The Understanding Angel

Pretty much everyone who celebrates Christmas will put an angel on the tree. Ever wondered why?

I was chatting on the phone to my stepmother yesterday, as I won’t be able to see her for Christmas. At her church she has been part of a group studying angels and how they have been depicted and understood (and misunderstood) over time.

It made me think of this recording. The Littlest Angel, by Charles Tazewell, was first published in 1946. It was hugely popular and remains one of the best-selling children’s stories of all time. It was adapted to all sorts of different media, including this sound version, read by actress Loretta Young.

It was a deluxe item: three shellac gramophone discs, held in paper sleeves in a heavy card folder. This was “an album of records”. When LPs appeared, each one held the same amount of music as an album of records, so an LP got to be called an “album”, even though it wasn’t.

Like many a much-loved children’s story of this period, The Littlest Angel is a tad twee to modern ears. But just accept that it is a sentimental Christmas story, and go with it.

Among the characters you will meet in the story is the Understanding Angel. When my parents were divorced, and my father married my stepmother, my brothers and sisters and I were all teenagers. We were distressed and confused and did not always express these emotions well. Not our fault – it was a difficult time and we were children still. But thinking back, my stepmother showed great patience and kindness, sometimes in the face of great provocation. She was, in fact, something like the Understanding Angel.

To my stepmother: this is for you.

Happy Christmas everyone.

• Artist: Loretta Young, with Ken Darby Choir
• Track: Whole album (three discs, six sides)
• Format: 10”, 78 rpm, shellac, mono
• Label: Decca
• Made in: Australia
• Catalogue: DA 23452-4
• Year: 1950

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