4 Comfort and Joy
And a wind arises, cold and stark and pierces the very heart of the house. Winter has come and thrown off the autumn mantel. Shops show more and more Christmas color as we draw near. We take comfort in the season and joy in the gathering of treasures.

Track 5 Sleigh Ride
It is just before Christmas and Father asks us out for a sleigh ride. The horses are restless and we start out slowly. We are not dashing through the snow, but gilding gently over the snow covered tracks of previous journeys. Father takes us along the edge of the forest and we look up, snuggled in our blankets, to see stars peeking in and out of the snow covered branches. Hot Cocoa and blankets and only our cheeks are cold.

Track 6 Under Christmas Stars
It is almost Christmas Eve and we are standing, looking out over the snow covered valley. We hear church bells gently ringing and the sound of choirs as they renew their practice for the coming services. Their voices waft over the valley and we feel the perfect stillness of the night. Was Bethlehem like this so long ago?

Track 7 - Angels Among the Holly and Ivy
It is Christmas Eve and we go to church. The Pipe Organ and the Choirs are singing brilliantly and the church is filled with friends and neighbors, school chums and crushes. We sing out loudly to let Him know we are here. The bright lights of the church and the smell of wet snow bind us together as survivors against a colder truth. We are huddled together in this lifeboat.

Track 8 Rise Up and Wonder
Christmas has come and our treasures have been opened. Our hearts are large with love and good will. We step out from the bright room and step out onto the porch with Father. He tells us the true meaning of Christmas and asks us to look inside and find the One dwelling there. We feel small but true.

Track 9 Christmas Wishes
And so we wish this for you; that as you listen to this album, you remember that we have not met but we love you still, for your journey is not so different than ours. And we wish you the Peace and Blessedness of this season and we hope you extend it to all you meet, both stranger and friend; for truly how can we love Him that is unseen and not love those seen and around us?

Michelle Ende

Produced by Annuit Music with attending sound effects commercially licensed through AudioSparx.com

About The Ensemble' de Luz'. It is made up of two Roland Keyboards and a Digital Grand. Additional Soft Synths are provided by Cakewalk Rapture, Garritan Personal Orchestra, and Cameleon 5000. All wrapped into 16 track digital mixers.

About the Composer: Michelle Ende' was born in Chicago and lives in Lutz, Florida outside the noise of Tampa. She is a professor of International Economics and works for the State of Florida. Her music is almost as old as she is, starting composition and studies at the age of six, she is well versed in music theory, harmony, and orchestration. Her website explains her work in both Electronic and Symphonic, as well as Instrumental.

The Website is http://annuitmusic.com