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Patti Teel's The Christmas Dream is fun with a purpose. The fun is in her stories, a fun based on the stories themselves, along with her stylized telling of them, and a child's frequent need for an entertaining distraction at bedtime. The purpose is to use the entertaining distraction to prepare the child for sleep. The CD is organized around two stories, Bedtime Routine One and Bedtime Routine Two. The first routine, called "reindeer flight training", is a relaxation exercise where the child imagines how Santa trains his reindeer, both by listening and performing elements of the training. The second routine takes the child on a trip around the world with Santa.

The routines use repetition, progressively slower pacing and softer voices to relax the child to sleep. Patti Teel's empathic, expressive style lends itself to this sort of material, and the stories are simple and understandable enough to be interesting to many small children. Her production follows the example of Mr. Rogers, using light musical accompaniment and the voices of animal characters to help the child complete the vision. I would expect The Christmas Dream to appeal generally to the younger side of Mr. Rogers' audience, most likely children age three to six. And I can imagine it being used nightly as a bedtime routine throughout November and December.

I have never heard anything like this before, and I am happy for the opportunity to recommend this unique holiday offering for children.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2003)

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From the CD notes: "The Christmas Dream album consists of two bedtime routines. The first routine, tracks 1-3, is a progressive relaxation, or "reindeer flight training." The second routine, tracks 4-11, takes young listeners on a trip around the world with Santa Claus. At bedtime or quiet time children can listen to either routine separately, or one following the other."

Patti Teel

The Christmas Dream

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Track List