Album Notes

Alongside our debut album, we've been working on this Christmas album for quite some time as well. Nothing fills our minds and hearts like the joys and miracles of Christmas time. Writing songs for the season is indeed an easy task due to the abundance of emotion and happiness making its way into our hearts. Let me share with you a little bit about us...

The band 'Ellis Noval' consists of a singer/songwriter father and son core and has undergone several personnel changes to date. Our first album has been extremely long in the making, having started the group in 1995 playing as many places as we could to build a following. Through our many experiences during those times, we realized that playing cover songs to several crowds was fun at the time, but it was not helping us make a name for ourselves as well as we would have liked. So we decided to concentrate a little harder on writing and recording our own songs. During the process of writing songs for our debut album, we found ourselves wanting to share a little of our holiday spirit by also writing a Christmas album.

This album marks the first of possibly several Christmas albums yet to come from the band 'Ellis Noval', since we had so much fun making this one, and writing Christmas songs is so fulfilling. The band 'Ellis Noval' is all about family and what's important in one's life, as we've experienced it for ourselves. You'll hear a song about our fond Christmas memories, or perhaps a message of appreciation for the gifts we receive, or even a couple toe-tapping moments with the big red one whom we lovingly refer to as 'The Man.' Here's a bit about each song you will hear...

Jesus Christ Was Born Tonight:
Tony: The idea for this song came to me as a slow ballad originally. I wanted to convey the sweet message that materializm isn't the reason for the season, rather the first gift of Christmas, a father's unconditional love for His children, you and me. It became a little more edgy as I realized the importance of the message...

What Child is This:
Tony and Al: A simple tribute to the holy story and the traditional carol...

O Holy Night:
Tony and Al: This song is a preface to the following song, Jesus & Santa Claus, as it describes the birth of our Lord Jesus, and sings praise to him on that holy night...

Jesus & Santa Claus:
Al: This song was written in the spirit of trying to find a way for Santa Claus to co-exist with the traditional meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birth. As I pondered the tradition of Santa Claus, it occurred to me that the tradition follows almost exactly the tradition started by 3 wise men traveling a great distance to present gifts to a small child. It's a tradition that Santa Claus happily carries on to this day, and we believe not without the help of Jesus every year...

Christmas Time at Home:
Tony: This song is a simple chronicle of my memories of Christmas throughout the years, and the importance of those Christmas days at home. Also, the song serves to say that while those memories are important to me, what's more important is that our generation's children deserve those memories as well, and we should do what it takes to make those special...

Song For Dad:
Tony: This was my gift to my dad for Christmas 1998...

Santa Claus Is The Man:
Tony: A little shuffle to get your toes tapping and put a smile on your face...

Gifts of Our Life:
Tony: This song occurred to me when I realized that Christmas had taken on different meanings throughout the years. As a kid, I always wanted to get my stuff and go play with it, often forgetting about other family members. As I grew up, I found myself looking more forward to my family opening their gifts from me in order to see the looks on their faces. No gift from anybody could bring me such joy, but the flipside of that coin is that other people get to take joy in your surprise also. Appreciation and giving are the true ways to share gifts with each other, but the true gifts themselves are not those things, rather your family themselves. We are each others gifts during this life, and we're able to be so because of the ultimate gift of love our Father gave to us on that first Christmas night.

Silent Night:
Al: A humble reading of the story of the birth of our Lord on earth, followed by a traditional lyrical tribute...

We Wish You a Merry Christmas:
Tony and Al: We certainly do, and we hope all your Christmas seasons are at least as joyful. Thanks for giving us the chance to be a part of your Christmas celebration, and as we've said before, if we were able to create one moment of happiness in your heart, then the production of all was worth the sale of that one. Happy Holidays from the band, Ellis Noval!