Christmas in Downton Abbey

This year will be the last Christmas ever celebrated in Downton Abbey. The much-loved British series, which airs on DIVA TV on Monday evenings, is on its last year. As such there is a finality in every episode with all those loose ends getting sewn up and goodbyes being said. The prospect saddens fans all over the world. The critically-acclaimed show has won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Mini Series and the Golden Globe for Best Mini Series aside from other awards and nominations. But all things, even the good, come to an end.

The drama is about the Crawley family and their servants in the fictional estate of Downton. It plays out against the backdrop of major world events like World War I and the influenza epidemic and cultural developments of the early 20th century like jazz music or newfangled notions like the radio, the telephone and the refrigerator. It is a look at an earlier time, quiet and genteel and for the affluent aristocracy, very luxurious.

Presented is how they cling to the old mores and biases which are becoming obsolete like always needing a male heir and having personal maids. Here is how they resist and later adapt to inevitable changes like mixed race romances or mixed religion marriages. Interestingly, the same things are happening among the servants “downstairs” where their own versions of hierarchy and old customs play a big role in daily life.

Aside from the intriguing twists and turns in the lives of the characters, what makes Downton Abbey a compelling viewing is the production design’s attention to detail. And these include everything from stocking garters to the right side saddle to a maid’s perfectly starched apron to where a fish knife is placed on the dinner table. 

And that table really gets the works for Christmas dinner. Every season’s Christmas episode is very special. This is sometimes spent in the city in London or in the highlands, but the ones I like best show Downton Abbey at its most festive and beautiful. Snowy, wintry outside and firelit warmth inside. Whatever is raging inside the hearts of the residents is put aside on this special day. And to celebrate, there on the table are the huge turkey waiting to be carved, sweetmeats, puddings and pastries that seem to be mighty delicious. 

Of course, they also play Christmas carols either as background music or a live performance by a visiting singing star or a band.  If I remember right, there was an episode that included the soprano Nellie Melba played by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The music played ranges from sprightly Irish jigs to Tschaikovsky to traditional songs and like everything else in the show, these choices are always impeccable.

That was the first word that entered my head when I saw the Christmas At Downton Abbey album. It has Jim Carter in it, so it has to be impeccable. Carter plays the butler Mr. Carson in the series, who would be appalled by the slightest breach in etiquette. His very distinctive voice narrates Clement Moore’s Twas The Night Before Christmas and summons up visions of Carson reading the poem to Lady Mary as a young girl or maybe to the little ones who are the new Downton residents.

Elizabeth McGovern, who plays the American heiress Lady Crawley, has a sweet singing voice that lends itself very well to the traditional songs like It Came Upon A Midnight Clear and The First Noel. The latter is a duet with Julian Overden, who plays Charles Blake, Lady Mary’s socialist admirer. A trained high baritone, he brings a leading man vibe to the album with O Holy Night, The Sussex Carol, Silent Night and The Twelve Days Of Christmas, a duet with child singer Katie Marshall.

Christmas At Downton Abbey is a fully-loaded collection with two discs and 45 cuts of classic Christmas music. It beautifully evokes the old times we have only read about or seen in the movies or maybe watched on TV in shows like Downton Abbey. It is the kind of down time music I like listening to during the Christmas season. It is festive, happy but also filled with reverence for the season.

Also included are We Wish You A Merry Christmas, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Tannenbaum and I Saw Three Ships by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa; The Downton Abbey Christmas Suite performed by The Budapest City Orchestra and the Budapest Choral Voices; In The Black Midwinter, Once In Royal David’s City, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful and others by the Choir of King’s College Cambridge; and many more.