Christmas Stories To Be Shared By The Fire: The Prayer by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the Film Quest For Camelot

As I write these words today, the calendar page has flipped from November to December. When I was a child this meant that it would soon be time for Santa Claus to visit my home. It also meant that my family and I would be spending a lot of time in church where we would learn all about the Nativity that brought to the world a miraculous baby that came to be known as Jesus. That these two parallel aspects of my childhood co-existed seamlessly was something that I never questioned at the time. Somewhere in the back of my mind I always associated the birth of Jesus with the celebratory nature of what went on in my home with my family and my friends. It just was how it was. Jesus was born thus Santa Claus came to my house and brought me presents. The math added up. It continued to add up for many years until….SPOILER ALERT…I discovered, as all children eventually do, that Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus were my parents and that Santa’s workshop was my parent’s bedroom and the back corners of our basement and anywhere else presents could remain safely hidden until wrapped after my sister and I were safely tucked into our beds for the night. Even after that sense of belief in the magic of Santa went away, there was still the wonder of waking to find empty stockings stuffed and a barren tree skirt buried with a mountain of presents. The breathless anticipation that I always held as a child with regard to the magic of Christmas evolved into a form of familial gratitude that remained as meaningful as flying reindeer ever had before. Such is the cycle of life.

Now I find myself at the other end of the spectrum. I am the elder parent cobbling together as warm and safe an atmosphere in our home as is possible for my family, none of whom are children themselves anymore. In these times, the meaning of Christmas is nebulous and ever changing it appears. The world of the interweb, where so many of us spend so much of our day, seemingly wants me to believe that Santa’s workshop resides in an Amazon fulfillment center and that the secret to happiness is to shop, shop, shop! From the pulpits of many who call themselves christians, the message is that the season is meant only for people who look and act just like us. My favourite Christmas memories from my childhood all revolve around a feeling of warmth and of safety and of being loved by those around me. It isn’t as easy today to find that feeling of safety and welcome if you are poor or if you come from somewhere else where your cultural upbringing may have been different and the colour of your skin is something other than white. So, as the calendar page flips from November to December in a world where the words “Black Friday” have come to replace peace on earth and goodwill to all men, I find myself questioning my role in it all. What do I believe the spirit of Christmas to be anymore?

Ironically enough, the search for the answer to that question has brought me to a poorly received animated children’s movie from the 1990s entitled Quest For Camelot. Like many movies made by adults for children, the themes of Quest For Camelot revolved around courage and friendship and loyalty and that willingness to keep going no matter what the obstacles were that life placed before you. The critics savaged the movie, claiming it was nothing that hadn’t been created multiple times before. They dismissed the movie outright and audiences seemed to agree. Quest For Camelot seemed to be the type of movie that was destined to go straight into the bargain bins at your local dollar store. So how could the modern day meaning of the Christmas season be found in a movie apparently so forgettable? Well for me, the answer is found in the inclusion on the movie soundtrack of a song that, at first blush, seems wildly out of place. The song is called “The Prayer”. It was written by two of the world’s most successful songwriters in history, David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager. It was sung by two of the world’s most respected and accomplished singers, tenor Andrea Bocelli and Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion. It is a soaring plea for a world in which everyone can find wisdom and safety and love. It won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song that year and was also nominated for an Academy Award. Some people find Celine Dion and any of the male tenors to be a little much when it comes to the vocal histrionics that often accompany their songs. But for me, I find “The Prayer” to be a beautiful song because it asks for nothing more than compassion and kindness for others. I love how Dion and Bocelli weave words of Italian and English effortlessly throughout the song so as to say that, in any language, love and empathy are always the answer. 

In the film, the main characters find themselves on a journey filled with hardships as they seek to save the mythical sword Excalibur from the covetous hands of a seemingly omnipotent evildoer. The odds are stacked high against our heroes but in the end the sword is saved, the villain vanquished and our heroes find love and redemption and welcome via their shared sense of courage and sacrifice and love for each other. Funnily enough, as repetitive a storyline as The Quest For Camelot may possess, the idea of the downtrodden gaining safe harbour through the goodness of their being was one I first became aware of as a child many years ago when I would go to Sunday school to hear the story of how a young couple named Mary and Joseph went on a difficult journey and found shelter in the warmth of a stable. Hmmm?! A story of kindnesses granted to those souls lost and in need of help seems rather important in Christian circles, no?

I am not a religious man by nature but there is something about the message of The Nativity that resonates more within my heart than the siren song of big box retailers. “The Prayer” is a song that exemplifies this in a lovely sounding way. Oddly enough, there is not a single word in this whole of “The Prayer” that mentions the Baby Jesus or the word Christmas and yet, it is one of the songs that best captures the essence of potential for good that exists within the Christmas season. Sometimes love is a feeling or an atmosphere that manifests itself when people are accepted unconditionally and welcomed for who they are. As a child I was always given a seat at the table. It was an unquestioned fact. I was loved unconditionally. That was always the greatest gift I was ever given. For me, even today as I watch my own children heading off into the world, the greatest gift I can give to them and to my wife is for them to know that they are cared for and loved and safe without conditions. When I try to put this desire on my part to provide a safe haven for my family and our friends and neighbours and those I encounter during the month of December, it is the words of “The Prayer” that I hear playing in my mind.  

“Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we′ll be safe”

• “The Prayer” by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion

As December begins, let us all fill our hearts with the joy that comes from goodness and from unconditional acts of kindness to others. That is what Christmas means to me as my life continues to unfold. Let us be accepting of others and the journeys they may be on and welcome them kindly regardless. I hope that the warmth and safety of your world and the world of those you love most forms the centre of all you do during the Christmas season. May that foundation allow you to do the very same for others so that they may feel as blessed and safe as you do. Happy Christmas month to you all. Hopefully I will be able to publish some more holiday-themed posts in the weeks to come. For now, have a wonderful rest of your day. Thanks for coming along on my journey in music and in words. Your presence here is most welcome.

The link to the video for the song “The Prayer” by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion can be found here.

The link to the trailer for the movie Quest For Camelot can be found here.

The link to the official website for Celine Dion can be found here.

The link to the official website for Andrea Bocelli can be found here.

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