Christmas Traditions Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Christmas Traditions Blu-ray Movie Review

Less Poinsettia.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 17, 2011

For many people, "Christmas" evokes a feeling of nostalgia, memories from their youths, memories of waking up bright and early and rushing down stairs and flashing smiles and ripping wrapping paper and digging into the underside of a tree's worth of shiny new toys and other assorted gifts. It was the receiving that made the holiday so special, a youthful exuberance that overwhelmed the value of giving, the spirit of the season, the true meaning of Christmas. For others, maybe, "Christmas" brings a sense of dread, of utter panic, of big sales and bigger crowds, long lines, and complete oblivion to anything but the manufactured hustle ad bustle of the season. Others still, maybe, immediately think of Christmas' religious element, the birth of Jesus Christ, images of a bright, shining star and three wise men traveling to a manger to bear witness to the single most important birth in human history. There's also those folks who, when thinking of that cold winter's day, conjure up images of the warmth of friends, family, a steaming cup of hot chocolate, carols, hymns, seasonal music, lights, decorations, and the tranquility of a happy house filled with chatter and laughter on that most special of days. Christmas Traditions is an ambient film that focuses on the last two ideas of Christmas -- music and the warmth of a decorated home -- along with a subtle hint of the holiday's religious overtones and gift-giving joys. It's a complimentary background piece that's meant to enhance the spirit of the holidays through a selection of Christmas music played over a series of high definition holiday imagery. And for those who, for whatever reason, cannot celebrate the Christmas holiday with decorations and trees and family, Christmas Traditions isn't a replacement, but it's at least a nice little companion to bring a sprinkling of the holidays into any home.

The Nativity story.

Much like its sister release Colors of Christmas, Christmas Traditions does a fine job of establishing a mood of comfort and tranquility by wrapping its audience -- attentive or simply enjoying the disc as background ambience -- in the warmth of a traditional Christmas. Of course, that's its one and only goal, but still the program achieves it easily. It's in the same style and format as Colors, and with that comes the same set of flaws, more on those in a moment. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad with the release, and how could it not considering the simple pleasures towards which the program aims to satisfy. It's a little less overloaded with poinsettia than is Colors, which is a good thing. Christmas Traditions focuses on warm Christmas accents, such as several uniquely-decorated trees, a Christmas village, a snow globe, Nutcracker figures, holiday sweets, and a few beautiful Nativity arrangements. It's nice to see the program choose to incorporate Christmas' religious roots rather than dismissing them entirely, even if the highlights come in the form of lighted outdoor decorations (including a large train and...fish and submarines and alligators?) and snowy country backdrops that perhaps more than anything else in the film elicit that classic Christmas flavor. The music is equally intoxicating, much of it relaxing, some of it more uptempo, and it includes a choral selection for something a little different for Digital Environments' pair of Christmas releases. Finally, the program concludes with selection from The Nutcracker.

Sadly, the disc itself is greatly flawed, but the flaws amount to annoyances that could have easily been resolved rather than deal-breaking issues. All six of the selectable musical styles play over the same fifty-minute video. That's understandable, but at least another option or two to pair up with any of the music would have gone a long way in adding extra value to the disc. Of course, Christmas Traditions -- and Colors of Christmas, for that matter -- are made to be enjoyed, primarily, as background noise and ambience, not as something to stare at for the entire time, at least not after watching the video go by for its first fifty-minute cycle. Perhaps the biggest problem viewers will encounter is the program's failure to identify the songs, either on-screen or at least from a selectable menu screen. Even Christmas music connoisseurs might very well be hard-pressed to identify every tune heard in each of the six stylings, even considering that many of them repeat in different forms across the entire disc. Equally disappointing is that there is no way, then, to jump to a particular song, no way to immediately skip to a piano rendition of "Good Christian Men Rejoice," a handbell take on "Away in a Manger," or any of the included selections from "The Nutcracker." Lastly, when one of the fifty-minute selections ends, it begins again rather than starting the next option. The end of "Piano" loops back to the beginning of "Piano" rather than to the beginning of "Harp." A menu option to select one or the other would be most helpful for those who wish to enjoy nearly half a day's worth of Christmas music variances.

Below is a selection of some of the songs as heard in each musical segment.

• Piano: "O Come, All Ye Faithful;" "Angels from the Realms of Glory;" "Auld Lang Syne;" "Still, Still, Still;" "Coventry Carol;" "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day;" "Good Christian Men Rejoice;" "Angels We Have Heard on High;" "In the Bleak Midwinter;" and "O Tannenbaum."
• Harp: "Joy to the World;" "What Child is This?;" "Deck the Halls;" "Angels We Have Heard on High;" "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella;" "The First Noel;" "Here We Come A-Caroling;" "We Three Kings of Orient Are;" and "O Come, All Ye Faithful."
• Handbells: "Deck the Halls;" "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen;" "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing;" "Silent Night;" "Angels We Have Heard on High;" "Away in a Manger;" "Good King Wenceslas;" "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear;" "O Come, All Ye Faithful;" "O come, O come, Emmanuel;" "Go Tell it on the Mountain;" "O Holy Night;" "We Wish You a Merry Christmas;" "We Three Kings of Orient Are;" and "What Child is This?"
• Guitar & Violin: "The Christmas Song;" "What Child is This?;" "Silent Night;" "O Tannenbaum;" "God rest Ye Merry Gentlemen;" "Away in a Manger;" "The First Noel;" "Carol of the Bells;" "We Three Kings of Orient Are;" and "Deck the Halls."
• Traditional Choral: "Christmas is Coming;" "Huron Carol;" "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen;" "The Moon Shines Bright;" "The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came;" "O Little Town of Bethlehem;" "Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella;" and "O Holy Night."
• Tchaikovsky Christmas: Selections from "The Nutcracker."

Christmas Traditions Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Christmas Traditions features a stable, but not problem-free, 1080i high definition transfer captured via HD video, not film. It's sometimes a touch soft and doesn't always boast the best clarity around, but most of the material -- which has been captured via still video shots or accented with a slight pan -- looks quite nice. Close-up shots reveal handsome textures on a myriad of objects, whether tree ornaments, fine lines on figurines, or the veins and ridges of those pesky poinsettias. Colors are steady and true, whether as seen in the many cheerful tree decorations, the candies and sweets, natural outdoor greenery in a few shots, or the colorful lights of outdoor decorations at night. Blacks can be murky in lower light, and crush is a concern in a few of the darker interiors. Noise creeps into the image, too, particularly evident in those same dark backgrounds. Fortunately, there is no major concern with banding or blocking. Since this isn't a program built for visual accuracy or scrutiny, there's little real room for complaint. It looks good at a glance, but more important, those close-ups tend to show off some pretty nice little details and colors. All in all, a job well done.

Christmas Traditions Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ultimately, Christmas Traditions is a music release -- few, if any, buyers will sit through it and offer the video segments their undivided attention with every spin -- so the program's soundtrack is arguably its most disappointing element considering that it's not of the lossless kind, or that there's not even a lossless option at all, whether of the 2.0 or 5.1 varieties. Fortunately, the Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation fits the bill nicely, even if it comes up lacking in a few spots. The track in general is nice and clear across all six musical styles. It's nicely immersive, the music spreading all around the soundstage -- even into the back channels -- but not to an overwhelming or unnatural extent. The piano is smooth and crisp across the entire range. Handbells don't come across as too sharp. The guitar and violin segment is the program's liveliest, loudest, and quite possibly clearest, and it definitely enjoys a fine low end to give it some much-needed body. The choral segment is smooth but not quite as seamlessly natural as it might have been with a lossless presentation; it definitely comes across as somewhat artificial rather than organic. The Nutcracker selections sound nice, but chances are audiophiles have heard it sound better, either recorded or live. Overall, this is a quality presentation that comes up a little short, nothing that a richer and more lifelike lossless soundtrack couldn't have solved. Still, it's more than adequate for what it was designed for.

Christmas Traditions Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Christmas Traditions contains no supplemental features.

Christmas Traditions Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Christmas Traditions is a fun and relaxing ambient release that enhances the holidays or, for others, perhaps brings a sliver of Christmas spirit and joy where it otherwise might not exist. The imagery is delightful, the music is good, and the sense of warmth and heart it exudes make this release worth every penny, even if it does have some technical flaws that really should be addressed in any future, similar ambient Blu-ray disc. Digital Environments' Blu-ray release of Christmas Traditions features good 1080i video, a decent 5.1-channel soundtrack, but no extras. Recommended.