Album Notes

Once Upon A Christmas is a collection of music written for several home-spun Christmas pageants over the years. One such script, \"A Donkey’s Tale,\" written by Beth Jordan and Sarah Maxwell, serves as the structure through which songs from other years’ pageants are interwoven.

The pageant opens in a family living room on Christmas Eve, with participants dressed as toys that were being given to the children the next day. The room was getting so crowded with gifts that Dad decides to remove the nativity set. He unwittingly drops the donkey from the set and, as soon as he is out of the room, the toys and the donkey come to life. The toys are full of themselves, thinking they are the reason for the season -– after all, they are the \"Toys of Christmas.\"

The toys suddenly notice the donkey, not recognizing him as one of them. When asked to identify himself, the donkey explains that he carried Mary to the stable where Jesus was born. This is foreign material for the toys, but they are curious to hear more. As the donkey begins to recount the story, the toys suggest that they reenact the stable scene since toys are especially good at make-believe -– you know, \"Pretend.\" The donkey continues to tell them of Jesus’ birth: The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the news that she would bear a child, the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38). She joyfully accepted this with \"Mary’s Song\" (Luke 1:46-55). Upon his birth, there was a lullaby to mark the occasion, \"Little Lamb.\" Angels appeared to the shepherds in the field, telling them of the coming of the Savior, and they set out to meet him with \"The Shepherds’ Song\" (Luke 2:8-20). People gathered from all around to worship him with \"Sound the Trumpets.\"

The toys, humbled and filled with awe, come to understand the true meaning of Christmas and offer their praise in \"You Can See It On His Face.\" Finally, all creation offers worship and thanksgiving in \"Praise Him.\"

Pianist/Songwriter Meg Baker has written music in a number of genres, from children\'s to novelty/parody to light jazz. Her music teems with influences ranging from the classical period to Rogers & Hammerstein and Disney.